Have you ever wondered why there’s a decrease in the number of your Twitter followers? You might feel that you’re doing everything right, only to find that some of your precious Twitterers are leaving you. Before you hit the panic button (oh no, I’m a Twitter fiasco waiting to happen! Sound the drums and alert the guards!), read these first.

Reason 1: It’s not your fault
First off, let me say that the more followers you have, the higher the possibility there is that you will be experiencing some fluctuations in your follower count. You’ve probably unfollowed some people yourself, because you want to “clean up” your Twitter account.  For example, you may have decided that you want to keep your Twitter account strictly personal, and you only want to get Tweets from your friends.  Or you may have changed interests; you may have dumped the New York Knicks for the Houston Rockets when former Knicks star Jeremy Lin was traded for Houston. The point is, don’t kill yourself over some unfollows.  Believe me, it’s not worth it.

Reason 2: You’re an Irritating Twitter User
On the other hand, you may have also had a hand in your Twitter demise.  While some of your tweets can be interesting, a lot of them may annoy the hell out of people. There are posts that just don’t get read. Answer these simple questions with a yes or no:
  • Do you always post cryptic or weird tweets?  E.g.  The aliens aren’t coming, but I am.  Maybe it’s just me, but honestly, it’s not even remotely funny.  You may be doing this to heighten interest, but if there’s no follow-up tweet that would explain why your tweet is valuable to your audience, then you’ll most likely get the ax.
  • Do you use too many hashtags and @. You might be overloading your tweets with too many symbols.
  • You tweet the same thing for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and siesta.
  • Your tweets are a big bore. It’s been said before, so what makes your tweet valuable?   DIY
Themes says that you should add your own commentary if you’re sharing links in your tweets.  You can also give a succinct explanation about the most interesting aspects of the article.

Reason 3: You over-self-promote
You know that guy who only talks about me, myself, and I? Yeah.  You’d want to stay clear of his Amorphallus ego.  Twitter is a social network, not just a personal venting place for everything about @me.  People expect you to share something that benefits them. It’s also good if you “pay it forward” by mentioning or appreciating other Twitter users as well.

Reason 4: You have horrible manners
A social network is like a gathering of like-minded individuals. You follow the same people and they follow you back because of a common interest.  Like all social gatherings, some etiquette is expected.  On Twitter, acknowledge authors if you’re linking to their blog. You can add via @twitter_handle to your tweets.  Also, learn how to distinguish between tweets that should be sent through private message and those that can be announced to the public.  Too much information can make some people feel queasy.  Additionally, avoid being negative or aggressive. You can give a dissenting opinion without being a troll. And lastly, if someone asks you a question or addresses you on Twitter, it would be nice for you to respond. If you’re a business, expect customers to use your Twitter name like they would with your toll free numbers.

Reason 5: There’s no one there
How often do you tweet?  Once a week? Once a month?  Once a year?  On Twitter, news goes around pretty fast and tweets come in every microsecond. You shouldn’t spam people’s news feeds, but you should speak up once in a while too.
Unfollowed on Twitter? You can do something about it.