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I have 20k Instagram followers, but no one likes me.
When I started my Instagram account (www.instagram.com/katfairbanks) a year and a half ago, I did so with the intention of learning how to grow an audience as quickly as possible and monetize it.
I grew my audience on Instagram pretty rapidly, going from 0 to 20k in about eighteen months. I also partnered with well-known brands and made a modest amount of money per month (several hundred dollars).
I used a formula that continues to work to grow my follower count at a consistent rate – I am the admin of several Facebook groups that link back to my Instagram, and I know that’s the primary source of most of my followers.
However, I’ve been doing a poor job of creating and maintaining the connections required to maintain a good engagement rate online. A year ago, it was normal to get 1,000 likes per photo with 10k followers. Now, I’m lucky to get 400 likes, even though my follower count has doubled.
Sure, I could blame the algorithm or the impossibly high standards of the influencers around me. But I’d rather try to learn and adapt than dwell on the fact that what I’m doing on Instagram isn’t sitting well with my audience anymore.
I do notice what content of mine does well, but I don’t necessarily have the desire to replicate what is most successful on my…