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How to Get More Twitter Followers

Promoting Hubs on Social Media

Many of you are aware of the value of social media for Hubbers, and some of you are already using Twitter and other sites to promote your work. If you do use Twitter, it's probably clear to you that the more followers you have, the more chance your Tweets have of being clicked on or shared. However, building that foundation of followers can be tricky, and it's easy to accidentally drive people away without realizing that you're doing it. Here are a few tips on growing your Twitter following without getting on peoples' nerves:

• Engage with other users... but not indiscriminately! Follow organizations and people you care about, comment on their posts, and Retweet things that you genuinely think your followers will enjoy. Following lots of people you have nothing in common with is probably not going to garner the engagement you want. But if you like to write gardening Hubs, following a gardening site, commenting, and occasionally Retweeting is likely to be rewarding.
• Share often... but don't spam your followers! Tweeting your own Hubs over and over will only drive people away. Your Tweets should be a mix of Retweets from the people you follow, your own thoughts and comments, and your Hubs that you think your followers will like. It's a good idea to Tweet several times a day every day in order to keep your audience interested.
• Drop names. Mention the people, brands, and organizations you tweet about. For example, if you want to Tweet about HubPages, use @HubPagesDotCom to tag us in your post. If we see it, we may Retweet it!
• Use hashtags... but don't engage in hashtag spam. Only include 1-3 truly relevant hashtags that actually reflect what your post is about.
• Care about the community. This one is the most important. You want to cultivate a community of like-minded people to engage and share with regularly, not a herd of followers to exploit for the sole purpose of propagating your Hubs. If your heart is in the right place, the rest will come naturally.

Christy Kirwan
Editor & Web Content Manager

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What do Twitter users like to read?

Characteristics of Tweetable Content

Another great way to grow your Twitter following is to make sure you are sharing Tweetable content. By sharing the types of content that many of your followers will want to like and share, you'll be much more likely to have your articles spread far and wide. Check out the Blog for a few quick tips on making your Hubs more Tweetable.

• Use interesting, eye-catching photos. Most of the sharing on Twitter involves photos. Your Hub's first photo should be as interesting and eye-catching as possible. The better the photo, the more people will want to share it on Twitter.
• Write on subjects that appeal to a broad audience in a variety of situations. Your Hub on how to replace the brake pads on a 1998 Honda Accord may be a rockstar with search traffic, but it's only useful and interesting to people with a 1998 Honda Accord who want or need to change their own brake pads (which does not apply to most Twitter users). You should totally still write that Hub, but you may also want to write one about the Top 10 Personality Traits of Honda Drivers, which will be perfect for Twitter.
• Tweetable content has heart and meaning. A positive message is much more likely to be shared on Twitter, especially if it makes people feel good about life and themselves. Write about good things, amazing things, and heartwarming things that have inspired you, and they will be more likely to inspire your readers to Tweet. In other words, make sure your Top 10 Personality Traits of Honda Drivers are good traits (Honda drivers are economical but not cheap, Honda drivers are family-oriented, Honda drivers are dependable, etc).

Check out the latest Blog post for more details:
http://blog.hubpages.com/2014/07/how-to-grow-your-twitter-followers-without-being-annoying/

This Week's Rising Stars

Below you'll find this week's  Rising Star winners. Our candidates showed off their skills in the Games, Toys, and Hobbies Topic.

Since Hubbers are only eligible for the Rising Star Competition during their first 60 days at HubPages, our winners represent the hottest new talent. Why not read their Hubs?

Christy Kirwan

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