70 Reasons People Follow You On Twitter!

Posted by Scott Williams

July 20, 2009

Twitter

follow Since #FollowFriday is dying a slow death and can barely make the Trending topics anymore, I thought I would capture the essence of what makes people follow others on Twitter. I sent out a tweet asking this simple question: What makes you want to follow someone on twitter? Your @replies will be a blogpost! Ready, Set, Go!

The Tribe Had Spoken and the bottom line according to Twitterers is: People want to follow Tweeps that are interesting, like minded, provide useful information, good content, authentic, tweet about God, responsive, real, humorous, interesting profile… The overwhelming response is that people want to follow interesting people! Check out these 70 Reasons People Follow You On Twitter! Remember, your overall best bet to get followers is not to follow some get rich follower scheme; instead reciprocate and interesting in some shape, form or fashion!

Note: This post is almost a year old and still seems to resonate. I think Follow Friday may be making a comeback since this post was written. 5-21-01

@ScottWilliams I follow all types of tweeps; however I prefer those who are real, interesting, enlightening, inspiring, humorous & those who @reply & folow me!
@dustytakle Some people are just entertaining
@vinceparker I like to follow people who have interesting tweets.
@LifeChurchNW I you are a staff member of the NW Oklahoma City Campus of LifeChurch.tv
@StephyBarlow The tweeter must have challenging or humorous tweets. Love deep thinking and a good laugh!
@msfbpuddin if their tweets are retweetable or I know them and so I can’t ignore them…
@StefLeppard I follow on Twitter ppl I know, who have similar interests, ppl or orgs who want to make world or community better…
@chuckdennie a positive approach to life, lessons on leadeship, and people who don’t take themselves too seriously get a follow from me
@rebeccagood what @chuckdennie said. if you aint got nothing inteesting to say, you don’t get a follow from me.
@find_ch a fun bio is my first hook (people, BIO!) then an occupation or hobby I like + plus good/fun tweets w/out doing 50 a min 24/7
@mnphysicist engaging folks, RT’s, interesting tweets, links, & bio = follow. no follow if get rich quick, porn, spam, or fake expert
@coffeechicka content of their timeline..how oftn they post.I dnt exclude them if they dnt tweet bout #jesus, but dnt tolerate profanity.
@rogerbain What makes me what to follow someone on twitter? People who tweet significant or applicable info. get followed.
@Kimmlee If they have something interesting, entertaining, or inspirational to say then I’ll follow them.
@marjae If we have common interests, live in a nearby geographic vicinity, or I feel they can teach me something I want to learn
@MarjyMeechan Interesting tweets, interesting website and interaction with followers, some kind of avatar and no promises of followers.
@speli I follow those that engage in kind interaction with interesting information and those in fields where I would like to be.
@doglvr4evr relevance to me/my life, inspiration, knowledge, exchange opinions
@aldrineperez Either they’re a celebrity or a frequent blogger.
@DakmansGiggidy for you brother wisdom!
@awaketoday Nice avatar+fun bio+ONE interesting tweet = follow
@Rick_Smith If they are actually saying something! (most people on twitter aren’t saying anything!) oh yah, and your not a SEO “expert”
@DannyBDaniels I look for encouragers on Twitter.
@jimbotts People who remind me that Jesus is King, and help me fulfill His mission better!
@joshchapman content, content, content
@nadia_alexis I follow interesting people. What matters most to me is if I can learn from them or hold conversations with them on Twitter.
@Andrew_Martin do I know them, r they friends, I’m not much for following coaches, marketing etc, it’s a tool to connect with friends
@Poetwriter People who are interesting and one step beyond the normal feed. People who stand out with clarity.
@QualityFrog Interesting discussion w others I know leads me to follow. (Too bad twitter no longer shows @replies to those I don’t follow)
@MissSaraMarie I’m a little late but I follow people because they are funny, smart, savvy and give me something to think about.
@kylepanter I follow ppl I know & those I want 2 get 2 know. I also follow a few pro golfers 2 learn from the best.
@marvinlwilliams I like to follow ppl who add value to my life and ministry, ppl who r thinkers, ppl who are funny, and ppl who r transparent.
@faceitgc I want to follow ppl that give me tips & resources as well as enlarge my online influence
@cedarcreek_ I follow those who aren’t afraid to expose their human side. Quotations I can get from a bot. Solutions ++, Complaints-
@offgridworship It’s easy to unfollow, so I give peeps who follow me a chance unless they are obviously just promoting a product or service.
@eddie_stephens and following those who I just like staying connected with…everyones generally interesting if they can keep it to 140 char
@offgridworship It’s easier to tell you why I don’t follow. They are following a bunch of people & have like 1 update-a link to a website.
@lisacolondelay I follow creative, interesting, people of all stripes. usually enjoy a good attitude more. The more brains, the better.
@eddie_stephens I enjoy following those who inspire, help me think outside the lines, r occasionally random, and r real minus hype
@CowboyJoey ppl that I cn connect w/! R they just talking or do they have something 2 say! Also lk ppl who follow back. Sports stuf 2
@shellyinGB I know them irl, or a celeb I want 2 follow, or I’ve connected w/them thru online community or they seem interesting
@iChilly sexy profile pic (of course)! hmmm, well, maybe not. I follow people that have a point. I follow people who talk about God
@derrickhenslee like to follow people I’ve connected with or share similar challenges with. I also like people that challenge my thinking.
@chriswhill I like following peeps with common interests. There’s just something about a common bond.
@Ninapilar Mutual interest in varied issues = instant access to news I want to hear instead of limited info provided via mass media
@1ANDONLYHEATHER people that share your intrests, people you think are funny, or that you know…
@Johnwsnyder authenticity and originality.
@melindadanielle I know them personally, or have some common interest with them.. like church or sound or something
@michaelharrison I follow those who inspire me & r passionate about serving others n Jesus’ name. Encouragers r rare. Being real is so needed
@mushymishy > I follow those who share the same interest w/ mine and those posting helpful links about blogging and web design.
@sojourner5 I follow people who have something in common with me, or have interesting or funny things to say + people I know.
@adawk I follow people with similiar interest, people who are near my locale, people who tweet thought provoking ideas
@kenmillerjr …to keep up-to-date with thoughts, opinions or what my friends are doing.
@steveharrison like 2 follow those I know, who I have commonality with, encouragers, & those who r real!!
@kenmillerjr …with that I would have never been able to connect without Twitter. That is just one reason. Another one is the ability…
@pamfidler I find those I follow most R inspiring, encourageing, enlightening, & tru compassionate friends or those who wld lk 2 B.
@cGt2099 I check ratio of followers vs following. If they have more followers, they usually have something interesting to say
@kenmillerjr Interesting and relevant posts to what I do and things I enjoy. It is also great meeting new people that I can communicate…
@steveb7 I only follow someone inspiring, interesting, or really funny.
@joshbuckner Thoughtful tweets and authenticity!
@jdunham I follow people who expand my knowledge and my mind. Not narcissistic tweets about navel gazing.
@boobtubious People that are funny and/or informative.
@ThisisMo If someone I respect is following them, then I will. I figure great leaders listen to other great leaders, so I eavesdrop
@gidgey frequent and interesting, uplifting posts
@tcrobinson Similar interests, whether religion, sports, politics, music, books, and so on…
@bill_todd solid content, Komedy Gold, helpful links, interesting people. I follow most who follow me.
@mikedmerrill Share valuable content, engage and RT your content, Positivity, full profile
@alexsantxo one who disseminates good content and one who is willing to engage every now & then. Humour is great also.
@rickwhite informs me, inspires me, or encourages me.
@dodegaard how they challenge my own thinking. Others because they make me laugh like I need at least once everyday. Enriches life.

