5 Steps to your first 1000 Followers on Instagram

Instagram has over 1.32 billion active users worldwide… and because of that, it’s a great way for content creators or brands to grow and widen their audience. However, starting from zero can be a daunting task.

But, as the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, once said…“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

And that couldn’t be more true. Honestly, I imagine where I would be now if I wouldn’t have just started all those years ago. It’s been a really long journey and there were many times when I questioned if it was worth it, but now, seeing where it has all taken me, I know it was. In my opinion, the hurdle of those first 1000 followers can be the hardest. If you can get over that hump sometimes it’s all the inspiration and momentum you need to get that ball rolling.

So today, I want to really break it down and give you some actionable steps that you can take to get to those first 1000 followers. This is a no-BS approach, no gimmicks, no hacks, just literal steps that you should be taking if you want to take this whole “Instagram thing“ seriously. so, let’s do this.

Step one: build your foundation

If you’re truly starting from scratch, the first thing you really need to do is really make a solid plan and build your foundation. I know it’s tempting to just jump in, but if you’re going to do the thing, do it right.

Let’s break this down into, let’s say… The building blocks to your foundation. Why not make this a cliché analogy? Haha!

Building Block 1: To build a solid foundation you need to first really decide who you are or what your brand is going to be. Who is your target audience, what do you wanna talk about, what do you stand for, and what is your overall vision for this account is. I have talked about this sort of thing so many times throughout my podcast episodes, so if you have been around for a while, all of this is not news to you. I personally have changed and developed my “niche” or target audience a few times. This might happen to you in the future and that’s totally fine, be willing to be flexible over time. But at least, when you get started, just have some idea of who you’re speaking to. That’s the most important thing. It’ll be very difficult to decide what type of content to create if you don’t know who you’re creating it for.

Building Block #2: The second thing you really need to do when building your foundation is creating a content system. Yet again, this is something I have talked about a lot here on my podcast and it’s actually something I teach in my Instagram Road Map Course. Your content system is not to be mistaken for your content strategy. I know I’m throwing out a lot of terminology right now. But with your content system, this is more of the backbone of your overall plan. What systems are you going to be putting into place to make sure your content gets created and posted? When will you make the time to plan and create your content? When are you going to post on social media and how do you plan on going about that? These are some of the questions that you will want to ask yourself when creating this system.

Building Block #3: This now leads us to the third building block, and that is your content strategy or your content calendar. You already know who you’re creating for and when you’re going to create the content, now you need to actually come up with specific ideas. When you’re first starting out you’re going to want to do some research on what type of content is trending in your niche and maybe look at some of your competitor's Instagram accounts, check out their comments, and see what people are asking them or really interested in. This might help you come up with some ideas to get started. Once you have an active audience, obviously, you can look to your analytics and your community to find out what you should be posting about. But in the beginning, just really focus on content that is working well for others and what you think would be helpful for your ideal audience.

I know step one had a few sub-steps, but developing this foundation is crucial if you want to see quicker growth. If you take the jump all-in approach, you will find yourself spending so much extra time trying to figure it out as you go. Even if you have to spend a month or longer really hashing this out, it will be worth it in the long run.

Step 2: optimize your Instagram bio

Your Instagram bio is often the first point of contact for new visitors and potential followers, so it's important to make it count. A good Instagram bio is short, informative, and gives an idea of what to expect from your content. just like building your platform. This is another very important step that you don’t want to skip. You really want to make sure all of this is done and ready to go before you start attracting your audience. You want to make sure your Instagram bio is completely optimized so that you can turn those viewers into followers, and start to build your community. Here are a few things I want you to keep in mind, and pay attention to.

Keep It Short & Sweet

Brief phrases that get the point across quickly are ideal. Don’t overcomplicate it – for the most part, your content speaks for itself. As long as it’s very clear what someone can expect if they hit the follow button, you should be good.

