Learn how to engage with people and increase your Tweets' exposure.

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"Why is no one engaging with my tweets? Why is no one following me? I tweet every day!"

These are questions that are still being asked in 2021. No one wants to feel alone in a sea of content like Twitter. But it also seems that many people didn't "crack the code" yet. How do you get followers on Twitter? How to "make" people engage with your tweets? It's fairly simple, really. You need to be interested in them first. If that makes you even more confused, read on for a more in-depth answer.

Let's say you miraculously gained thousands of new followers on Twitter. You're so happy and excited to share a blog post with them. You click Tweet and wait for the barrage of retweets, likes, and replies you're sure you're about to get.

But they never come.

Where did it go wrong? Well, I hate to break it to you but - nobody cares about you. Suppose you did some Googling and found three articles related to your search. Do you honestly remember the names of the authors? I sure don't.

You and I are both servers. Putting a blog post into the world should be considered an act of customer service. Therefore, sharing it on Social Media and expecting a barrage of reactions will never work because it's about you - not them.

Here are three ways you can share your blog posts on Twitter without making it about you.

Use a Blog Post When Answering a Question

If someone asks a genuine question and you believe that your blog post could give a comprehensive answer, don't hesitate to use it!

I started doing this for my blog posts and realized that this works best by first answering the question as a tweet. And I was then gauging the original poster's reaction. If they react with, 'I need more information,' I shared my blog post with them.

That has worked well so far!

You could answer a question with some of your knowledge as a tweet and then share a blog post adjacent to the topic. You know, for extra pampering.

I mostly do it for writers asking on Twitter whether they should open a website (of course, you should!)

Use Topics Strategically

Not many people take advantage of this, but have you noticed Twitter curates recent tweets into topics?

If you open up the side menu on your Twitter app, you should see an option called Topics.

Oren Cohen's Twitter.

Many people decide that they want to see topic-related tweets instead of tweets from people that they follow. This feature is an opportunity for creators like you. If you consistently post about a topic, Twitter will curate your tweets into that topic for broader exposure.

Take, for example, this tweet from Barack Obama:

You will notice there is no 'books' hashtag in this tweet, and yet, this is the leading tweet in the Books topic on Twitter as of writing these words.

So, don't abuse hashtags in the hope of getting curated into a topic on Twitter. Post conversational tweets instead. By engaging with people and being clear about your tweet's subject, you will get noticed for broader exposure.

Here's some more information about Topics and how Twitter aggregates them from Twitter's help center:

Twitter's help center

Immerse Yourself in Hashtag Communities

I hope you noticed the distinction I made here. Immerse yourself in a hashtag doesn't mean to post mindlessly using it.

One of my favorite Hashtags Communities on Twitter is #WritingCommunity.

People have the same struggles, inspirations, and dreams as me in there. And perhaps it's the only hashtag on Twitter where I've made many meaningful conversations so far.

A lot of people abuse this community by only using the hashtag when they post. Instead, I like to go to the search bar and search for that hashtag. From there, I choose "Latest" and start browsing. People ask questions or share meaningful moments, and I love to engage with these tweets. Whenever I see a problem, I do my best to help.

By being this open with your time and energy, you craft meaningful relationships. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but this is how social media works. If you can't do the job, you won't get the attention.

The same advice of immersing yourself within a community will apply anywhere else since this is human nature (and if you're looking for a more practical answer - yes, this tactic will work on Instagram hashtags as well).

"The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as of being heard." - William Hazlitt

Now, how does immersing yourself relate to your blog posts? Easy! When you react to people's tweets, they will be curious about you and visit your profile. From there, you need to have an impressive bio and a captivating pinned tweet. Remember, when writing your Twitter bio, keep the reader in mind. How can you help them?

I might do a blog post just on crafting a good Twitter profile. Is that something you would like? Let me know in the comments!

Conclusion

So, what did we learn today? We talked about the reason why no one is reading your articles on Social Media. If you make it about yourself, no one will come because, frankly, they don't care.

Then we learned that we could use our blog post links when directly answering someone's question. This way, you make it about them - not you.

We also learned that if we post clear and consistent tweets about a specific topic, Twitter might curate those tweets into a Twitter Topic for broader exposure.

And last but not least, we learned that we need to immerse ourselves within a community and make sure that our profile is ready for curious visits.

The obvious question left hanging for most of you is - how long should I keep this up? When will I see success?

If this question is on your mind, I don't think you'll like the answer very much. You should keep this up as long as you can. Treating people like people is not a temporary job.

Essentially, you're building a community. And if you stop engaging with this community, it will dissipate. So, don't think about doing this in the short term. Instead, think about all the unique relationships you might craft by being attentive and listening to other people. Not only will this endeavor open new opportunities for you, but it will also enrich your life in so many ways.

Let me know how this goes for you by sharing your questions, results, or observations in the comment section below. I love talking to you!