Share your thoughts on any of these Reasons and add additional to the list! RT

#FistBump to all my Tweeps that responded and Thx 4 Following Me!

http://repairerofthebreach.wordpress.com Michael Holmes

Great post!

I’m retweeting as we speak:)
http://newleaven.com tc robinson

Scott, thanks for the mention. 70 reasons, cool!
http://thattalldude.com Shawn K

I have a lot of different reasons to follow people. But I narrowed down 10 specific ones NOT to follow them. http://thattalldude.com/2009/07/10-reasons-not-to-follow-you/
http://www.vanink.net VAN

I will only follow as long as they don’t push those ads and links every tweet!
http://twitter.com/NicoleD_ella NicoleD_ella

I follow people that follow me or care about my top 3 interests God, fashion, and sickle cell anemia. Most of the people that follow me want to know what it’s like to live with my disease and how I cope with it. My main reason for being on Twitter is to know what is going on in the world, and get in the heads of my Twitter peers. So I follow ordinary people, celebs I admire, MTV and CNN. I joined Twitter the day Michael Jackson died because I needed to communicate with people who were grieving too. I ended up addicted to Twitter and have been on it daily since his death.
http://broken-umbrellas.blogspot.com K

Great post, and insight from so many different users.

I never “got” Follow friday and am glad it’s going away. Sure it’s nice to be recommended by someone, but I’d prefer a smaller, more targeted follow friday recommendation instead of a long list of usernames that don’t tell me anything about the Tweeter.

Instead of Follow Friday, I have started doing a “Connect 4″ where I will introduce 4 ppl I follow to each other b/c they have similar interests and content. To me, this is more valuable.
http://www.leadHership.net LeadHership

Good word, Scott. I actually follow people who, by their tweets, show a diametrically different lifestyle than me. My hope is that in being real in my tweets, they will be encouraged and even better, make their way to our online campus.
http://www.mushymish.net/tgis Mish

wow, thanks. I’m on the 50th! I have checked some people so I could follow them. great post! ^_^ God bless!
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70 Reasons People Follow You On Twitter!

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70 Reasons People Follow You On Twitter!

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