Why 100K Followers Can Still Mean $0 Sales

The Follower Count Myth: What Really Matters

Let’s talk about Instagram followers for a second. We’ve all been conditioned to chase them like they’re the holy grail of social media success.

But here’s a reality check: Followers are a vanity metric, and they don’t really mean what you think they do (see: this thread from the head of Instagram). I’ve worked with brands boasting hundreds of thousands of followers and guess what? They’re struggling to make sales because their audience isn’t engaged. On the flip side, I’ve worked with people who have less than 5k followers and they can’t keep up with the demand for their products. Why? Engagement.

It’s all about how much people care, not how many people are there.

And just because someone follows you doesn’t mean they’ll see your content. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again—the algorithm decides who gets to see what (remember THIS newsletter?). If your content isn’t resonating or isn’t interesting, not even your followers will be seeing it. But if you’re consistently producing good, engaging content? The algorithm will reward you by pushing it to more and more people—regardless of how many followers you actually have. This means that quality is so much more important than the size of your audience.

In the past, a viral post would immediately translate into new followers. One viral hit and your follower count would soar. Those days are long gone. Now, your content can go viral without anyone even visiting your profile. People will like, share, comment, and then move on without ever seeing the rest of your stuff. That’s because the competition is fierce. There’s endless content competing for attention, and getting someone to stop, follow, and engage is harder than ever.

Think about how you follow people on Instagram. Chances are, you’ve seen their content in your feed 6-7 times before you finally decide to check out their profile and hit that follow button, right?

To gain followers, that means you need to keep producing good content consistently. You can’t just have one banger post and expect an influx of followers. It’s a slow burn. You’ve got to hook people over time with content that resonates, speaks their language, and keeps them coming back for more.

And then, when someone finally lands on your profile? You have to nail that first impression. Your page needs to be optimized (like I talked about in last week’s newsletter). People are more careful with who they follow these days because there’s so much content coming at them from all angles. So when they land on your page, you need to convince them in a matter of seconds that you’re worth the follow. Think of it as your digital storefront—it needs to be as clear, engaging, and compelling as possible.

Bottom line: Don’t stress over your follower count. Instead, focus on creating great content that keeps people engaged, optimized profiles that hook people when they finally show up, and remember that this is all a slow game.

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This week: a marriage proposal that’s undeniable, slang that makes it easier to relate to strangers, and TFW you say something “stupid”.

HOP ON THESE TRENDS:

If I was your Instagram strategist, here are 3 Reels I’d encourage you to recreate for your brand: