How many followers do you need to make money on Twitter?

Frank Parker
Authored by Frank Parker
Posted Wednesday, May 12, 2021 - 11:54am

Are you looking for ways to make money from creating a social media presence for your business? Twitter is one of the most powerful social media platforms around. Create an account on the platform if you want to build a formidable online presence for yourself and your business. What is more, you can make money through this site using several methods, and you can do so without necessarily hard selling your products and services.

Yes, you can make money by simply tweeting links that provide your followers with something that catches their eye. You do not even need to make the content. All you need is a niche that you can identify and stick to for your goals and a steady stream of active subscribers.

The obvious question that arises here is – how many followers should one have to be successful at monetizing their presence on Twitter?

Do You Need a Minimum of 1000 Followers to Make Money on Twitter?

To have a minimum of 1K followers seems to be popular advice, and this has set Twitter users on a serious race to gather a vaster audience. This is not a bad thing, as, in any social media platform, Twitter algorithms also favor accounts with a large number of followers. However, there is no such number set in stone. 

Although a 1000 follower count is a realistically determined recommendation from several experts on Twitter, the truth is the platform itself does not ask for any minimum number of subscribers for its users to start making money off the site. You can have 50 Twitter followers or 500. You can have 1000 Twitter followers or 10, 1000.

In other words, you can make money off any number of people following you as long as you have:

  • Established a clear niche for yourself;
  • Done your ground research about your target audience and profits;
  • Figured out a smart plan of publishing, monitoring, and engaging with your Twitter account;
  • Organic and active audience.

The last requirement is of particular significance. It is better to have 1000 interested followers who engage with your tweets than have 100K followers who remain inactive and uninterested in what you publish.

Inactive followers only inflate your follower count. They do little else besides this. Having a large number of idle or ghost followers can make your real followers lose interest in your account, especially if they had joined in because they believed in the number of followers your account had. They may drop out from following your tweets, and you can lose credibility with your sponsors as a result as most influencers on most social media sites, Twitter included, are hired for their services based on follower counts. Thus, many followers can turn out to be a liability should the majority remain inactive followers.

This does not mean you should not try to reach out and grow your follower count. It only implies that you must be cautious of the nature of followers you have. Aim for having active followers and increase your follower count with this in mind.

Why Should You Grow Your Twitter Follower Count Then?

Having an ever-increasing follower base is a good thing for your Twitter page as long as your followers engage with you and provide traction to your profile’s activities.

The more active followers you have, the wider demographics your tweets will find visibility in. In other words, your follower count brings exposure to your page and what you broadcast. Remember, it is essential not just to grow your followers but also to retain their active interest in your handle to have Twitter followers’ maximum benefit. Keep in mind the site’s algorithms keep a check on organic follower traction to determine your target audience and make your activity visible to new users.

If Requirements of a Minimum Follower Count is Not Explicitly Stated, Does Twitter Have Any Minimum Requirements for Making Money?

It depends on who is paying you and how. Although follower count is not explicitly stated, Twitter does withhold releasing any money you make until you reach a $100 threshold. Twitter indicates this in its FAQ for Twitter Media Studio – a feature that was launched in recent years specifically to let content creators monetize their presence on Twitter.

In addition to this, Twitter has revoked access to several third-party management tools that previously allowed account holders to mass-follow and mass-retweets in the recent past. This makes getting a decent number of initial followers a hard uphill task for any new user of the site, although the changes do streamline how to monetize your Twitter account more coherently.

How to Monetize a Twitter Account the Best Way?

If you are still wondering how to make money on Twitter, just remember the simple analogy: you make money from your tweets just like a blogger would from their blog. It is all about smart market research and investment in the right tools to bring profits from what you tweet.

Here are some quick tips on how to ensure you are earning good money using your Twitter account:

Step #1: Set up Your Account for Success 

Put Up an Engaging Profile

How you present yourself to those, who do not know you are a big aspect of marketing yourself on Twitter. Hence, when you are putting together your profile information, remember to not leave out critical details like:

  • A profile photo;
  • Username and Twitter handle;
  • Links to external web pages like your official website.

Ensure your bio is not too wordy but at the same time one that will present your best side forward. A complete profile with active links is the first step towards setting yourself up for earning money through Twitter.

Grow an Organic Audience

Even though there is no official set minimum requirement for follower count, you can’t expect engagement on your tweets with 0 followers. Getting the initial number of active fans is the hardest part of building a follower base, as most people are hesitant to follow an account with little or no subscribers. Once you establish your credibility by having at least 50 followers, a new audience is easier to find. Many of them also convert into active followers. Hence, you must effectively plan how to bring up your follower count. Market your Twitter profile to bring in real followers. You can do this by staying alive on the platform:

  • Scheduling active participation and tweets that are relevant to your niche. You could use apps for the purpose or do so manually.
  • Interacting with links put up by other users by liking, commenting upon, or retweeting them.
  • Becoming an active follower of fellow Twitter users. Well, the easiest way to get more followers organically is simply by being active on the platform.
  • Using relevant hashtags to make your tweets visible to a wider community of users.

