Hello and welcome back! Today I'm chatting about how to gain more followers, it can sound like something mystical but I promise you it's easier than you think!
It can be different for each particular social media platform, but the main takeaways are that being authentic above all else will keep your audience engaged and interacting with your content.
Unfortunately there's no get followers quick scheme, because this can be easily seen via websites such as Social Blade and the empty bot like profiles, comments and likes on Instagram.
I've been on social media since 2009 and my follower counts have gone up and down over the years. In some cases this has been due to me getting rid of bot/spam accounts on Instagram, in other cases it's just been people unfollowing me!
It can be disheartening to see your follower count go up and down like this, but believe me when I say that engagement matters more than empty likes on your pictures/tweets/pins.
My Social Media History
Twitter - I'd have to say that this is by far the easiest platform to grow on. I've now got over 4k followers, a number I'll admit that I've been chasing for a while. I finally achieved it by following more people, interacting with them/their content and sharing valuable content myself, as well as my normal tweets about everyday life! I'd also add here, that having the app makes this SO MUCH EASIER to boot too!
Instagram - Now, I'll admit this is the one platform which seems the hardest to grow on! I've been as low as 20 followers, as high as 1,500 and now I've stabilised at 866. so you see I've struggled and whilst this is in part my own fault, it doesn't help itself with asking you to spend so much time on the app, interacting with your followers and creating different types of content (reels, photos, IGTVs, stories) every single day! It can be EXHAUSTING! But I swear that since I got rid of so many spam accounts, my engagement has never been higher and the interaction I've had has been real and meaningful.
Facebook - This is the one social media platform that I've never really grown on. To be fair, I don't promote it much or keep up with creating posts, so there's that! But I'm not really sure who is successful with it? I mainly use it to keep up with friends/family, chat in the many groups I'm a part of and generally sharing cute dog videos!
How To Gain More Social Media Followers
Like I said before, unfortunately there's no magic formula to become popular overnight, it takes dedication and perseverance and of course some personality! Here are a few tips which I hope you'll find useful for your own social media channels: -
Twitter - By far the easiest platform to grow on as a simple re-tweet can get your content seen by many more people! You don't necessarily have to following them either, sometimes posts from other people can end up on your timeline, so just imagine the reach your one post can have! There are plenty of people on Twitter so you're bound to find your tribe and thus, followers! If you're just your natural self, people will flock to you and help your content get seen.
Instagram - Like I said previously, it is by far the hardest platform to grow on, but it can be done! It helps if you stay true to yourself and create the content you want to see, so whether that's pictures, reels or informative & saveable posts, then create away! It does help if you post at the same time everyday so your followers know when to expect your content. It doesn't necessarily have to good quality content (although, unfortunately this is the type which tends to do well!), if you're open, honest and relatable to your followers, then I can see no reason why people would want to follow you! It's important to not take part in comment pods as these can be marked as spam by Instagram and you're at risk of getting banned! Also, fill your feed with the people/brands/pages you want to see, because there's nothing worse than logging on to Instagram and feeling anything other than uplifted! Make sure to like/comment back on the profiles of those who spend the time on your posts. Make use of the explore page and find new people o follow too! It's not easy, but boy is it worth it!
Facebook - There are lots of blogging groups to join here, so for that alone it's well worth making a business account for your blog, which you update regularly, so you can share it in these groups. Within these groups there's bound to be other bloggers/content creators who are in the same position as you and together with other members of the group can help solve any problems you're having. There are so many bloggers on Facebook, it really can be an untapped resource for finding fellow creators to follow and thus follow you back too.
I can't comment on Pinterest because I don't use it! I feel like these three social medias are the main three you need for your blog. There are always people around to help you out should you need it, so don't be afraid to ask!
So there you have it! I hope I've helped you realise that you shouldn't worry too much about not having hundreds of thousands of followers, quality over quantity after all!
Love, Sarah
xoxo