Charlie Sheen Hits 1 Million Twitter Followers in Just Two Days

A day after launching his Twitter account, Charlie Sheen has attracted an impressive 1 million followers.

How did it all come about?   Sheen, 45, got help from Ad.ly, a small Beverly Hills start-up that focuses on celebrity endorsements via Facebook and Twitter.   A friend of the actor contacted Ad.ly’s celebrity team and said Sheen, 45, “would like to get on Twitter,” Ad.ly CEO Arnie Gullov-Singh tells Forbes.  “Charlie said he wants to communicate directly with his fans and bypass the media.”   Ad.ly reached out to Twitter and secured Sheen’s verified account; the team at Ad.ly team then spent a couple of hours on the phone with him explaining Twitter tools like hashtags, bit.ly, twit pic.   They also explained how to build an audience and, more importantly, keep them engaged.   Sheen posted his first Tweet Tuesday afternoon: A photo featuring him and one of his girlfriends – aka “the goddesses” - holding chocolate milk and Naked juice. The message read, "Winning..! Choose your Vice..."    Later, he used the site to tell fans he passed on an interview with Nancy Grace: “I'd rather go on a long road trip with Chuck Lorre in a '75 Pacer....”   He also posted messages like, "Questions..? I'm here for my people..! Bring it!!"   “Charlie was focused and really excited about communicating directly with his fans," said Arnie. "He had seen other celebrities join Twitter and he realized it was the best way for him to tell his side of the story directly to his audience. He’s been posting pictures, that’s really helped. The first picture he’s posted has been viewed over a million times already. I think we are about 24 hours into the life of Charlie Sheen’s Twitter account and he has 900,000 followers. I’ve never seen growth from zero to 900K in 24 hours.”   Forbes suggests Sheen may even eventually start Tweeting out celeb endorsements (over the past 12 months Ad.ly has run 24K endorsements for 150 brands).   “We really didn’t think he’d have 900K followers in 24 hours,” says Arnie. “It’s inevitable that brands will be lining up to work with him.  That time will come sooner rather than later.”