Social media platforms are always evolving their efforts to increase audience sizes, spread more information, maximize revenue, and provide entertainment for users. X (formerly Twitter) has an algorithm that enables users to spread their message beyond their immediate followers. However, it’s also a great place to speak directly to your users.
That’s why having a large follower base on X is important if you’re a brand or influencer. The thing is, building an engaged, organic audience on X can be tricky.
You’ll have to nail the basic things, such as a strong X handle, a clear concept for your profile, and a great posting strategy.
But how do you even start on a platform like X where established accounts have attracted millions of followers over many years? In this guide, we’ll outline 11 tangible steps to steadily increase your followers on X, enabling you to engage with a target audience that aligns with your values while avoiding superficial tactics like buying followers.
Only by actively engaging on the platform can you gain followers on X and begin to reap the benefits.
11 Steps to gain X followers:
- Clarify your niche and goals
- Optimize your X handle and profile
- Create engaging posts that resonate
- Post regularly and at the best times
- Engage with other users in meaningful ways
- Leverage strategic paid promotion if needed
- Steer clear of fake accounts and shady shortcuts
- Harness hashtags and events to connect
- Cross-promote on other social media platforms
- Monitor metrics with X analytics
- Stay updated on X features and the algorithm
1. Clarify your niche and goals
Before producing content on X, the first thing needed is to understand your niche and set achievable targets. From there, you need to ensure consistency in what you post, because scattered messaging makes it hard for users to trust you.
Ask why someone would want to follow you and begin developing an idea of where your profile will sit on the platform. Do you want to lead the conversation in your industry? Disrupt the norm? Perhaps even use X to launch new products?
Whatever it is, your niche is your unique selling point (USP) on the platform that will keep followers returning for more.
From there, set clear goals that ultimately determine how you measure your success. Set a follower target or month-to-month follower gains, as this will help keep you motivated to achieve what you set out to do.
2. Optimize your X handle and profile
Think about how brands and influencers present themselves on X. They ensure their profiles are professional and presentable, right? You need to do the same thing and align your X profile with your overall brand identity. Here are a few things to consider:
Choose a recognizable X handle
You should choose an X handle that is easily recognizable with your brand and ensure consistency across other social media platforms to reinforce this.
Craft a concise bio
Your bio should clearly explain who you are or what to expect from you. Relevant hashtags, in moderation, are a key way to help you appear in topic searches.
Pin an important post
A cool feature for X is the ability to pin a key or important post to the top of your profile. This is especially useful if you have a quick introduction or welcome video that gives insight into your brand.
Use the right profile image
Your profile image is usually the first thing users see when they notice your tweets, so make sure it represents your brand. It could be something as simple as your logo, like Nike’s Swoosh.
3. Create engaging posts that resonate
Like most forms of social media, content on X needs to engage your audience if you're going to attract new followers. Here’s what you need to focus on.
Do your research
Neglect the research stage, and you’ll waste time and money creating posts that don’t cut through. Use a tool like Brandwatch to analyze your presence on X and see how you can improve. Using Benchmark helps you broaden your knowledge of successful posts while looking at what rival brands are doing well.
Focus on your niche
Understanding your niche is important because your follower count will grow if you correctly align your content. Focus on your particular topic and be consistent with your posts. Your research will help you understand what audiences want from you so you can refine your niche even more.
Use visuals for the most engagement
X lends itself to text-focused posts, but you shouldn't ignore visuals. Use short clips and visually appealing photos and graphics to grab attention and reinforce your brand.
This is particularly important if you’re posting links to an external website and want to drive more traffic. You could also use X Cards and create clickable images to link to your site.
4. Post regularly and at the best times
X’s algorithm is less likely to favor your content if you don’t post regularly. Consistency is therefore key if you want to get noticed, attract the right audience, and keep them engaged.
Try posting at least once a day to ensure a steady output. This will keep you on your audience’s radar, as well as the algorithm's.
X also has an easy-to-use scheduling tool that enables you to get ahead and achieve strong social media management. Use X analytics to find times when your audience is most engaged to hit them at the right time and focus your posts on when they’re active.
For brands seeking to get the most of X, Publish is a more powerful platform for post optimization and scheduling.
