How We Went from Zero to 17,000 Followers on Instagram

Have you ever looked at an Instagram profile with millions of followers and wondered, “How did they do that?” Do you wonder if there’s a big Instagram secret you’ve been left out of? Or have you ever assumed these successful profiles gained their thousands of fans within a month or two?

When I talk with authors about social media, many of them want quick results. Just a few weeks ago an author asked, “Can’t you just mimic what you did on your Instagram profile with mine?”

That’s a red flag for me. When authors ask me how quickly they can get tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, it shows me they are more interested in big numbers rather than quality connections. 

The truth is, when you look at just the numbers for someone’s following, you’re seeing the leaves and the branches of the tree - you don’t see the roots or how deep they are. Big numbers don’t always mean big success. 

Since this is a question that often goes unanswered, I thought I would do something a little different today. I decided to pull back the veil and show you how long it took me to grow our Instagram following and highlight some of the key steps that we took along the way. 

So let’s dig in…

The Beginning

I started my Instagram account on July 6, 2013 and posted on and off for about a year. My first post was a picture of my son (of course) and I remember thinking, “I’ll give this a go and see how things work out.” This was in the heyday of Facebook and Twitter and, to be honest, I really didn’t know what I was doing. Instagram started in 2010, so things were still pretty new. 

Throughout 2013 and 2014 I started to dig into Instagram more and wanted to figure out how to best use it. A client of ours began to see huge results on Instagram - even more so than on Facebook - so I wanted to see if we could do something similar on our account.

So in December of 2015, I dusted off my Instagram profile and decided to get serious. I created a new “style” of images (the first of many) and wanted to focus on helping authors with their book marketing and social media. 

The Turnaround

It was in January 2017 that I clearly identified my Ideal Reader and created my first Ideal Reader Profile. This was the game changer - I was able to be more focused and intentional with everything that I posted. I knew exactly who I was talking to, what they were interested in, and how to connect with them. 

When I began to post every day and was more consistent with my posts, I started to see things move forward. I remember the first time I got 30 “likes” on a post - it was on January 14, 2016 and I was THRILLED! And they were from people I didn’t even know! 

I kept at it for the next two years and grew consistently - it wasn’t a sudden spike or immediate but it was growth and I was certainly seeing progress. But it was in March 2018 where I really began to see a big jump. 

I honestly don’t remember what sparked the idea or why I decided to try this approach. But here’s what I did: I started researching hashtags that I felt my Ideal Reader would use to find information she was looking for. I then made a list of those hashtags and started liking and commenting on posts that used those hashtags. 

And this is what happened: 

BLAMO! 

When I started reaching out and initiating likes and comments on other people’s posts, it took everything and cranked it up to 11. 

But here’s something I want to highlight: it wasn’t just one thing that made everything work. 

It really started working after I had set the groundwork with profiling my Ideal Reader. Having that clear view of who I was communicating with enabled me to create the quality content she was looking for - not just the content in the Instagram posts themselves, but also the blog content on our website which the Instagram posts directed her to. And then things really started to snowball once I began reaching out and engaging with others through their content. Everything mixed and worked together to begin that change in engagement numbers, which then helped boost our followers.

That’s why we named our company Mixtus Media. Mixtus is Latin for “to mix together” - it’s not just one single element that will make you successful. It’s about bringing everything together to work in unison - that’s how you build success. 

And it wasn’t just our Instagram following that grew - traffic to our website, we gained more newsletter subscribers, and so on. But most importantly, the connections we made were real. We weren’t just growing our numbers - we were connecting with the people we actually wanted to connect with. 

Make It Happen 

So here’s what you can take away from this post and apply it to your own marketing strategy: 

• It all starts with knowing your Ideal Reader. When you know who you’re talking to you’ll know what content will resonate the most with them. 

• Post consistently. Consistency plays a huge role in your Instagram success. I show how you can plan a week’s worth of posts in 30 minutes, as well as sharing tools I use that will help you manage it all. 

• Create relevant posts. When you focus on sharing content that your Ideal Reader will respond to, it shows them that you’re interested in connecting with them and you’re not in it just to sell them something. 

• Like and comment on posts by other people who talk about things your Ideal Reader is also interested in. When you can identify key hashtags that your Ideal Reader uses and make the first move in engaging with them, it will take you to a new level. 

• Use the right hashtags. Using hashtags on your posts as well as in your comments on others’ posts is what helps new people that are also interested in what you have to say find you.

But the most important thing that I want to make sure you understand is that building a following of readers who will actually buy your book takes time. There is no way to make it happen overnight.

This is a graph of the growth of followers on the Mixtus Media Instagram account. It was slow and steady and it took more than 6 years to get to where we are now. No huge spikes at any point, just consistent growth over time. And that’s what you want.

Put it in the context of your personal friendships: do you value your relationships with certain friends more than others just because they know more people or are really popular? The friendships that are most meaningful to me are the ones that spend time with me, where we really get to know each other, which makes them a friend I can trust. 

The same applies to social media. 

It’s all about making genuine solid connections with people. That’s what will give you the results you’re looking for.

If you’re looking for more details and an actual plan that you can follow, download my FREE Instagram Posting Formula. It will help you see better results and reach your goals quickly.