TastyStartup

Its no fun talking to yourself on Twitter!  Expand your reach and increase your number of followers with these simple tips.  You don’t need to be a celebrity to have a huge following any more!

1. Follow Influential Peeps – Follow peeps who already have a large following.  There is a good chance that many of the top twitter power users will follow you back (often automatically) which results in a stream of other followers. Visit Twitterholic to find the top users
2. Update Twitter Daily – No one is going to bother following you if you don’t keep your stream updated on a regular basis.
3. Retweet – If you like someone else’s tweet, share it with a retweet (the format is: RT @username and the tweet text)
4. Cross Post Your Tweets on Facebook – You can setup your facebook to automatically update your status with your latest Tweets.  Simply install the Twitter app
5. Add Value to your Stream – Posting about what you ate for breakfast will only get you a certain number of followers (unless you’re Kevin Rose).  Add value to your stream by posting interesting links and content.
6. Use #hash Tags – Although not officially supported by Twitter (yet), putting a #hash tag describing the content of a tweet will help others find it when searching.  e.g #election08
7. Put your Twitter on Business Cards – I use Moo.com’s awesome mini cards with my blogs URL (feint.me) and my Twitter (www.twitter.com/feint). Its interesting, sometimes starts a conversation and works.
8. Add Your Name to a Twitter Directory – Like this one which groups users on interests.  There are lots out there just do a google search
9. @reply And be Part of the Community – Join in the conversation by replying to others tweets.  If someone asks you a question – respond!  sounds obvious but isoften overlooked.
10. Use Pictures – Tweeps love pictures.  Use my favorite Twitter picture service TwitPic.com
11. Cover the News – Twitter is often where I hear breaking news first.  Become an authority on your niche by covering news.
12. Stop Spamming – You would think that the tweeps who follow you would be interested in what your doing.  You are wrong.  The occasional link to your projects is great.  I recommend linking back to your site no more than twice a week.  I do unfollow people who keep overplugging stuff and im not alone.
13. Ask Questions – And watch the responses flow in as tweeps love to help others. (remember with every RT and @reply your reach expands)
14. Start a Contest – That isn’t lame.  I have given away GoDaddy gift cards (and sponsors goodies) to random followers.   Make it something worthwhile and make sure your contest is fun! (and winnable).
15. Add TwitterCounter to Your Blog – TwitterCounter will display how many followers you have in a nice badge format.  Plus there is a wordpress plugin.
16. Paint the Town Red With Your Profile – Put your Twitter link on your blog, facebook, myspace, digg, friendfeed etc.  Let people find you easily but don’t force it down their throats.
17. Include Your Twitter in Your Email Signature – Seems to work.
18. Don’t Be Afraid to Follow – We are the generation that was born to absorb noise.  Don’t be afraid a couple of hundred people, which will make you more followable.
19. Use FriendFeed – Which seems to do an awesome job of exposing your content to targeted individuals
20. Beg – Follow me

That is my 20.  What are your tips?

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