Follow Friday is a Twitter meme. Today, Twitter has over 300 million active users, but when it first launched, they weren’t a lot people using the service. What do you do when you join a new social network and none of your friends are on it yet? You look for other interesting people to follow. This is the situation Twitter’s early adopters found themselves in. So in January of 2009, one of those early adopters, Micah Brown, posted this tweet:

I am starting Follow Fridays. Every Friday, suggest a person to follow, and everyone follow him/her. Today its @fancyjeffrey & @w1redone.

— Micah Baldwin (@micah) January 16, 2009

Before long, others on Twitter began adopting the hashtag #FollowFriday, using it to spotlight interesting people worth following. Today, it’s a popular way to “give a shout out” to other people on Twitter.

How do you do it? Easy…

1. Check your calendar to see if it’s Friday.*
2. Write a tweet with the hashtag #FollowFriday or #FF in it.
3. Include the Twitter handles of other interesting people.

Example: #FF @jacobsmedia @fnjacobs @pauljacobsmedia

(*If it’s not Friday, use a tool like Hootsuite to schedule your tweets in advance.)

#FollowFriday is a great way to catch somebody’s attention on Twitter. There’s a good chance that the people you include in your tweet will respond or even follow you back. It’s a very easy way to build rapport with people in your local community.

20 Simple #FollowFriday Formulas for Radio Stations

1. Celebrate the artists you added to the playlist: “#FF New music on WKRP: @LinkinPark @Cher @SammyDavisJr”
2. Thank anybody that you interviewed: “#FF Thanks for chatting with us! @MovieStar @Comedian @HockeyPlayer”
3. Congratulate the people who won prizes from your station during the week: “#FF Big winners on WKRP this week: @LongTimeListener @FirstTimeCaller @PrizePig”
4. Tease upcoming contests: “#FF Win tickets this week! @Singer @MusicFestival @BaseballGame @Musical”
5. Mention upcoming events in town: “#FF Coming to town this weekend: @TheCircus @RockBand @FoodFestival”
6. Plug your station events: “#FF Find us here this weekend: @AmusementPark @Nightclub @CarDealership”
7. Welcome new advertisers: “#FF Welcome aboard! @MattressStore @LaserHairRemoval @LocalNightclub”
8. Warm up your sales prospects: “#FF Have a great weekend! @LocalBusiness @LocalAgency”
9. Call attention to your airstaff: “#FF Shoutout to our staff! @MorningShow @MiddayJock @AfternoonJock @NightJock”
10. Show appreciation for your colleagues: “#FF Thanks for support! @MajorLabelLocal @IndieLabelRep @IndependentPromoter”
11. Spotlight local bands: “#FF Check out these bands: @BabyBand @UpAndComers @KazooQuartet”
12. Connect with local celebrities: “#FF Have a great weekend! @Quarterback @LocalWeatherman @Mayor”
13. Reach out to local bloggers: “#FF Keep writing! @FoodBlogger @MovieBlogger @SportsBlogger”
14. Toast local hotspots: “#FF Here’s to the weekend! @Nightclub @DiveBar @Restaurant”
15. Mention the movies that are opening: “#FF In theaters this weekend: @SummerBlockbuster @ArthouseFlick @KidsMovie”
16. Welcome stand up comedians performing in town: “#FF Excited to see you on stage! @HeadliningComic @OpeningComedian @Emcee”
17. Comment on pop culture: “#FF Congrats on the Emmy nods! @HBOShow @NetflixSeries @TelevisionStar”
18. Support local charities: “#FF Thanks for all you do! @LocalFoodBank @BloodBank”
19. Applaud local graduates: “#FF Congrats to the class of 2019! @College @HighSchool”
20. Congratulate local schools with winning teams: “#FF Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose! @DylanPanthers @SunnydaleHighSchool”

#FollowFriday gives you a great way to embrace the local community without adding more talk to your airwaves.

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Seth Resler

Digital Dot Connector at Jacobs Media Strategies

Seth Resler is a 30-year broadcasting and podcasting veteran who worked on the mic and behind the programming desk at radio stations in New York City (WXRK), Boston (WBCN), Seattle (KNDD), St. Louis (KPNT), Providence (WBRU), and Silicon Valley (KEZR) before crossing into online marketing. As the digital strategist at Jacobs Media, Seth works with radio stations across the U.S., helping them design and implement action plans that combine websites, social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, content marketing, lead generation, and other online tools. Seth is currently the Vice-Chair of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Foundation. He is also the founder of Community Marketing Revolution.

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