Twitter is all about interacting with people – your reply game needs to be strong if you want to get more followers and grow your account!
But that game isn’t necessarily easy to win.
It’s a subtle art – maybe even a science!
With millions of conversations happening all day long on Twitter, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd and get noticed.
In this article, you will learn the basics of how to join in on Twitter chat conversations and make the most of it to better engage with your followers, drive traffic to your content, and build relationships with other users.
- Why is participating in conversations on Twitter important?
- Benefits of participating in conversations on Twitter
- Twitter chat participation statistics
- Tips for engaging in Twitter chat conversations
- Strategies for winning the reply game
- Creating a Twitter chat participation plan
- Mini-bootcamp: get Twitter followers
Why is participating in conversations on Twitter important?
Twitter conversations, exchanges, tweet chats, convos — they’re just online conversations that take place on Twitter around a particular topic.
Sometimes, Twitter chats are organized events, facilitated by one or two moderators who create a schedule of pre-determined questions and a specific hashtag to be used by participants for the duration of the chat. While that may sound a bit corny and out of fashion, such structured conversations can be a great way to have focused exchanges and meet interesting people!
Other Twitter chats are more informal, and develop from what topics are currently trending on the platform. Still, participating in conversations that are unfolding, however broadly, is a chance to boost your profile!
Indeed, taking part in Twitter chats by using specified hashtags or keywords and asking questions is a great way to build relationships with other users, increase traffic to your profile, and get more engagement.
There are thousands of Twitter chats happening every day on a wide variety of topics, such as lifestyle, health, web3, marketing, copywriting, startups, travel, business, to name just a few. Search hashtags and keywords in the Twitter search bar to see what’s currently being discussed – or go further and more specific by using Twitter’s Advanced Search function!
Some of them are announced by hashtags, but others are not. Honestly, hashtags are a bit out of date — but you can still use keywords — and search for conversation around keywords to actively seek out conversations and chats you want to participate in.
You can also use a website like reddit to learn about different chat topics and find the best Twitter chats to join. Check out trending subreddits and then go and see who is chatting about that topic on Twitter.
And of course, you can also use Hypefury’s built-in tools!
Benefits of participating in conversations on Twitter
Building relationships
Twitter chats are a great way to engage with like-minded users and build relationships with them. It can help you broaden your network and get deeper into your niche, as well as connect with influencers and get your content in front of their audiences. Since Twitter chats are real-time conversations, they are also a great opportunity to interact with users on a more personal level and potentially form real, human relationships!
Growing your audience
Twitter chats are a great way to rev up your audience activity. By speaking up during a chat attended by many people, you can get noticed and drive these users to your site as well as encourage them to click-through to your articles and boost your SEO!
Driving links and traffic to your offer
Since Twitter chats help you get more eyes on your profile, they can help you present your offer to more people! They also allow you to answer questions and provide links to your articles or page in real time.
Twitter chat participation statistics
Are you still a little anxious about taking part in Twitter chats, or not sure this approach is worth your time? Here are some stats that may convince you to give it a try!
- 90% of people would rather communicate with others via text than in-person;
- 57% of people are likely to buy something from a business after engaging with it on social media;
- The average click-through rate for ads on Facebook is 0.96%;
- The average click-through rate for ads on Instagram is 0.89%;
- The average click-through rate for ads on Twitter is 0.18%;
- 78% of Twitter users say they’ve discovered a new product or service through the platform.
These numbers make it clear: interacting with Twitter users seems a way better strategy to grow your account than simply using advertising! It may take a little more time than setting up an ad, but the results will be there.
Tips for engaging in Twitter chat conversations
The advantage of Twitter chats is that they are particularly personal, direct and in real time. This means that, before joining in on a conversation, you need to make sure you’re in the right emotional space to engage. If you find yourself getting too emotional or upset, it’s okay to take a step back and re-enter the conversation later when you’ve calmed down.
Make sure you’re following the rules of the chat before you jump in. Be mindful of the time, topic and tags associated with the discussion so that you can better connect with others and be heard!
Like any good, constructive conversation, Twitter chats can turn into debates where opinions diverge and the risk of everything turning ugly is always present (it’s the Internet, after all). To avoid clashes, be genuine in your participation and make sure your contributions are meaningful and not defensive. Respect other people’s thoughts and try to find a balance between speaking your mind and listening. You may just learn something!
In the heat of the conversation, you may accidentally forget to use the hashtag associated with the chat. Make sure you’ve added it to ensure your contributions will show up in the chat feed.
Also consider using threads to better express your opinion, and to then have people reply to your thread so as to keep the conversation in one place! That also implies that you should make sure you read other people’s threads in full to make sure you get their point.
Strategies for winning the reply game
Balance is always important: for the best results, make sure to participate in a few different Twitter chats that interest you throughout the week, but not too many so you don’t spread yourself too thin and can remain relevant with your contributions!
Taking part in Twitter chats shouldn’t be a chore – it’s fun to interact with others and should stay that way!
Here are some tips to help you master the Twitter reply game.
Keep an eye on the keywords you’re using
If you’re using a common keyword that thousands of other Twitter accounts are also using, be mindful of how you’re using it. Twitter gives you 280 characters to work with when posting a tweet, so if you’re engaging in a conversation with other users, make sure you leave yourself some space to include the keyword!
Look out for topics that are trending
While it’s important to be a part of active Twitter chats, it’s also important to jump on the chance to get in on trending hashtags that are currently growing in popularity. You just may start a conversation yourself!
