7 Principles I Learned from Growing to 1.100 Followers
Here’s what I’d tell someone starting at 0 followers:
I’m now at 1,100 followers on Twitter and did it in 8 months.
Looking back, I could’ve done it in 4 or fewer months. These are my major takeaways/ learnings that I’d tell someone who was just starting and didn’t want to waste their time.
Don’t learn from the top creators
“But don’t they have the most experience!?”
Well, yes, but you are overlooking the most crucial point. The strategy of #1 is different from a beginner.
Imagine if you trained like Usain Bolt today.
You’d be dead.
Instead, train like someone a few steps ahead of you. In our instance of writing online, this could mean someone with a few thousand more followers than you.
Short-form and long-form content have their place
Here is my learning.
Short-form = exposure.
Long-form = authority.
When it comes to content creation, online long-form content shows you:
- Credibility.
- Authority.
- Knowledge.
This makes it perfect when you are selling something or simply just building trust with your audience.
Having a balanced strategy is key.
Readability is key
Right now, scroll up through this article.
What do you see?
- Short sentences.
- Simple vocabulary.
- Small paragraphs.
- Bullet point lists.
- Bolded key phrases.
- Headlines that break apart content.
This isn’t an accident.
When writing online, your goal is to convey a thought/idea in the easiest way for the reader to understand. Make it readable if you want it to be read.
Gradual improvements > fast bursts
Consistent daily action brings results.
Once, I had 50 followers on Twitter, and I met this guy with 50 followers too. We both wanted to build our skills while writing online and chatted. He then started working so hard that he couldn’t keep going. Then, he quit.
Now he has 150 followers and is no longer working this side hustle. I have 1,100 followers and am going strong. That’s the power of small, consistent effort.
- 2–3 tweets a day.
- 1–2 threads a week.
- 15 minutes to engage with my community.
It wasn’t much, but I kept with it.
Set up the minimal effort that you can put in each day.
Write like a human
Have you noticed it through this article?
I’m:
- Asking one-on-one questions.
- Writing to one person.
- Using conversation words.
- Using contractions.
Online writing isn’t academics.
You’re not trying to impress anyone. Just share ideas, lessons, and insights.
I recently saw something along the lines of:
If your writing looks like Chat-GPT3, you are at risk of being replaced.
Don’t write like a robot, be human.
Engage with others
When starting out, no one cares about you.
How do I fix that?
Build relationships.
How?
Engage with others through DMs and replies. You can build relationships or get your name out there in your niche by sharing your personal insights.
On Medium, I found this works really well. Just genuinely share your thoughts and ideas in the replies, and you get followers and build community.
Draft like crazy
Never write with an empty slate.
Here’s my simple process:
- Find a problem for my audience.
- Decide my solution.
- Break it down into bite-sized chunks.
After I’ve done this, I can start writing. You will never want to go back to your old ways before drafting.
Another tip:
Whenever you have a content idea, it pops up into your head, draft out what the piece of content would look like.
Thanks for reading.
I currently have 38 followers on Medium and am going to be taking over the platform in the next few months. If you want to see the journey, drop a follow.
Want to help more?
- Give me a few claps so more people can view this content.
- Drop a comment or question (I’ll respond).
Happy to have you a part of this journey!
Much love,
Truman Writes
