There are two types of people on Twitter.
Those who know they’re playing the game, and those who don’t.
Let me explain…
When I was teenager, I LOVED playing Halo: Combat Evolved on my worn out Xbox.
I would backpack that 13lb hunk of metal to every party, plug it into a T.V. and start shredding kids.
It was like bringing a pack of beer to a party, except I was 12.
After playing it for over 1000+ hours I noticed something.
Certain kids would ALWAYS choose legendary difficulty.
It didn’t matter if they were total noobs or a skilled veteran, the choice was simple for them. Suicide by aliens? Sounds great!
Me?
I always wanted to choose easy/normal. What’s the point of playing a game if you keep on dying?
Life is the same way.
School is a game. Business is a game. Twitter and online writing are both games.
There will always be that “one” growth hacker that skyrockets to 10k in weeks, while you’re struggling to get to 1000.
The Key? Remembering that you’re both playing different levels.
The most important rule is to always know what game you’re playing and why you’re playing it. 👈
The 3 “levels” of Twitter growth.
It’s actually more like a spectrum than predefined levels— but this will give you a rough idea of where you currently are.
Each level is based on 3 factors:
How many tweets you send monthly
How many unique DM’s you send out/receive
How many networking events you’re going to
From my experience as a ghost writer, these are the top 3 quantitative variables that influence follower growth.1
Level 1: Passive 🐌
30-500 Monthly Tweets
1 DM a week
Level 2: Active 🐇
500-1000 Monthly Tweets
3-10 DM’s
Attending Twitter Spaces/ Zoom calls 1x week
Using a CMS to schedule Tweets
Level 3: Pro-Active 🐆
Monthly Tweets 1000+
10-20 DM’s
Attending Twitter Spaces/ Zoom calls at least 3x week
Using a CMS to schedule tweets
Experiment with all 3 variables and see what combination of activities work best for you and your personality.
Are you more laid back and want to just write tweets without DM’ing?
Or are you more socially invested and love talking in a Twitterspace?
If being on Twitter starts feeling like a chore, stop and reevaluate.
Ask yourself these questions:
What would an enjoyable Twitter experience look like?
What’s my end goal here? What would “winning” look like?
What’s motivating me to continue playing?
What “difficulty” am I playing at?
TL;DR
Life is filled with all types of games, Twitter is one.
If you want to win you need to know the rules and what level you’re on.
Ask yourself, what’s your motivation of playing the Twitter game?
My favorite links this week:
The best FREE 7 Day Twitter Course on growing your audience by being authentic 👈
My PERSONAL Twitter swipe file + DIY guide— never run out of ideas again!👈
Why we’re all playing the “great online game” 👈
P.S. I’m curious…
Do you like these actionable “Twitter” focused writings?
or more personal stories with the “kick in the butt” sort of call to action?
Your friendly neighborhood writer,
Brian “play the game” To
Next Issue: The one thing more contagious than COVID-19… ⏭
Just because you don’t tweet 1000+ month and attend Twitter spaces 4x a week doesn’t mean you’re not pro-active. This is just a rough guide to where you land on the spectrum.