In this issue of Profitable, I’m giving you a behind-the-scenes look at a simple but effective “cheat code” we’re using to help @jonmorrow reach his first 10,000 followers on X/Twitter.
Even better?
I’ll give you step-by-step instructions…
So you can copy Jon’s tactic…
And get your first 1,000. 🙂
Let’s dive right in.
The Method
Jon posted this tweet:
Then emailed his existing contacts so they’d know about it:
Which led to 500+ people replying:
So they could receive this automated DM (direct message) from Jon:
And get their hands on this PDF:
After only a few days, Jon had added 544 new Twitter followers…
His tweet had been viewed almost 10k times…
And Twitter’s fancy algorithm saw 500+ people interact with his account (through replies, likes, and repostings), which will help future tweets of Jon’s perform better.
All in all, Jon’s idea worked like a charm.
Addressing the Elephant in the Room
Here’s the thing…
Most likely, you don’t have Jon’s large list of subscribers.
You can’t publish a tweet and then email thousands of people telling them about it.
And, you probably don’t have $2,000 lying around to spend on researchers so you’ll have a fancy PDF to give away.
But you know what?
You don’t need them.
Not really.
Does it HELP to have a large email list and money if you’re trying to grow your following on X/Twitter (or any other social media platform)?
Of course.
It also helps if you’re ridiculously good-looking and have lots of 4-leaf clovers lying around.
But those are just accelerants…
They can help the fire burn faster, sure, but you can still start one without them.
Let me show you how.
Mimicking the Method (When You’re on a Budget, Short on Time, and Short on Leads)
1. Create Something Simple to Give Away
For Jon’s PDF, the bulk of the research was done by the wonderful Sam Driver on our team, while yours truly handled the design.
All total, around 80 man-hours were spent.
For your freebie, aim for 30 minutes…
Fewer, if you’re a fast typer or already have an asset that you can convert into a PDF.
(Note: No, your freebie doesn’t have to be a PDF. It can be almost any type of digital content. But a PDF is easy to work with and your audience will know exactly what to expect.)
Here are three ideas you can try:
- If you have a blog, turn one of your posts into a PDF. A free tool called PrintFriendly makes this easy.
- Open up a Google Doc or Word document and write a checklist of ideas that would interest your target audience. It could be 10 tips or steps or hacks on a topic you know well. For example, “10 Secrets for Making the Perfect Omelette That’ll Blow Your Mind”. Then save your document as a PDF.
- Another Google/Word document option is creating a “resource.” Think “25 Best Books on <topic>”, “15 Unbelievable Life Hacks from Weird Al Yankovic”, and so on.
If these sound overly simplistic, it’s because they are. And that’s the point.
Your freebie can be simple. It can be put together super fast.
As long as it’s good quality and of interest to your audience, you’re golden.
(And if it proves to be a flop, no worries. Just spend another 30 minutes creating a new one.)
2. Get an Auto-DM App
Unless you want to manually DM everyone who replies to your tweet, you’ll need a tool that will automatically send direct messages on your behalf.
Jon uses Hypefurry (aff). A popular alternative, which might be a better option if you’re on a tight budget (more on why in a moment), is Tweet Hunter (aff).
Neither is free…
Technically.
If you only want to implement this method once or twice, go with Tweet Hunter.
Like Hypefurry’s premium plan, Tweet Hunter is $49 per month. However…
It comes with a 7-day trial, as well as a 30-day “no questions asked” refund policy.
In essence, you could use Tweet Hunter for 37 days and then get your money back (provided you cancel in time, of course).
But if you like it…
(And with such a generous refund policy, the company’s predicting you will…)
It can be a good tool to add to your tech stack.
3. Set Up the Auto-DM
Once you have your Hypefurry or Tweet Hunter account, you can set up your auto-DM.
Use Jon’s DM as a simple template:
Here is <the thing> you asked for: <link>
The link should point to your PDF.
Saving the PDF to a free Google Drive account, which almost everyone has (and if you don’t, it takes a minute to create), is going to be your fastest (and easiest) route for hosting the file online where anyone with the link can access it.