Include Relevant Keywords

A strong Instagram SEO strategy is key to increasing your reach on the platform. Brainstorm keywords your target audience may search for on Instagram, and include them in your name field.

Use a Link in Bio Tool

I use Liinks, but there are so many awesome platforms that you can try out for this. Linktree is also a really popular one. These platforms make it easy to direct followers to specific web pages referenced in your posts, your other social accounts, or a product page. Just organize it in a way that makes it super easy for people to find what they are looking for.

Show Your Personality

Your Instagram bio is all about you or your brand – so don’t shy away from sharing your story and giving a peek into your personality. Speak directly to your target audience and highlight your skills, background, or a common phrase you use.

Include a Call-to-action

A good Instagram bio will drive followers to perform an action – whether it’s listening to your latest podcast episode or checking out a new product you’re launching. Be clear and specific when creating a call-to-action.

Add Your Contact Info

With an Instagram Business profile, you can add contact information to your Instagram bio. This includes your email address, phone number, and brick-and-mortar address if you have one.

Use Emojis Sparingly

A splash of color (or emojis) is a great way to add personality to your Instagram bio – but don’t overdo it. Use emojis sparingly to highlight any CTAs or to add some pizzazz to your bio.

Use Instagram Stories Highlights

Instagram Stories Highlights are perfect for sharing FAQs, your individual content pillars, and community spotlights. They also make your Instagram bio more appealing and click-worthy.

Update Your Bio Regularly

An up-to-date Instagram bio gives viewers the most current info about you and your happenings. On the flip side, an outdated bio can be misleading and result in the loss of potential followers. So make sure you include this in your monthly resets to avoid inaccurate information or broken links.

Now that we have put a lot of focus into the preparation side of things. It’s time to talk about how we’re going to get people to see your content and your profile to begin with.

Step three: create good content

It’s really that simple. It takes a lot of time and dedication to learn the skills needed to create good content, but seriously, this is the most important part of being a content creator.

There are so many people out there creating content, but there is really only a small portion of them who are dedicated enough to put their time and energy into creating good, quality, valuable content. There are so many content creators whose main focus is things like money or fame - not really wanting to follow their passion and help or inspire others. And you know what? It shows. I always get this ick feeling when I stumble upon those Instagram profiles where you can just tell that the creator's motivation is money. And at least for me, I couldn’t click away fast enough.

But I can also just as easily tell when someone feels genuine and is actually passionate about what their sharing… and, sure, they’d be thrilled to make a living creating this for others, but it’s not what drives them to do it. I like to think people get that feeling when they stumble upon my Instagram. Sure, this is how I make a living and see the monetary value in creating content, but that’s not why I do it. I do it because I love creating and because I can help others do it too… and I hope that comes across in the content I create.

So, ensure you always keep that passion and don’t lose sight of it along the way. beyond that, there are some more literal ways to make good content.

First of all, don’t shy away from creating videos. I know it’s hard and out of a lot of people’s comfort zone, but it’s just part of social media now and it’s something that needs to be explored to help grow your audience, especially this first 1k. If this really scares you, I totally get it, here are just a few of my general tips for people who want to give Reels a shot.

Use Text and Captions

Many people watch videos without sound. Adding text and subtitles can help more users see your content and make it easier for people with hearing difficulties. To add subtitles, use Instagram's closed caption sticker. After the audio is transcribed, you can review and edit the text to make sure it's right.

Use Trends for Ideas

Check the Instagram Reels tab and other creators’ profiles to see what's popular. Save ideas you like for later. This is crucial to help with reach.

Drive Traffic from Reels

Use a clear call-to-action (CTA) to encourage people to visit your link in bio. we didn’t set that up earlier for no reason.

Post Consistently

Even if your first few Reels don’t get many views, keep going! Just like anything else on social media, it’s all about trial and error.

Use Hashtags

Include 3-5 hashtags to help the Instagram algorithm understand your content and share it with relevant audiences.