The Big One: Chat with people with a lot of followers
Maybe it’s crass, maybe it’s superficial — but the bottom line is, if you get into authentic, valuable, provocative and/or lively conversations with people with hundreds of thousands or millions of followers, you are going to get more traction out of these conversations than by going 10 rounds with someone who has 8 followers. Remain true to yourself and trust that your words and opinions have as much value as those of a popular user, and start interacting!
Consider quote tweeting
Rather than just replying to someone’s tweet, you can quote their tweet and share it with your own comment attached to it – that’s the art of quote tweeting!
By doing so, you can not only share what someone else has tweeted with your followers, but also add your point of view for all your followers – and for the original poster – to see. This can be a great way to participate in a chat, to give it more momentum, or even to start it!
Learn more about the difference between replying and quote tweeting here.
Creating a Twitter chat participation plan
Let’s summarize what you need to do to really reap the benefits of Twitter chats!
- First, find high-follower accounts in your niche. These are the accounts that have a large audience, and if you can get them to notice you, they can help bring new followers to your account.
- Engage with these accounts. Tweet at them, reply to their tweets, and participate in Twitter chats related to your niche in which they are interacting. The more visible you are to these accounts, the more likely they are to notice you.
- Use hashtags and keywords to get more visibility for your tweets. When you use popular hashtags and keywords, your tweets are more likely to be seen by people who are interested in your niche and follow these hashtags.
- Share valuable content. This is, of course, key to gaining followers! If you’re consistently sharing interesting, informative or entertaining tweets, you’ll simply be more appealing.
- Be authentic and genuine. It can be tempting to try and seem different than we are, in life and online, but authenticity is always more attractive. Be yourself and trust that some people will appreciate what you have to offer!
- Be active and engage with your followers. The more you interact with your followers, the more likely they are to stick around and continue following you, so make an effort to reply to comments, DMs and tweets from your followers.
- Collaborate with other accounts. Partnering with other accounts in your niche can help expose your account to a whole new audience! Don’t be afraid to reach out to other accounts and propose a collaboration that will benefit you both.
And that’s the basic rundown! Just remember to be consistent, authentic, and to share valuable content, and you’ll be well on your way to gaining more followers on Twitter thanks to Twitter chats.
Mini-bootcamp: get Twitter followers
Taking part in Twitter chats can be part of your overall plan to gain followers on Twitter. If you are just starting out on your Twitter journey, using Twitter chats and over methods strategically will accelerate your growth and soon bring you to a level where attention will be easier to get!
Here’s a little bootcamp on getting your first Twitter followers during your very first week on the platform – as a bonus, from us to you!
Day 1: Reply to 100 accounts and tweet at least 10 times
- Goal: Increase engagement and establish a presence on Twitter.
- Task 1: Take 30 minutes to search for and reply to 100 accounts, using relevant hashtags and engaging with their content.
- Task 2: Spend 30 minutes brainstorming and drafting tweets, scheduling them to be posted throughout the day using a social media management tool (such as Hypefury!)
Day 2: Identify 300 more accounts to follow and participate in Twitter chats
- Goal: Expand your network and discover new content on Twitter.
- Task 1: Spend an hour searching for and following 300 accounts in your industry or with similar interests.
- Task 2: Join at least 2 Twitter chats related to your niche or industry and actively participate by asking and answering questions.
Day 3: Follow up with new followers and tweet out a poll or survey
- Goal: Foster relationships and encourage engagement.
- Task 1: Spend 30 minutes thanking new followers and engaging with their content.
- Task 2: Create and tweet out a poll or survey to your followers, encouraging them to participate and share their thoughts.
Day 4: Reply to 100 accounts and reflect on progress
- Goal: Increase engagement and assess progress.
- Task 1: Take 30 minutes to search for and reply to 100 accounts, using relevant hashtags and keywords and engaging with their content.
- Task 2: Take some time to review your analytics and assess your progress. Have you seen an increase in followers? Engagement? Consider what has worked well and what might need to be adjusted going forward.
Day 5: Identify 300 more accounts to follow and tweet at least 10 times
- Goal: Expand your network and build a consistent presence on Twitter.
- Task 1: Spend an hour searching for and following 300 accounts in your industry or with similar interests.
- Task 2: Spend 30 minutes brainstorming and drafting tweets, scheduling them to be posted throughout the day using a social media management tool.
Day 6: Participate in Twitter chats and follow up with new followers
- Goal: Engage with and learn from others in your industry, and foster relationships with new followers.
- Task 1: Join at least 2 Twitter chats related to your industry and actively participate by asking and answering questions.
- Task 2: Spend 30 minutes thanking new followers and engaging with their content.
Day 7: Tweet out a poll or survey and reply to 100 accounts
- Goal: Engage with your audience and increase engagement.
- Task 1: Create and tweet out a poll or survey to your followers, encouraging them to participate and share their thoughts.
- Task 2: Take 30 minutes to search for and reply to 100 accounts, using relevant hashtags and keywords and engaging with their content.
Although this strategy is a grind and will require hard work and dedication, if applied consistently enough, you can expect to see progress in your follower growth and engagement on Twitter.
For more tips to keep growing your account during your first month on Twitter, have a watch of this Hypefury video full of helpful advice, and for more tips on how to consistently gain more followers, check out this blog post as well as this one if you are aspiring to Twitter fame!
Feeling motivated? You now have all the tools you need to take advantage of Twitter chats to grow your audience. For more Hypefury advice on how to make the best of your Twitter account and convert your followers into profit, make sure to read the Hypefury Ultimate Guide to Twitter Marketing!
