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How I Hit 10,000 Instagram Followers (And Now 30K+)

I was very excited to hit a major milestone in April 2017. I hit 10,000 Instagram followers, a number I set my sights on a few months before and had been working my butt off to reach! Lucy has also been working overtime, posing extra cute for photos to get everyone’s attention. How did I hit 10,000 Instagram followers? And keep growing to over 30,000 one year later! Let me tell you about my journey and a new service I’m offering to share my expertise with others.

How I Hit 10,000 Instagram Followers

Finding Positivity in Social Media

Social media is a love/hate relationship for so many people. And, I totally feel ya! I deleted the Facebook app from my phone about six months ago and barely look at the news feed on my computer. There just seems to be so much negativity there. Without Facebook in my life I had all this free time, so I immersed myself in Instagram. Thanks to so many awesome dog friends on there I looked forward to checking my feed and commenting on everyone’s cute photos every day!

There’s something about the community I’ve found there that I could never create on Facebook. Since you can connect with complete strangers (unlike how Facebook encourages you to only connect with people you already know), I was able to find accounts that I looked up to (like HoneyIDressedthePug and ByKaitHanson) and start interacting with them until I grew the relationship and could eventually consider them Instagram friends.

Instagram as an Extension of my Blog

When I started posting to Instagram years ago I didn’t have any kind of strategy for my posts. I wasn’t like the people who start their page prepared with a growth strategy. Like most people, I posted interesting photos of my life. Or at least, what I considered to be interesting!

Then, in 2017 I began treating my account as an extension of my blog and planned out what I would post, and when. With the help of various social media marketing tools, I was able to create an account that I was and still am extremely happy with.

Now if someone looks at my profile they instantly understand that I post about style, dogs and DIY, which in turn directs them here to my blog for more content.

How I Hit 10,000 Instagram Followers

How I Hit 10,000 Instagram Followers

How I Hit 10,000 Instagram Followers

Clearly, my love of Instagram turned into a little obsession and I started to set goals for myself — hit 5,000 followers, get 500 likes on a photo, and then hit 10,000 followers! Six months prior, I never thought I’d hit the big 10K, but I made it happen! Lucy and I celebrated with a photoshoot with some giant 10K balloons and Rose Colored Creative. I love being able to celebrate achievements like this! Thank you for reading this post and sharing in the excitement with me and Lucy!

How I Hit 10,000 Instagram Followers

I want to share my Instagram expertise with more people so I’m launching a new service in my social media management business (in addition to blogging, I’ve been a social media consultant for about 8 years). I created InstaMistick to offer positively engaging Instagram strategy to creatives, solopreneurs and brands. I know that Instagram is the best place to share your passion with your audience and potential customers and can’t wait to start helping others reach their goals.

I have a range of packages available to fit any size business (even bloggers). And my favorite part is that all the meetings and consulting can be done virtually so I can work with my Internet friends all over the world. Check out the full list of services on my social media consulting website. Of course, there’s a new Instagram account to go with InstaMistick, and you can follow me there too!

How I Hit 10,000 Instagram Followers

What are your Instagram Goals? Is something holding you back from reaching them?

I’d love to hear about what you’re working on or your struggles with your Instagram account. I hear from so many women about how overwhelmed they are by their accounts. But I really think that with an approach that comes from a positive place, you can create an account that you love and that brings you many new followers and customers! Let’s work together to make that happen!

UPDATE: This post has gotten a lot of traffic! Thank you! Since everyone is so interested, I just want to clarify that my advice for replicating my Instagram success is to first off, figure out exactly what your account is about. Get as specific as you can. Obviously, I chose stylish dog moms who like to DIY. That’s pretty darn specific! The magical part is, that when you find people who like that, they will LOVE your account. Having highly engaged followers that you comment back and forth with all the time is what I have found to be the key to success. I replicate this same philosophy with finding new accounts and hashtags to engage with.

Be specific. Be consistent. Be nice! And I promise that others will take notice.

Want More Personal Instagram Advice From Me?

I created an online course to share everything I know about growing a highly engaged Instagram following. My course is OPEN NOW for enrollment. It’s full of a ton of videos, worksheets, resources and more that will show you how to find your niche, create awesome content, engage with your audience and use the latest features in Stories and IGTV.

All photos: Rose Colored Creative taken on location at the Omni William Penn Hotel Pittsburgh.

How I hit 10,000 Instagram followers

16 Comments

  1. Amanda

    Congrats on your fantastic achievement! I absolutely love your photos – as usual!

    Reply
    • Ari & M

      Congratulations once again Tori and Lucy!! So well deserved xxx

      Reply
      • Tori

        Thank you! Your account is such an inspiration to me, I’m so happy we’re connected!

        Reply
    • Tori

      Thank you so much! The photos were really fun to do, but surprisingly hard to get the balloons to face the right directions!

      Reply
  2. Carrie

    Congrats Tori!

    Reply
    • Tori

      Thank you Carrie!

      Reply
  3. Alexandra Bird

    Congrats! I just am getting started with a blog, and have mostly focused on Twitter and a little on Facebook. Instagram is my next platform to play with- along with actually writing blog pieces- so I’m thrilled I can follow yours and get ideas as well as be entertained!

    Reply
    • Tori

      I’m happy to provide some inspiration! I definitely recommend getting your Instagram up and running. It’s my favorite social network by far!

      Reply
  4. Misty D Giger

    What a great achievement! Congrats from @coleisthaname and @fab_labs_ feature account!

    Reply
    • Tori

      Thank you so much for coming by the blog! I really appreciate your support!

      Reply
  5. Kait

    Thank you so much for the shoutout! Your growth is AMAZING! Love to you and Lucy!! 🙂 XOXO

    Reply
    • Tori

      Thanks for being cool about me stalking you! haha But seriously, 2 chocolate labs and all the Hawaii photos… how can I not!?

      Reply
  6. Jodi Stone

    That’s just wonderful Tori! Congratulations!! I’m going to go find you on the Instagram.

    Reply
    • Tori

      Awesome – thank you!

      Reply
  7. All Things Collie

    Congratulations! I’m happy when I get 150 likes…500 would be awesome, even if it’s just once!

    Reply
    • Tori

      It’s hard work, but so exciting when it pays off! You can do it, just gotta keep plugging away!

      Reply

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Tori Mistick is a blogger, podcaster and certified Canine Enrichment Specialist. You might call her a professional dog mom! Tori has a soft spot for senior dogs and loves the color pink. Based in Pittsburgh, PA.

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