With these tips, you can start creating Instagram Reels that will help you grow your brand, reach new audiences, and engage with your followers.

…but don’t stop there. Though Reels are the talk of the town, there is another video type on Instagram that I think is definitely something you should lean into and that is Stories.

Reels might help with reaching and bringing you new followers, but without properly, nurturing your community, you might lose them just as quickly as you get them.

Stories are a great way to connect with your followers on a more personal level. They allow you to share behind-the-scenes glimpses into your life or your brand and can help build a sense of community. Just like with the Reels, I wanted to give you a few tips for using Instagram Stories to nurture your community:

Showcase your personality - Share candid moments from your day-to-day life, or fun and creative content that shows off your personality. This can help your followers feel like they know you better, and can lead to stronger connections.

Promote engagement - Use interactive features like polls, quizzes, and questions to encourage your followers to participate and engage with your content. Respond to messages and comments, and reshare user-generated content to show your appreciation for your followers.

Build anticipation - Use Stories to tease upcoming content or product launches, or to share sneak peeks of projects you're working on. This can help build excitement and anticipation among your followers, and keep them coming back for more.

Provide value - Share tips, tutorials, or other valuable content that your followers will find useful or interesting. This can help establish you as an authority in your niche, and can strengthen your relationship with your followers.

And hopefully, this gets you started with creating good content. But remember, it all starts with your passion and motivation.

Step four: post consistently

One of the biggest struggles almost all content creators have on Instagram is consistency. We’ve all been there - and when you’re first starting out from zero, it can feel even harder. After I burnt out a couple of summers ago and ended up basically not posting for 4 months, I implemented these strategies and it helped a lot.

Establish a content creation routine - The most important tip is to establish a content creation routine. You can’t rely on just haphazard posting - you need to create a routine. For example, once a month, sit down and create a content calendar.

The week after that, spend 30 minutes to an hour each day actually creating that content.

You can batch-create once a week or plan your content and create it as you go - whatever works for you. Just make sure you’re intentional about it and you have a routine.

Schedule your content or set reminders

Once you’ve created your content, you’re going to need to schedule it. You can now schedule your content directly on Instagram, which is nice. You can then set a reminder to remember to post stories and engage with your community. You can set these reminders on your Google Calendar, or if you love and use Notion like me, you can set reminders there too. Or you can even just set alarms on your phone!

Don’t be too hard on yourself

It’s also important to remember that we’re all human and it’s okay to take a break. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you miss a day or two. Just get back on track as soon as possible.

Step five: Monitor and use your insights to grow

Monitoring your growth and engagement using Instagram analytics will help you understand what's working and what's not. Then you can adjust your strategy based on your findings. There are three Instagram insights you should keep an eye on; Reach, Engagement, and Follows.

Reach is the number of unique accounts that have seen your content. This metric is important because it shows you how many people are actually seeing your posts. If your reach is low, it might be time to rethink your content strategy.

Engagement is the number of interactions your content receives, including likes, comments, and shares. This metric is important because it shows you how your audience is interacting with your content. If your engagement is low, it might be time to experiment with different types of content or try to spark a conversation with your followers.

Follows are the number of new followers you gain over a specific period of time. This metric is important because it shows you how effective your content is at attracting new followers. If your follows are low, it might be time to take a closer look at your content and see if you can make it more appealing to your target audience.

If you set aside some time each month to really dive into these three areas, you will start understanding what’s working for you and make sure to lean into that more the upcoming month.

—

Okay, let’s wrap this up. I know starting and growing an Instagram sounds like a lot, but to sum it up; do some upfront preparation, create good content, do it consistently, and track your progress. It’s a lot of work, it takes a lot of time and effort, and you have to have patience. But if you do all of this and keep at it, you’ll see 1000 followers before you know it. I can absolutely dive deeper into any of these steps. If you think it would be helpful, shoot me a DM and let me know.