Getting Twitter Fat Stacks
Summary
A small article on increasing follower/like count on Twitter. This is largely tailored to artists who are looking to get into the industry and how having a large follower count and specific types of followers can help with that.
NOTE: I don't really have a large amount of followers so make of that as you will. These are just some things I've noticed have increased my follower count by a fair number and/or have helped me get job interviews.
DOUBLE NOTE: This is not a guide on the typical kind of networking! I'm providing tips on how to increase follower count and maybe land interviews from that, but not on how to interact with people online.
NOTE: I don't really have a large amount of followers so make of that as you will. These are just some things I've noticed have increased my follower count by a fair number and/or have helped me get job interviews.
DOUBLE NOTE: This is not a guide on the typical kind of networking! I'm providing tips on how to increase follower count and maybe land interviews from that, but not on how to interact with people online.
General Tips
Just like on a portfolio, skill comes first in getting eyes on your work. There's plenty of artists who gained tons of followers simply through posting their art and getting noticed because their stuff is super good.
Uniqueness is also good. If your stuff looks like everybody else's, then people won't follow.
Flashy content will attract eyes as well. Game animators have a unique advantage in that they can create actual working games to showcase their art which is very eye-catching :monkaTux:
Uniqueness is also good. If your stuff looks like everybody else's, then people won't follow.
Flashy content will attract eyes as well. Game animators have a unique advantage in that they can create actual working games to showcase their art which is very eye-catching :monkaTux:
Unique and flashy - how many people make fighting style animations of thicc bunnies?
Types of followers
I basically categorize followers into 2 groups: Entertainment and Industry
Entertainment - these are the followers for big numbers. They're generally people who enjoy content without a serious interest into doing it as a career. As the name implies, they're here for entertainment.
Industry - these are followers who are either in the industry or looking to get in (the latter being sub-categorized as students). In terms of getting into the industry, generally these people will help more directly. BUT THEY ARE ACTUAL PEOPLE, NOT STEPPING STONES FOR YOU! DON'T TREAT THEM AS TOOLS TO GET INTO THE INDUSTRY
Entertainment - these are the followers for big numbers. They're generally people who enjoy content without a serious interest into doing it as a career. As the name implies, they're here for entertainment.
Industry - these are followers who are either in the industry or looking to get in (the latter being sub-categorized as students). In terms of getting into the industry, generally these people will help more directly. BUT THEY ARE ACTUAL PEOPLE, NOT STEPPING STONES FOR YOU! DON'T TREAT THEM AS TOOLS TO GET INTO THE INDUSTRY
Entertainment Followers
Entertainment followers aren't as directly significant to the job search. However, there are some benefits to having lots of followers. Although many people will say that follower count doesn't matter (in the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge factor), having a large count can help sway people unconsciously in your favour.
Generally people will associate "account with many followers = skilled person", so that can help more people follow you when they go to your profile after seeing a cool post you made.
So how do we get the eXpOsUrE?
These followers, again, are here for entertainment, which means they like to see cool stuff. This can mean a lot of things, but here's some general tips:
-Skill comes first-
For the most part, higher quality of work = more followers. Like I stated near the beginning of this article, there's many artists who got noticed simply because they're good. This is nice because it means as you get better you will naturally get more followers.
-Fanart-
Fanart is one of the strongest way to get a lot of followers. Everybody loves to see their favorite characters imagined in a different and fresh style or medium, and many artists with huge follower counts do fanarts at least occasionally. My first large jump in follower count came from a Metroid project.
Generally people will associate "account with many followers = skilled person", so that can help more people follow you when they go to your profile after seeing a cool post you made.
So how do we get the eXpOsUrE?
These followers, again, are here for entertainment, which means they like to see cool stuff. This can mean a lot of things, but here's some general tips:
-Skill comes first-
For the most part, higher quality of work = more followers. Like I stated near the beginning of this article, there's many artists who got noticed simply because they're good. This is nice because it means as you get better you will naturally get more followers.
-Fanart-
Fanart is one of the strongest way to get a lot of followers. Everybody loves to see their favorite characters imagined in a different and fresh style or medium, and many artists with huge follower counts do fanarts at least occasionally. My first large jump in follower count came from a Metroid project.
I got about 2000 or so followers from this post from less than 50
-Flashy/Unique art-
As I mentioned earlier, making art that is flashy and/or unique will get eyes on your work. This doesn't mean that everything you do has to revolutionize the entire industry, but it's very refreshing to see an artist with a unique voice that only they have. People who browse Twitter for art are always seeing the same things over and over, so when something is different it will stand out. If you have a personal "brand" or style (that's appealing), then people will follow you because they can't get works of your type anywhere else.
As I mentioned earlier, making art that is flashy and/or unique will get eyes on your work. This doesn't mean that everything you do has to revolutionize the entire industry, but it's very refreshing to see an artist with a unique voice that only they have. People who browse Twitter for art are always seeing the same things over and over, so when something is different it will stand out. If you have a personal "brand" or style (that's appealing), then people will follow you because they can't get works of your type anywhere else.
