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          Fandom - ESPN Playbook

          Here's how to get an athlete to retweet you

          Chad Ochocinco took this entire class out to dinner after being engaged through social media. Courtesy of Chad Ochocinco
          • Hallie Grossman, ESPN Staff WriterApr 24, 2012, 08:28 PM ET
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            • Staff Writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine
            • Joined ESPN The Magazine after graduating from Penn State University.
            • Covers college football and college basketball.
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          Any fan with two thumbs can tweet his or her favorite athlete. But it takes a true social media pro to score a coveted retweet. For tips on how to get one, we turned to David Gerzof Richard (@davidgerzof), a professor of social media and marketing @EmersonCollege. Last year, he had his students persistently tweet to Chad Ochocinco; not only did the Patriots receiver retweet, he took the class out to dinner. Below is some advice from the good professor.

          1. BE PERSISTENT

          "One tweet is like a drop in the ocean," Richard says. So tweet often — just don't go overboard.

          2. FIND OUT WHEN THE ATHLETES TWEET MOST

          They'll have a pattern, and if you know what time they go online, you'll be more likely to connect.

          3. PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY RETWEET

          "They'll tweet about an amazing play as much as they'll tweet about something ordinary, like going to IHOP," Richard says. "Align your interests with theirs so maybe you can talk about boysenberry syrup."

          4. RESORT TO THE GUILT TRIP

          Hey, it worked for this girl: "@kelllls23: @SHAQ why can't you ever retweet me ):"

          --as retweeted by Shaq