Here’s a guide that’ll show you how to set the permission for your Google Drive file so that “anyone with the link” can access it. (Go to the share file publicly section in Step 2 and follow the instructions.)
Just make sure you set it so that people will have the role of VIEWER when accessing your file — NOT commentor or editor.
4. Post Your Tweet
Use Jon’s tweet as a starting template for your own:
I <did a thing>. It’s about <a thing>. Want <the thing>?
Reply below, and I will DM you <the thing>.
Must be a follower.
Just remember, your tweet needs to clearly state:
- what the reader will get, and
- what they have to do (i.e., follow you and reply) in order to get it.
Fail to do either and you’ll have a mess on your hands.
5. Tell People About Your Tweet
Here’s where you have to roll up your sleeves and really get to work…
You need eyeballs on your tweet.
And while it would be nice if all you had to do was tell a couple of friends or write the tweet’s URL down on a piece of paper and attach it to a carrier pigeon…
You’re going to have to hustle.
Here’s what to do:
- Go through the contacts on your phone and on Facebook;
- Ask them if they want the freebie;
- If they say yes, send them the link to the tweet.
Repeat these three steps if you have connections on LinkedIn, online communities, etc.
Ideally, reach out to 100-200 personal connections.
6. Wash, Rinse, and Repeat
The frustrating thing about this method is it isn’t “set it and forget it.”
For one thing…
Because of Twitter’s API policy, your auto-DM with Hypefurry or Tweet Hunter can only last for 3 days.
After that, you’ll need to post a new tweet and set up a new auto-DM.
Alternatively, you could forgo Hypefurry and Tweet Hunter and manually send your DMs, which — depending on your situation — could be a viable option when you’re just starting out.
But secondly…
You’re not going reach 1,000 followers doing this just one time.
Your initial expectations should be to gain around 100 followers.
To reach 1,000…
You’ll need to do this method 5 to 10 more times, possibly with a few different freebies you’ve created.
Yeah, it’s a lot of work…
Here’s Why It’s Worth It
We’ve all seen people with tons of followers on Twitter…
But every time they tweet, there might as well be tumbleweeds blowing across the screen.
No replies. No likes or reposts. Little to no activity.
These folks might have lots of followers, but they don’t have engaged followers.
ENGAGED followers…
That’s what you need.
And it’s what Twitter’s algorithm wants to see.
If your tweets are getting engagement, Twitter will show them to more and more people.
Case in point:
As of this writing, one of the threads Jon posted AFTER the tweet used in this experiment has already been viewed over 18k times.
That’s twice as many views as the tweet we emailed all of Jon’s contacts about…
And it’s 36x more views than the tweet he sent immediately before this experiment.
What changed?
Engagement. Jon got some of it.
Then it’s like compound interest or a snowball rolling downhill. Engaged followers lead to more engaged followers, then more, then more.
So, do you want the same?
Want the snowball of engagement to begin rolling?
The method we just shared is one way.
It’s not a silver bullet, of course…
But as part of an overall strategy designed to build a solid foundation of interested, engaged followers on Twitter, it works pretty well.
Give it a try and see if it will work for you too.
The Best Links:
- How does the Twitter Algorithm Work in 2023
- How I Added 44,716 Twitter Followers in 18 Weeks
- 10 Things I Wish I Knew Sooner About Social Media
- How to Get Twitter Followers: 30 Tips and Tricks
- 20+ Top Converting Lead Magnet Ideas For 2023
Your Next Steps:
If you’re struggling to gain traction, it would actually be a wise investment to pay someone to look over everything for you. If you’d like to do that, book a consulting call with Jon here.
Otherwise, I have a favor to ask:
If you got value from this, and you know anyone who is interested in starting an online business, please let them know about it by using the “share” buttons to the right (if you’re on desktop) or below (if you’re on mobile).
The more referrals we get, the more awesome content we can publish.
On behalf of Jon,
Kevin J. Duncan
Editor-in-Chief
Profitable.me
