While celeb Twitter accounts may have a reputation for hot air, it seems Gaga's 20million followers add up to a similar amount in cold, hard cash, as it makes her fans more likely to pay for her music.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, marketing manager John Bonini from Impact Branding and Design argued that Gaga's £56.9million fortune benefits significantly from her pro-active tweeting and online connections between the singer and her 'little monsters'.

'She really engages them and retweets stuff they say as if she was one of them,' he explained.

The publicity and free direct marketing potential the Born This Way star gains from Twitter is also seen as helping her revenues,  her Twitter feed accounting for around a third of her income.

Lady Gaga broke records earlier this month when her Twitter followers reached 20million, cementing her position as the most popular user on the social media site.

Teen favourite Justin Bieber comes close behind with a follower fanbase 18.1million strong, while Katy Perry's stands at 15.75million and Shakira's at 14.56million.

Gaga has announced that she is to stop speaking to the press after an interview with Oprah Winfrey is broadcast on March 18, claiming she has nothing else she wants to say to the media.

Source