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We listed the 9 most common Twitter credibility killers you should avoid at all costs.
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Avoid These 9 Mistakes That Kill Your Twitter Credibility
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There's no getting around it: It's easy to bullsh**t on Twitter.
Anybody can write a thread promising tips and tricks to get to $10k a month with the latest AI business or how to reach inner peace with just 6 steps.
But way fewer can prove it.
Those who have credibility win on Twitter. Those who don’t get labeled as scammers and are quickly forgotten.
But how do you get this credibility? Is there a way to engineer it?
Credibility goes hand-in-hand with your work. You are already halfway there if you have expertise on a certain topic. The other half however needs work on your side. There are certain Twitter credibility killers you should avoid at all costs.
In today’s article, we’ll go through the 9 most common credibility killers and how to avoid them.
Let’s dive in!
#1 - Unfocused content & niche
If you're reading this, chances are you want to build a professional brand on Twitter rather than a personal one. And this distinction needs to be clear.
If you talk about the latest Knicks game or what you ate for dinner every day, you may lose credibility.
Building your Twitter personal brand requires you to focus all of your content on one main topic and its related subtopics, especially in the early stages.
While it's fine to share some personal updates occasionally, you need to do it with a balance.
Our recommendation? 80% focused on your core topic, 20% on other types of content
Just think how you feel when you visit a person's profile, and their posts are unfocused and all over the place.
Most likely, you clicked on someone's profile to learn more about a specific topic. If when you visit their profile, they have tweets about that topic, but 90% are about other stuff, would you follow them?
#2 - Not optimized profile
Suppose you come across a viral tweet or a great reply to someone's tweet. The content aligns with your interests and catches your attention.
Excited, you click on the person's profile aaaand… no bio, a meme as their profile picture, and outdated tweets from years ago.
Would you follow this person?
Chances are, your answer is no.
One of the biggest credibility killers is not having an optimized profile.
We've written guides on building a strong Twitter presence, but let's cover the basics:
- Have a clear bio that introduces who you are and what you do
- Use a high-quality profile picture featuring your face
- Include a link in your bio for those wanting to learn more about you
An optimized profile aligned with your content and brand is essential for credibility.
#3 - No consistency with your content
A major threat to your credibility on Twitter is inconsistency.
Someone who visits your profile and sees that your most recent tweet is from months ago is less likely to follow you. Twitter users prefer to follow those who are active on the site.
Ideally, you should tweet every day or at least a few times per week. However, it's important to avoid only tweeting once in a blue moon as this will discourage potential followers.
By maintaining an active Twitter presence, you'll increase your chances of gaining a loyal audience and boosting your credibility online.
#4 - Marching what you say to what you do
In order to gain credibility, you need to ensure your claims are consistent with your profile representation. When you claim to be a Twitter ghostwriter specializing in growth, but only have 150 followers on your own profile, it contradicts your claim.
This lack of coherence damages credibility.
In contrast, if you have 200k followers and promise rapid Twitter growth, people may be more inclined to trust you.
This principle applies across various niches and industries. A lack of coherence between what you say and what you represent can severely undermine your credibility.
#5 - Constant promotion
It's important to promote yourself, but overdoing it will quickly ruin your reputation.
The more you promote yourself in every tweet or thread, the more people will perceive you as a guru rather than an expert.
Maintaining a positive image on Twitter requires subtly promoting yourself. Here’s how:
- By directing people back to your bio links.
Direct promotions are okay from time to time but keep a balance between promotional and non-promotional content.
The majority of your content should not be directly promotional; instead, focus on soft promotion. This approach ensures that your profile remains credible and engaging while still sharing your message with followers.
#6 - Being pushy DMs
Being overly pushy in direct messages (DMs) can significantly harm your credibility.
There are various reasons why someone may not respond to your message, including it ending up in their spam folder, not having time, or simply being uninterested. Sending a few follow-ups is acceptable, but bombarding them with messages all the time is a major turn-off.
If you immediately ask for something without any prior relationship with that person, it makes you seem demanding and ungenerous. To avoid damaging your credibility and improve the chances of receiving responses to your DMs, check out our article on How to send DMs that don’t get ignored.
#7 - Generic content
Platitudes and general advice may generate engagement, but they won't attract your target audience.
Incorporate your own experiences and knowledge into everything you say to gain followers. You'll create exceptional content by blending your personal experiences with more obvious content.
We've crafted a guide on infusing storytelling into your tweets to help achieve this goal.
#8 - Ignoring replies and DMs
Most of your followers are silent, reading your content without engaging. That's why when someone replies or sends a DM, it's important to respond.
These individuals stepped out of their way to engage with you, so value them as interesting audience members.
Ignoring replies and DMs can damage your credibility.
While it may be impossible to respond to every message as your audience grows, try to do so. Not only will this make current audience members feel good, but potential new followers will also see that you're worth engaging with since you actively interact with others in the first place.
#9 - Poor grammar
Especially on social media, poor grammar kills credibility.
Unless it's part of your brand, there's no excuse for incorrect grammar. Even if you're not a native English speaker or writer, Grammarly can help you fix any mistakes.
“But then my writing will feel too corporate”
You can write naturally while still following proper grammar rules. Make sure your grammar is accurate and avoid errors as much as possible.
Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, but maintaining good grammar is essential to maintaining your credibility.
Credibility = Trust
Credibility is the currency of trust. And success on Twitter is all about trust.
In a sea of endless tweets and information overload, people crave authenticity and reliability. When you establish yourself as a credible presence on Twitter, others perceive you as a trustworthy source of information, opinions, and insights.
This trust forms the foundation for meaningful connections, engaged followers, and influence. Whether you're aiming to grow your business, connect with like-minded individuals, or make a genuine impact, credibility is the key that unlocks these opportunities.
