Twitter Follow Back Ratio: Your #1 Guide

Following other people on Twitter is almost a cliché at this point, but it is also one of the most effective ways to get more Twitter followers.

This strategy can help you get real, active Twitter followers, but you’ve got to make sure that you stay on top of that follow back ratio.

The follow back ratio is all about how well your account is doing and how it looks to everyone that visits it. In fact, it’s the measure of success for your Twitter engagement strategy.

So, how do you improve your follow back ratio, and what are you doing right now that’s not working? Let’s talk about it.

What Is a Twitter Follow Back Ratio?

So, what is it? This is when you follow someone on the pretense that they will follow you in return. You are putting hope and trust in that person that they will return the favor.

People have been using this method to gain a following since the industry first began, so it’s definitely been tried and tested.

Measuring Your Twitter Follow Back Ratio

So, how do you work out your Twitter follow back ratio, then? You divide how many accounts that follow back by how many accounts you’ve followed, then times it by 100. This will give you a percentage ratio of who is following you back.

Obviously, the higher that percentage is, the better. Having a high follow back ratio means that people are interested in your content and your profile and the strategy that you’re applying is working.

However, before we get ahead of ourselves, we’ve got to remember that quantity isn’t everything. The biggest mistake you can make with this strategy is to follow the wrong people.

While it might be nice to see that follow count go up, if it’s not comprised of the right people who are going to interact with your tweets every day, then there’s no point in having it. This is why you not only have to focus on finding more people to follow you but finding people that are right for your account.

What Impacts your Follow Back Ratio?

Let’s take a look at what impacts your follow back ratio, which we’ve divided into two different categories.

On-Profile Factors

• Profile Picture: Your profile picture is your first impression. It’s only going to take someone less than half a second to work out whether they want to check out your profile further based on your profile picture. If you are the brand, find a nice, inviting picture of yourself to use. If your brand is separate, come up with an enticing logo that you can use for your profile picture. Make sure that the image is 500 x 500 pixels. The more relatable you appear, the more people will follow you back.
• Cover Image: this has to fit in with the rest of your profile. This means that it has to suit your profile picture and your page’s color scheme. Make sure that your cover image is 1500 x 500 pixels, and it is an accurate representation of your brand.
• Bio: make sure that your bio is engaging and draws people in. Don’t overshare, but don’t be too coy, either. Make it interesting, witty, and concise, so that people can get a good idea of you and your brand, without having to overthink it. Be confident, too.
• Following/followers ratio: while this might be hard to achieve in the beginning, you’ll want to make sure that the list of people you follow is always less than the list of people that follow you. You also want to try and limit how many people you follow every day – people will feel more special and engaged if they’re not one of the hundreds you’re following.
• Pinned tweet: want your new followers to see the best side of you? Make sure that you pin your best tweet at the top of your page. This is a great way for them to get a good idea of what to expect from you content-wise, which will go a long way in helping them decide whether to follow you or not.
• Last Five Tweets: sometimes, having just one tweet pinned at the top is not enough to win someone over. In this case, make sure that your last five tweets accurately represent your brand.
• URL: make sure that the website you link to in your bio is updated and going to appeal to those potential followers.

Filtering Factors

• Filter those that you follow: make sure that you use filters to find the right target audience for your Twitter. If you don’t have the time to do this yourself, make the most of companies like Twesocial. Twesocial has some of the best Twitter filters out there, making sure that you stay connected with your target audience no matter what. Their features come with a personal account manager as well, who you can talk to about the best approach for your Twitter growth goals.
• Filter unwanted accounts: this is another thing that Twesocial can help you with – filtering out accounts that you don’t want following you. They can do this through filters like follower count, profile picture, and tweet frequency, as well as what their bio looks like.

Why a High Follow Back Ratio Is Important

Remember, you have to find the perfect balance between quality and quantity to achieve your Twitter growth goals through your follow back ratio. On average, the highest follow back ratio on Twitter is 37.95%, with the lowest being just 2.17%.

If your follow back ratio is less than 5%, then you need to rethink everything that you’re doing. Revamp your profile completely, from your profile picture to your bio, and everything in between.

If your follow back ratio is between 5% and 10%, focus on those filter factors. Who are you targeting through those filters, and who aren’t you? These might need a bit of a change-up to become more accurate.

If your follow back ratio is between 10% and 20%, you’re doing pretty well, just focus on creating the kind of content that’s going to keep people coming to check it out. If your follow back ratio is more than 20%, then you’ve made it, and you’ve just got to make sure that you keep doing what you’re doing because it’s obviously working.