5. Engage with other users in meaningful ways
X is a platform built on engagement. In the early years of Twitter, users would see a prompt that read “What's happening?” before they wrote tweets.
As a brand looking to build community amongst your followers, it’s important to encourage replies with open-ended questions that invite them to reply.
You can also reply and repost yourself to show genuine interest in others. This could result in them returning the favor.
Tag people when you reference someone else’s work to spark deeper interaction. It could even result in new followers.
Another way to engage is by starting a live broadcast, another great feature on X. You can start a “Space”, which is audio only, or begin a live stream. Interacting with users via broadcasts on X can result in more meaningful conversations that turn users into followers.
6. Leverage strategic paid promotion
Targeted Twitter ads are another great way to build more X followers, even if your organic strategy is already strong.
X has a robust advertising platform that’s useful for brands experimenting with ads for the first time. You can target specific audiences with similar interests to your brand, which puts your ad in front of potential customers.
If you want to go the extra mile, then Advertise – part of the Brandwatch suite – is a far more powerful tool that also enables you to see your ad performance on other platforms.
7. Steer clear of fake followers and shady shortcuts
Always avoid buying X followers – it won’t result in true engagement that helps your brand. Your followers might increase, but your posts won’t get noticed or picked up by the algorithm.
Services that offer fake followers or fake accounts might look good for your profile, but having high followers doesn’t necessarily result in high engagement.
8. Harness hashtags and events to connect
Hashtags have remained a constant on X as a tool for increased engagement. Their primary role is to help new audiences find your posts and drive new conversations. However, over time hashtags can also add meaning and context to tweets and make them stand out.
With that in mind, consider creating a relevant hashtag that is unique to your brand and reinforces your campaigns. Movie studios do it all the time when they launch trailers on X, as it generates hype. It will help other X users find you and drive more followers.
9. Cross-promote on other social media platforms
If you have a following on other social media sites such as LinkedIn, TikTok, or Instagram, then don’t be afraid to utilize that by getting them to follow you on X. There are plenty of ways you can do this, with repackaging and repurposing your content being the best one to start with.
If you have an X video that is going viral, it makes sense to post it on Facebook, Instagram, and all your other social sites. You could even post a snippet and encourage users to go to your X profile to watch the whole thing.
Want to know more? Learn about how to get more instagram followers and grow your brand on TikTok.
10. Monitor metrics with analytics
We’ve mentioned how tools like Brandwatch can help you research, create, and publish your posts on X. Well, software is also available to monitor your posts’ performance.
X has its own built-in analytics software (formerly Twitter Analytics) to help you make data-driven decisions on your posts. However, this isn’t a free feature, and you need an X Premium account to access it.
By assessing your performance on X, you can start to spot where you need to improve.
Look at standard metrics like reposts (retweets), replies, clicks, and likes, as this will give you a basic indication of how content resonates.
If follower growth is stalling, then take a look at your posting frequency and timings to understand if it’s at the optimal time for your audience.
If you want to go deeper into the data, then Brandwatch is the perfect tool. You can understand your audience better and learn why they respond to your posts in the way they do.
11. Stay updated on X features and the algorithm
X tends to frequently update its features, so you need to stay on top of them. Ultimately, you have the best chance of building your following and engagement by adapting to algorithms.
If you want to delve deeper into how X (and social networks in general) functions, check out our guide on the evolving X algorithm to stay on top of new developments.
Sustaining meaningful growth by offering value
Building followers and keeping them engaged on X is a process that requires continued thought and hard work. It needs a mix of engaging posts, interaction amongst your followers, and adaptability to new features – including the algorithm.
Make sure you produce content and updates that remain relevant to your brand and keep posting consistently. Remember to utilize scheduling software – like the platform available with Brandwatch – to stay on top of your social management.
Data is the key to ensuring your efforts aren’t going to waste. It’s no good posting regularly at 9am if your audience is most active at 6pm. So, use the data in front of you and create a strategy that proactively generates new followers.
Follow these tips, and you’ll engage with an audience that sticks around over time and continues to interact. These tips are relevant if you’re a brand or individual looking to streamline your efforts on X even as the platform evolves.