Buying Twitter Followers

Several services offer packages of Twitter followers that you can consider investing in. Some offer an increase in follower count only, while others promise real followers. The latter is usually priced higher as it implies the followers would also engage with your tweets. If you choose to buy followers, remember to:

  • Make your purchase from a trusted service;
  • Never share sensitive information like login details and passwords;
  • Be clear about what package you want to invest in.

Cross-post for Publicity

You can always share your Twitter handle on your personal web pages, other social media accounts, and emails. Simply add your Twitter handle to signatures on digital spaces you occupy to encourage curiously about your Twitter activities. You are likely to find your organic follower count increase.

Step #2: Choose What Monetization Options Work Best for You

Once you have organized your profile and set yourself up to draw in organic followers, it is time to choose how to bring the money in. Do not be afraid to experiment and explore. Here are some methods you can try:

Sponsored Tweets

You can get paid to tweet if you have a decent presence on the platform. Companies are always on the lookout for persons with an active audience to tweet about their products and services. You can reach out to brands in your niche to tweet for them. If you are very popular, brands are likely to be the ones reaching out to you!

By tweeting for pay, you become an influencer for the company. The number of followers you have will determine the type of influencer you are.

Affiliate Marketing

You can tweet about affiliate products to earn decent money too. Unlike sponsored tweets, where you get paid for the tweet, affiliate marketing pays you a commission each time someone uses the link you tweet to buy a product or service from. Affiliate marketing does not require you to have a necessary minimum follower number, as you earn just when a purchase is made through your links. However, different affiliate marketing sites have their own minimum requirements, and some of them do specify a minimum follower count as a prerequisite for getting approved into the program.

The most successful affiliate marketing happens when you keep to your niche and allied avenues. To be approved into an affiliate marketing program, you will likely have to purchase some of the products of the site yourself to validate your authenticity. Consider this as an investment that will soon lead to better returns.

Paid Reviews

Another way of earning money through Twitter is by tweeting reviews for a price. Several companies pay for honest opinions and feedback on their services and merchandise. You can tweet and retweet links to the products with your review for the same. Use appropriate hashtags to bring the tweet maximum visibility and engagement. The more active traction the tweet receives, the higher your earnings from the review!

Tweet Your Own Services

You can promote your services and products with links to where they can be purchased from using your tweets. Nothing can beat being your salesperson and advertising agent. Share posts about your ware using relevant hashtags and descriptions to create sales.

Organize Giveaways and Contests

For a fast sales conversion, tweet discounts and promotions for your services. Organise giveaways and contests to get your followers to engage with your feed. Such events often act as magnets for attracting buyers to your posts.

You can also give shout-outs and retweet information and links to get more traffic on your activities.

Create Twitter Ads

For this purpose, use Twitter’s recently developed Twitter Media Studio. This feature allows you to create in-stream video ads and accept in-stream video sponsorships safely and securely into your video content. The money is earned directly from Twitter and not third-party sites. Twitter Media Studio gives you the tools to:

  • Produce professional live streams. You can also promote and schedule live streams besides create highlights.
  • Organize and store all of your videos, images, and GIFs in what is called your Library. You can share this Library with controlled permissions with others too.
  • Analyze insights on the metrics of your tweets and earnings from monetized videos.

Offer Customer Service

Tweeting links is versatile. You can use your Twitter account to offer quality customer service for your business or services. This will help you bring more leads and sales conversions to your business and improve customer relations. People tend to buy from a company that provides trustworthy services and is available for support 24/7. Hence, although this is not a direct sale that brings money, it can definitely make opportunities for sales and positive brand building.

Take Surveys and Polls

Twitter pays its users for taking sponsored surveys and polls. Participate in surveys put out by brands to collect consumer experience, feedback, and brand perceptions. Twitter supports not all surveys, and you can definitely sign up to participate in third-party surveys and polls to avail of extra bucks using your Twitter account.

Summing Up

So, now that you have the tricks of stabilizing yourself on Twitter to earn money from the platform, it is time for you to plan how and when to execute them. No matter what you do, be genuine and patient. Be consistent in your marketing persona, and do not deviate from the niche you have chosen to carry your business in. Once you have this sorted out, you will soon see your Twitter handle bringing you the much-desired income. As with any other money-making strategy, monetizing your Twitter handle requires focus, dedication, and hard work on your end.

Share this