When I started my writing account on May 28, 2024, I didn’t have much direction or vision for where it was going; I just knew that I loved to create. I didn’t think anyone would like my content or care, but I knew I had to try anyway. Now, just a few months later, my account has a little over 500 followers and over 10,000 monthly views.
This article is just a small reflection on where my blog has gone and my advice to anyone growing their own account, whatever kind of account it may be. I’m aware that 500 followers isn’t an insane number of followers, but I think it’s important to celebrate the little things as you work towards the big things.
Why I started my writing account
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Although I still dream of New York Times bestseller lists and huge-budget Hollywood movies based on my book (that of course true fans will claim is nowhere near as incredible as the book while looking up the actor portraying the hot love interest), I realize more than anything I just want to create and share my creation with others!Â
Reading my work in creative writing classes and having friends and professors reach out and tell me what my work meant to them is truly what changed my perspective on what it would mean to be an author. Hearing their enthusiasm, having deep conversations about the larger themes presented in my work, and just laughing over the silly lore that usually inspires my poems has made me realize that art can forge a community. I realized that, although it’s fine to strive for the awards and fame you may earn for writing, creating is really about connecting with other people, which is a much more qualitative than quantitative production. It was this shift in mindset that made me want to start posting my work online.Â
As a writer, an online presence is a must
Another reason I started my writing account is because I knew that, whether I go the traditional publishing route or decide to self-publish, having an online presence is incredibly advantageous, if not necessary. Having a portfolio and community of supporters can help sway traditional publishing agencies, especially if your social media presence is particularly large. One of the downsides to self-publishing is that the responsibility of marketing falls on the writer. Therefore, growing an account makes it easier to promote your work once it’s ready to be published.
Funny enough, I wrote a couple of entries documenting how I felt about content creation in the early days, so here’s something from the vault:
BCE (Before Content-creating Era) — Get Hype (5/28)
I can do it. Can I? Yes. Yes, I can! Well. Worth a shot? I can do hard things! I think? Trying is really embarrassing. Like, sooo embarrassing. But that’s the only way to really succeed (without nepotism on your side). So, basically, I am just trying to hype myself up to the best of my ability. Everyone starts somewhere, so I really just need to rip off the band-aid. Perhaps today will be the day! Or perhaps not. Either way, the account has been created, so that’s a win in my book.”
The first post is the hardest
The first post is the hardest post; this is a fact. I think I posted before asking anyone to follow me, and for those few days, I was stuck at six likes. I felt very stupid and embarrassed and questioned if I even wanted to post anymore. However, after remembering why I started the account in the first place, I decided to push through using a little bit of strategy
#1 Reach out to friends
However, please note that I did not post my account to my personal Instagram account’s main story. When growing an account, you always want supporters, not necessarily friends. Friends who like you but are not interested in your content will like your post but not watch it all the way through, or sometimes even scroll past it altogether. This is terrible for your engagement and will discourage the algorithm from pushing your content further (to people who genuinely are interested in your content). So, I asked my friends if they wanted to follow the account and emphasized that they should only follow if they were truly invested in the content.
#2 Find accounts in your niche
The best way to grow is by investing in the community in which you want to grow. I would spend a lot of time sifting through hashtags and bigger writing accounts to find growing writing accounts. I would follow the accounts with work that I really connected with and that were smaller so that they would be more likely to follow me back. We comment on each other’s work and repost each other, so everybody wins.
Looking at my 9 posts from this month, I averaged 53 likes, the lowest earning 28 and the highest 101. Considering how Instagram’s algorithm works, this is pretty solid. There’s no “normal” speed of growth online, but I can say that growing on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram takes a little more time.
The first 500 is the sweetest
There were, of course, other milestones before this one (100, 200, 250, and 300), but reaching 500 was an absolutely unreal experience. Again, 500 followers isn’t a lot, but I thought it would take me several years to get to the first 1,000 followers, so to get halfway there in three months meant a lot to me. Additionally, this is mostly a writing account, and I don’t have that many posts; so, all things considered, it really is worth celebrating.
Overall, getting to the first 500 followers taught me the importance of taking a bet on yourself, even when it feels scary, cringey, or a combination of both. It’s more than followers; it’s about the opportunity I now have to connect with other writers, gain feedback, and truly trust the process.
My plans for the future
In the few months I’ve had this blog, I’ve learned so much more about content creation and myself as a writer and creative, so I now have a much clearer vision for the future. Here are a few takeaways that I’ve learned which will influence how I post moving forward:
Supporters want to see you!
As much as I love sharing my poetry and book ideas, I’ve noticed that the content of my own life — my book opinions and random thoughts — matter to followers too! When you are a poet, especially, your supporters are invested in you because that’s what the poetry is likely about. Moreover, people like people! If someone can connect with you, they’re more likely to stick around. For this reason, I plan to post more fun vlogs and snippets into my life.
Choosing the correct content
I loved sharing my ideas for the fiction novel I am writing, but I truly find more joy in sharing and writing poetry! This is important because if I want to be more consistent with my posting, and the algorithm appreciates consistency, I can only do this if I genuinely like what I’m posting. So, I plan to focus more on poetry than fiction (for both the account and my debut book).Â
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Hopefully, if nothing else, this inspires you to take a leap of faith in creating your own content or stick with content creation if you’ve found yourself giving up.
If you are interested in supporting my writing journey, you can follow anaya.notes on Instagram!Â