How can I get Twitter followers?

I recently started to use Twitter and have 400+ followers. I was able to gain my followers over a very short time. I will provide some insight into what I did that allowed me to gain some many in a short amount of time.

Every day I check to see if I have new followers. If so, I send a thank you message to anyone new on my list. For example if @eliotpearson was added to my list. I send a message similar to this:

@eliotpearson Thank you for following me!

This does a few things. First, you are saying thanks. This is the most important one. Second, you are introducing your new follower to you other followers. I believe this a pillar of social networking. Finally, you will show up on their Tweet time line. This will introduce you all of there followers as well.

I personally use #teamfollowback and #ifollowback. Every so often I send a message like this.

Looking for more followers! #teamfollowback

You will also see other types of messages if you search for these hashtags. I have seen quotes, polls, or mashups. For example.

To be or not to be, you should really follow me! #teamfollowback #ifollowback

Be creative with hash tags. Its a great way to introduce yourself to a large audience of potential followers. Personally, I search a hash tag like #teamfollowback and look for interesting quotes. If I find anything I like, I click on their profile to see if what they are talking about. If I like what I see, I follow them.

When you respond to direct message you are more engaging. There is nothing worse than having a one way conversation. People are reaching out to you because they find you interesting. Try not to disappoint them and respond back. I have been added to list and mentioned in tweet only because I respond to direct messages.