2D gameplay animation with furry characters are pretty rare
-Shitposting-
Worth bringing up since these people are here to be entertained, and what else gains enormous attention other than memes? Of course 100% shitposting can be a bit detrimental to trying to land an industry job, but memes are a fun way to garner attention. For example, industry related memes can be done in a way to show off your creativity.
Worth bringing up since these people are here to be entertained, and what else gains enormous attention other than memes? Of course 100% shitposting can be a bit detrimental to trying to land an industry job, but memes are a fun way to garner attention. For example, industry related memes can be done in a way to show off your creativity.
A series of 3 point landings parodying the superhero cliché got a decent amount of attention
Industry Followers
Industry followers are people either actively looking to get in the game industry or are already in it. These people following you can be significant as they may give referrals or advice if they see that you need it or you ask for it. However, I want to stress again to not treat them as a means to an end. I've had students who it was obvious they were simply trying to use me as a foot in the door and they weren't exactly people I'd want to interact with again.
Anyway, the topic here is: how to get industry followers? There are overlaps with entertainment followers as everyone likes to be entertained, but below are some tips specifically for industry followers.
Anyway, the topic here is: how to get industry followers? There are overlaps with entertainment followers as everyone likes to be entertained, but below are some tips specifically for industry followers.
-Skill comes first (because I can't stress this enough)-
Most artists are interested in improving their craft, so they will follow when they think they can learn something from you, especially with creative inspiration. Luckily, this just means that as you git guder, you will get more followers so it's pretty straightforward. Related to the "flashy/unique art" tip as well; if you can show high skill in a unique manner then you will get a lot of eyes on your work.
Most artists are interested in improving their craft, so they will follow when they think they can learn something from you, especially with creative inspiration. Luckily, this just means that as you git guder, you will get more followers so it's pretty straightforward. Related to the "flashy/unique art" tip as well; if you can show high skill in a unique manner then you will get a lot of eyes on your work.
Melee combos are ubiquitous, but here I made one with a different "twist". My work is characterized by highly acrobatic movement. I got an interview with a AAA studio overseas for a senior position right after posting this
-Workflow/Education-
As I alluded to above, industry pros will follow when you provide something of value such as creative inspiration. But a more tangible content that you can provide is stuff to help people in their workflows. This can be something like a technical breakdown of how you achieved a certain look (people love breakdowns) or a tool to speed up workflows. Technically minded people are highly in demand after all.
As I alluded to above, industry pros will follow when you provide something of value such as creative inspiration. But a more tangible content that you can provide is stuff to help people in their workflows. This can be something like a technical breakdown of how you achieved a certain look (people love breakdowns) or a tool to speed up workflows. Technically minded people are highly in demand after all.
This script that I wrote addresses a common problem in animation and as far as I knew, there hasn't been a simple tool to solve it
Miscellaneous Tips
NSFW - NSFW content can get a lot of followers quickly if done well, but it's a dangerous game to play to post NSFW content on an account associated with your professional info. I've seen it before, but personally I would recommend to keep the content separate to be on the safe side. This can mean posting NSFW on a separate account or also something like setting up a Patreon for it. Basically, as long as someone can browse your timeline safely at work then it's good to go.
Consistency - This is a tip that popular artist shared: having a regular posting schedule can also increase follower count. If people see that you post a lot of cool stuff, then they're likelier to follow. I personally don't feel like actively making enough content to post regularly (especially as I have two accounts) but I do generally post once or twice a month.
Positivity/Professionalism - I'm naturally a very optimistic person, so it's easy for me to be positive online. Being excited for your own art can help because that excitement can be infectious. Even if you don't want to be always positive, it's still good to at least not a downer as that can repel people.
Time - It can help to post at peak times to get increased traffic. Twitter has a handy tool for doing scheduled posts so you don't have to wake up at 3 AM to post your stuff at peak hour (though it sometimes doesn't work). There's analyses online on high internet traffic hours that you could use to schedule your posts.
Consistency - This is a tip that popular artist shared: having a regular posting schedule can also increase follower count. If people see that you post a lot of cool stuff, then they're likelier to follow. I personally don't feel like actively making enough content to post regularly (especially as I have two accounts) but I do generally post once or twice a month.
Positivity/Professionalism - I'm naturally a very optimistic person, so it's easy for me to be positive online. Being excited for your own art can help because that excitement can be infectious. Even if you don't want to be always positive, it's still good to at least not a downer as that can repel people.
Time - It can help to post at peak times to get increased traffic. Twitter has a handy tool for doing scheduled posts so you don't have to wake up at 3 AM to post your stuff at peak hour (though it sometimes doesn't work). There's analyses online on high internet traffic hours that you could use to schedule your posts.