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“If you build it, they will come.”

Maybe that statement works for building baseball fields, but it doesn’t hold true for boosting Twitter followers. Gaining followers takes work. Half the battle may be creating an account (and getting the best handle name known to man), but the other half is what matters most – following and being followed. It’s essentially the entire premise of Twitter.

For PR specialists, Twitter can be a vital tool for disseminating messages, reading breaking news and reaching reporters or editors. Growing your followers can be tricky, but it’s not impossible. My colleague discussed this topic on our blog a while back, below are five additional suggestions on how to increase your followers on Twitter:

1. Treat Twitter like a short-term addiction

A recent article in Forbes, written by @dorieclark, suggests making Twitter your top priority for a month or two and creating lots of content. Studies have shown that the more you Tweet, the more followers you’ll get. Therefore, Tweet as often as possible!

2. Live Tweet

Top Ten Social Media (@TopTenSM) suggests, “being a live Tweeter for events in your industry.” Determine what conversations your followers react to and then join in on the live convo. In fact, according to a Nielsen Social data report, AMC’s Breaking Bad had the greatest reach of any TV series on Twitter in the U.S., from Sept. 1, 2013 through May 25, 2014. Thanks to stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul live tweeting during the series’ finale episode, a record 9.1 million people were reached on Twitter.

3. Start using Twitter Cards

Just this past June, @twitterintroduced Twitter Cards that promise to drive traffic to your website and make your Tweets more engaging by attaching rich photos, videos and media experience to Tweets. Simply add a few lines of HTML to your webpage and users who Tweet links to your content will have a “Card” added to the Tweet that’s visible to all of their followers. This can help make your Tweets more engaging and thus increasing the odds of gaining more followers.

4. Show your true colors

More simply put – show yourself. Your Twitter will become boring to followers if it’s a list of article links that you find interesting, and followers can’t sense a personality behind the screen. Tech writer @jmbrandonbbsuggests inserting a few jokes here and there. Followers may be more inclined to stick around longer when they feel like they’re interacting with a real person and not a robot.

5. Ask questions.

That’s what my dad always told me, anyways. In an article posted on Mediabistro, writer @AllisonStadd advises to ask for a retweet (RT) in your composed Tweet. This can help you expand your network quickly!

Boosting followers can be a game of trial and error. Figure out what works best in your industry, come up with a game plan and execute. What other tips do you have to help users increase their Twitter followers? Leave suggestions in the comments section below.

Post by Lindsay Hull, Senior Strategist