How to Claim an Inactive Username on Twitter

It’s never too late to get your company started on Twitter. But if you don’t have a presence there yet, it’s likely that the Twitter handle for your company’s name is not available. And often, the handle belongs to someone who tweeted once and never returned to Twitter:

What’s a social media manager to do? Although there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to get the desired Twitter username, you can file a trademark dispute if:

• Your company owns the .com domain for your desired username.
• The Twitter account using your company’s trademark is inactive for at least six months.

To claim your company’s Twitter username:

1. Visit https://help.twitter.com/forms/trademark and select the following options: I have a trademark and someone is infringing my trademark, I am a trademark holder, and I work directly for the company that holds this trademark.
   
2. Complete all of the requested information on the page. Be sure to state why your company should get the Twitter handle in the Description field, including that it owns the .com domain and any other registered trademarks for the desired Twitter username.

Within a week, you should receive a response from Twitter support, which may provide directions on how to proceed – or be a flat-out refusal. To be honest, I’ve experienced both results. In the first scenario, Twitter will ask you to provide a legal document to support your claim – and should give you access to your desired Twitter username in a few days.

If you get a rejection, it may only take a bit more effort to get the desired Twitter username. I’ve had success replying to the rejection email from Twitter by stating my enthusiasm for Twitter, how long I’ve personally been on the platform, and that my company’s leadership will not allow us to join Twitter unless we can use our trademarked name. If possible, also mention the names of other companies you’ve personally built a presence for on Twitter in the past. Then give it a few days to see what the Twitter Gods say.

If these tactics don’t work, you can get as close to your desired brand name by adding letters or special characters to your company’s Twitter username. However, I hope you’re able to have the same success that I have had using the methods above – and can start building your brand on Twitter.