Staff Writer
Once upon a time in the not-so-distant past, celebrities seemed to exist on a different plane of reality to the rest of us. Their world was one that we could only dream of, with it being filled with exclusive parties, huge houses, and exciting jet-setting lifestyles.
Now, however, the rise of social media has given us unprecedented access to some of the most famous people on the planet, with many of them using the likes of Twitter and Instagram to offer up a glimpse into their lives. Whether it is the next project they are working on, where they are holidaying, or what they are baking, we are enjoying a better idea of what they get up to than ever before.
Of course, social media is more than just a broadcasting service and many stars have also embraced the fact that they can talk to and interact with their fans on such platforms. This, in turn, has given their biggest supporters the hope that one day their messages might just catch a star’s eye and even elicit a response.
But just what are the chances of you actually getting a much-coveted shoutout or reaction from your favourite stars? Here, we dive into some of the key data and also offer up a few tips on how you could potentially boost your chances of it happening.
The biggest stars on Twitter have achieved remarkable follower numbers and Brandwatch has pulled together a list of the most-followed accounts on the platform at the moment.
According to the site, Barack Obama is thought to lead the way with a massive 121 million followers, while Justin Bieber is believed to be in second place with more than 112 million. Katy Perry has around 108 million followers, while Rihanna has over 97 million and Taylor Swift has in the region of 86 million.
Such figures are truly astronomical and they are important to bear in mind as you think about how you might get noticed. For instance, if a huge number of people are seeing a star’s tweets and responding to them, the chances of your own reply getting noticed are of course pretty slim.
Another issue that could impact your chances of getting a response is just how active the celebrity in question is on Twitter. A star having an account is one thing, but actually making use of them regularly is a different story. Some might just dip into social media every now and again, although there is plenty of evidence that others can be pretty active too.
ISawItFirst.com looked into this and determined that Spider-Man star Zendaya is the celebrity who posts the most on Twitter. The website suggested she submitted more than 500 posts a month on the platform, with Khloe Kardashian and Neymar completing the top three. Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, and Kevin Hart follow closely behind.
So while we’ve determined who the biggest stars on Twitter are and which celebrities seemingly use it the most, another factor that has to be on the radar is how many mentions these people actually get on the platform.
Celebrities are likely to be mentioned in all manner of tweets, whether it is people responding positively to a recent project or others, unfortunately, taking a more negative tone. But, which stars tend to trend more than others?
At the end of last year, Social Media Today looked at Twitter’s own data on the key topics of conversation which emerged across 2019, with it including information on the most-tweeted-about stars. While no statistics were provided, the platform stated that the likes of Megan Rapinoe and Neymar dominated conversations from a sports perspective, while the top actors included Tom Holland, Chris Evans and Zendaya. The most discussed musicians list featured BTS, Ariana Grande, Drake and Rihanna.
While the lack of figures means it is hard to say just how many mentions certain celebrities achieve, it is highly likely that the numbers will be massive. Furthermore, it is also worth noting how a single tweet from a celebrity can get a huge response from their following.
For example, at the end of June, Ariana Grande tweeted to say thank you for all of the birthday messages she had received from fans. The post, which included a video of the star blowing a kiss, achieved more than 67,000 retweets and comments, as well as more than 528,000 likes. In comparison, when Taylor Swift posted a picture of some baking in the middle of May, she received 43,900 retweets and comments and 457,200 likes.
So, considering the number of followers that celebrities have, as well as the number of mentions and responses that they achieve, it is clear that the odds of getting noticed by them are probably pretty low. However, the fact remains that they do respond on some occasions – and one factor which could have a bearing on that is the content that you send in their direction.
It is hard to cover off all of the different things that stars might respond to, but here are just a few thoughts on the issue.
While we certainly would not condone or encourage negative comments of any kind, it is a simple fact that celebrities on occasion will choose to interact with them. Furthermore, their decision to do so has led to some impressive comebacks from them in the past.
DailyEdge.ie has pulled together a list of some of the best, with a particularly brilliant one coming from James Blunt. The You’re Beautiful singer spotted a tweet stating that he has “an annoying face and a highly irritating voice”. His response? “And no mortgage”.
On a more positive note, celebrities often like to engage with people who are talking about their latest projects and the impact that they have had on them.
For example, following the release of her album Folklore, Taylor Swift posted some messages in response to fan reactions to the record. One notable tweet included welcoming a fan back from a camping trip.
Movie and film stars often respond to or retweet messages from fans when they have created something inspired by their work, whether it is an actual drawing or something else entirely.
Sticking with Taylor Swift for a moment, she also recently responded to a fan who posted pictures of a cake which he decorated in celebration of Folklore’s success.
It may not be too useful in terms of your own efforts, but another thing that celebrities do often respond to is tweets from other famous stars.
For instance, Tom Holland mentioned his admiration for Dwayne Johnson in an interview with GQ magazine last year and this led to Johnson posting equally positive comments back to Holland on Twitter.
So, with everything outlined above in mind, what is the best way to get noticed by a celebrity on Twitter? Here are a few ideas which might come in handy.
Negative comments might get a reaction, but do you really want the infamy and embarrassment of being the target of a star’s clever comeback? Staying nice and positive is a far better option.
Discussing a recent album or film release might be a good idea, as celebrities may be keen to promote their latest projects. In addition, they and their management could be on the lookout for positive fan reactions to share and react to.
Back in 2017, Forbes shared a Quora post on this issue and it included the suggestion that you should look to further a conversation. It mentioned an example where an author asked for ideas from his audience and one user responded with specific input. This was liked by a number of people, including the writer himself.
As we’ve mentioned, it might help a little!
The aforementioned Forbes article adds that understanding when a user is active can be useful, as it means you might hit that key moment when they happen to be online and spot your tweet.
Celebrities on occasion may decide to hold a Twitter Q and A, where they will answer questions sent over across a certain period of time. Keep an eye out for such opportunities and, again, come up with an interesting query which could catch the eye and lead to a response.
Ultimately, there are a whole host of factors for people to consider when it comes to the likelihood of a celebrity responding to one of their tweets.
You could consider which stars are the most active and responsive on Twitter, while also thinking about who gets the least mentions. By doing that, your posts might become a little more noticeable. Furthermore, you could also watch out for when they are online and time your tweets for those moments.
However, it admittedly remains very hard to say whether any of that will ultimately guarantee success. Perhaps the most important thing is to simply focus on the enjoyment you get from following them on Twitter and responding to them when you feel you have something important to share or say. If you do that, the chances are that you might just get a response when you least expect it.
