How to Extract a List of Followers From Twitter

Backing up a list of your Twitter followers saves the information in case you ever need a copy that isn't stored on Twitter. While it would be easy to simply type a list of names if you only have a few followers, it gets more difficult when you have hundreds or thousands of them. Using online software or a computer utility is a better way to extract a list of Twitter followers.

Decide whether you want to export Twitter followers only, or if you want to back up all your data. Export programs create only a list of your Twitter followers, while Twitter archive utilities back up your entire account so that you can access it if Twitter crashes. If you don't want to allow a third-party program to access your Twitter account information, your last option is to take screenshots of your account and save them so that you can refer to them when needed.

SocialBro, which can manage multiple social media accounts, has a feature to export your Twitter contacts. It can also analyze the list so that you better understand who's following your account. You can do the same in BirdSong, via its free trial. BirdSong can export a list of followers from any public Twitter account, display the account's Klout score, and show an analysis of the account's tweets. Simply Measured can also extract a list of Twitter followers. In addition, it can compare the performance of different Twitter accounts to see which has a better market share. In order to use any of the sites, you have to grant the site access to your Twitter account when prompted. It will then access information from your account and create a report that includes an account's followers.

If you want to export other Twitter data with your contacts, use an archiving utility. SocialSafe archives followers, tweets, messages and other information. Download the program, and then connect your Twitter account. Click the gear icon, and then click the check box next to "Followers" under Sync Options. Click "Sync Account Now." A program with similar features is FrostBox, which backs up social media account information in case the account is removed or lost. Use it to back up both friends and followers on Twitter.

The only downside to using archiving programs and backup utilities is that you have to allow the program to access your Twitter account. If you want to keep your data completely private, create a backup yourself. One quick way is to take screenshots of your followers list. Log on to Twitter, and click "Followers" to open the page that has your followers' pictures, bios and names. Center the page on the top of the list, and then click "Windows Key-PrtScn." The screen will dim for a moment, and then the screenshot will be saved in your Pictures. Scroll down, take another screenshot, and repeat the process until you have images that contain all your Twitter followers.