Happy holidays, GirdleyWorld!
If you’re looking for ways to transform your 2024, building an audience is one of the highest-leverage things you can do.
It’s not quick, but it pays off in the long run.
So today:
- How to 10x your business using X/Twitter
Let’s dive in!
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In the last three years, I’ve gone from no followers to nearly 200,000 (197,892 as I write this!).
Building an audience has unlocked things that have changed my life.
With this many people watching…
- One tweet can get me 500+ applicants for job positions
- One tweet can launch a business (Near and Scalepath!)
- I can be a magnet for new friends, learnings, and 10x the opportunities
You can do this too. It’s all about building a habit and sticking it out long enough.
And while the algorithm is constantly changing, some things will always work.
Here are my 17 rules for building an audience:
1. Be yourself.
These days, people want to buy from people, not corporations.
They want to hear from you, the CEO.
So bring your personality. If you’re goofy, be goofy.
2. Post daily.
X likes consistency. Make a few minutes each day to tweet and reply to other people. Don’t go overboard.
2x a day, every day.
(I’ve been going hard lately.)
3. Share real stuff.
Nobody wants to read corporate-speak press releases from your marketing department.
X is about you connecting with others as a person at scale.
Share your journey and learnings. Share your fails.
4. Stay on topic.
You’ll want to talk about sports or politics. Don’t.
Talk about your expertise and things related to business. X likes focus.
If I post a sports clip, it’s always through the lens of what I’m good at: entrepreneurship.
5. Write only great content.
For me, that means checking these 3 boxes:
- Someone would tell a friend about it
- It’s interesting to you
- It’s unique
Sprinkle in your being a natural person maybe 10% of the time (sharing family, hobbies, etc — in my case, sometimes that’s me singing the praises of ground flaxseed.)
6. Have a good bio and headshot.
Use your real name. Tell us what you do and why we should follow you in your bio.
Keep it simple. Use your one link wisely.
Here’s my bio:
I made sure to put some personality, but also some hard credentials so people see a reason to listen to me.
7. Give first.
You should give 5x for every time you ask. Social media is a big giving circle.
And when you give, people give back 10x.
I don’t stick a “sign up for my newsletter” on every post. And when I do, I always package it with free value. (I originally wrote this guide as a PDF giveaway!)
8. Make connections and friendships.
Start with accounts with audiences you admire. Look through the replies on those popular posts, and engage with people there.
Pay up to subscribe to them.
9. Reply with value to “big” accounts & topics.
I play a game called “write the best reply” to any tweet.
I post every morning, so feel free to use me as a test subject.
X wants you in the discussions adding value.
Put a bunch of accounts you admire in a list. Then you can go down that feed regularly and respond to everything.
10. Have fun.
People can see your emotions on X. If I’m not having fun, I close the app.
Be someone others would want to have a beer with!
11. Block and mute.
Think of bad actors or trolls like weeds:
Stamp them out immediately or they multiply.
You’d be amazed how quickly your experience on the platform gets better. It helps you have fun, too.
12. Train the algorithm.
The algo is watching you.
Reward it by interacting with the good stuff and ignoring the bad. Don’t get sucked into things unless you want to see more of it.
13. Watch the trends.
The most successful posting format changes month to month, sometimes even week to week.
Keep up to speed on it.
Some accounts are all about what’s working lately. It’s a great way to keep up with trends.
(Charlie Light is an excellent follow for this — you’ve probably his meme accounts John W. Rich or Hunter Cold Calls. He wrote a great thread about growing them.)
14. Entertain first, educate second.
I knew we Olds love to write fortune cookie wisdom. Don’t do it.
Nobody wants a lecture.
Deliver your messages in an entertaining, relatable, easy-to-read way. Bonus points if you can add a meme or video clip.
15. This isn’t publishing.
It’s creating connections at scale.
Engage with people who engage with you.
Right now, X is rewarding that big time.
Respond to everyone who takes the time to comment on your stuff. Algorithm aside, people value genuine interactions.
16. Speak to beginners.
95% of readers are beginners.
Sprinkle in some expert stuff, but keep it simple for the most part.
17. Be patient.
This is the big one.
Like most challenging things, success won’t happen overnight. You may see years with little progress.
But that’s why it’s so valuable.
DISCLAIMER: That first tweet is from 2010, but I didn’t start building hard on Twitter until 2021. This is not a 13 year journey!
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If you want to buy a business in 2024, the hardest part is finding the right one to buy.
So I built a course. It’s short enough to take in an afternoon, and jam-packed with information. You don’t have to start your search from scratch!
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3 things from this week
- Appetizer: Fireworks season opened on Wednesday. Before that, all 200+ of our Alamo Fireworks locations hadn’t sold anything since July 4th. What a business.
- Main: I wrote a thread this week about maintaining inbox sanity. I’m currently at 5 in my inbox. Since you’re in your email, I thought it might be relevant! Read it here.
- Dessert: Seriously. This is the stuff. Maybe not the best dessert, but you’ll reap the rewards later.
That’s all for this week! Have a Merry Christmas, a happy holiday. You do you - I appreciate you reading!
Michael
