I've been using this method to gain Twitter followers for as long as I can remember. The goal used to be to get retweeted, but as the article mentions, having one of your Tweets marked as a favorite can be just as effective as it shows up in the activity tab on Twitter.

My approach is a combination of flattery and also a dash of comedy/trolling. Sometimes I'll say something outlandishly stupid like: "I still remember that time @sometwitteruser chased that goat and tripped on a log" I made that up, but sometimes that's all you need to get a retweet which in turn gets you followers.