From 0–10K Followers: My Personal Journey

When I first started creating content, I did not have a plan. I posted randomly, used whatever trending sound was on my For You Page, and hoped something would magically take off. I saw other creators hitting 10K, 50K, even 100K followers, and I felt so far behind. I remember thinking, “What am I doing wrong?”

At the beginning, I focused almost completely on numbers. I checked my follower count and views way more than I should admit. Every time a video flopped, I felt like I had done something wrong as a person, not just as a creator. I tried changing my posting times, copying viral formats, and using every popular hashtag I could find. Some videos did okay, but nothing felt consistent.

The shift started when I got tired of pretending. I realized I was trying to be the version of a creator I thought people wanted, instead of just being myself. So I did something simple: I stopped overcomplicating it. I asked myself, “If I could only talk about one thing, what would it be?” For me, that was helping people grow on social media in a way that didn’t feel fake or overwhelming.

Once I leaned into that, my content changed. I started sharing more tips, honest thoughts, and little behind-the-scenes pieces of my life as a college student and social media marketer. I talked about the posts that flopped, not just the ones that did well. I shared what I wish I had known when I was starting at 0. Slowly, I noticed something: people were not just watching, they were responding.

Instead of chasing a new niche every week, I stayed consistent with one general theme. Instead of trying to go viral with every post, I focused on who I was talking to: the person who felt stuck, lost, or intimidated by social media. The views started to feel less random, and my follower count began to climb in a way that actually felt steady.

When I hit 10K followers, it did not feel like a movie moment. There were no fireworks, no dramatic music, just a little number changing on my screen. But what did feel different was me. I wasn’t chasing validation the same way anymore. I cared more about the comments from people who said things like, “This made me feel less alone,” or “I finally understand this now.”

If you are at zero, or 100, or 1,000 followers, here is what I wish someone had told me:You do not have to be perfect. You do not have to post seven times a day. You just have to be willing to show up as yourself, keep learning, and give people something real to connect with.