From "Ugh, Social Media" to Viral Success: My 70-Day Experiment to Building an Audience of 10K
Everything I learned from building a habit on a whim
No artist wants to admit that being a creative in modern times is a whole lot easier if you have built an audience online. We know it’s true: an engaged audience brings opportunities, but many of us creative types turn our noses up at the idea.
Social media…really?
Doesn’t it muddy your artistic purity? Like aren’t you…cooler than that? Well, if you like getting paid for what you do then no, actually. You aren’t.
Social is a tool. A medium. Like the newspaper was once the most effective medium of its day, so social media is now. Didion, Dickens, Marquez and many other literary giants wrote for the paper before they published the novels that cannonized them.
And so, on January 5, I pushed my ego aside, and decided I would once and for all conquer Instagram, because it is a damn effective medium.
I made a public announcement on my insta that I’d post everyday except for Sundays until I had 20K followers.
I wanted to “take people on a journey.” That was my only strategy for growth and accountability.
And it worked! The only thing more awkward than posting a bunch of disjointed, crappy videos everyday is creeping away to quit and quietly erasing all videos of your bold claim.
[Note: I didn’t end up going all the way to 20K, because I started to feel burnout creep in, and I needed more time and bandwith to create products and longer form pieces like this one for the audience I now have. So when I hit 10K, I called it a success and redirected my focus without shame. :) ]
After posting 70 days in a row, going viral, building my following to 10K, and launching my first digital product, here is everything I learned from it:
Commit to 50 crappy reels.
There will be a gap between your taste and how good you are when you first start. You know what is good. Then you create your version of it, and… it’s not that good. Post to the best of your ability right now and move along. The quicker you do this, the quicker you get better.
Assume you will not see a lot of traction on your first 3 weeks of posting.
This assumption will help you manage your expectations. But the quicker you get through those 21 videos, the quicker you do start to gain momentum.
You cannot think your way into what will work best.
A general plan is great, but you will learn so much about your message and your intended audience when you just start posting. Also, posting helps generate more ideas as people interact with your content.
Stop worrying about tactics and focus on connection.
I started seeing alot more momentum and response to my content when I stopped asking “How can I get more followers?” and I started asking, “What do my ideal clients need to hear from me today?” What is a story you can share that is honest and shows a meaningful transformation?
Define your big end goal to avoid getting sucked into the dopamine rush.
My guess is you’re not doing this for the likes. Turn off notifications. Check your analytics once or twice a week, when your planning your next batch of content. Don’t get addicted to the dopamine rush of the red dot. What are we really going for here? Keep your eyes on that.
Going viral can be stressful if you aren’t ready for it.
Being more visible can be nerve-wracking. Literally. It can attract some real weirdos that aren’t your target audience. Prime your nervous system by going in-depth around your blocks, fears and dreams around visibility.
Block with glee!
Everyone was mostly nice in the comments on my viral reel, but I did have to just straight up block some rude f-you comments. And I did so with a glad heart. Note: I’m not talking about people who disagree, I’m talking about people who say abusive things.
Embrace triggering or contrarian comments as tools for growth.
I personally try to honor contrarian comments that are respectful by responding in good faith or just leaving them up. And some of them really helped solidify and better define what I am trying to say. I also love to thank trolls for extending my reach and giving ‘em a cheeky 😘.
Going viral is a byproduct, not an outcome.
Building an engaged audience does not come from virality, but from consistent, connective content. While I am grateful for the energy boost of going viral, my audience is growing regardless of that video, because I show up regularly and put in the work of understanding and connecting with the real people on the other side of the screen. That’s the heart of it all anyway.
Act as if you already have the audience you want to build.
I spend time before each post creating the sensation in my body that all my goals are already met. If you already had the audience, made the income, had the impact, how would your feelings and actions change? Would you take content planning and creation more seriously? Would you get clear on your strengths and transformations? Would have your online boundaries more clearly defined?
Because I had 70 days worth of data, I was able to create a resonant digital product much more easily. I have been wanting to create a product but wasn’t sure where to start. After posting so much, and getting tons of feedback from it, I was able to quickly create a digital workbook called PORTAL. It came much more easily because I was immersed in the interactions with my growing audience.
If you made it this far, WHOOOOO, thanks for reading. You’re a real one!
You can grab PORTAL: Access the Wisdom Within, a pay-what-you-can digital workbook for creatives in a place of transition. For those who have lots of ideas and passions but aren’t quite sure what to focus on next. It’s really great for the upcoming eclipse vibes.
Thanks for being here.
Onward,
Elise