How To Get 10k Followers on Instagram and Be A Successful Micro-Influencer

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10k followers on Instagram
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Last Updated: Dec 1, 2023

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Reaching 10k followers on Instagram is a goal for many businesses and influencers who use the platform. After all, at 10k you can access the elusive swipe up feature in your stories to send your followers and viewers to any web page you like. Attracting those followers, though, can be an involved process.

If you’re looking to grow your following to 10k and beyond, create a well-researched hashtag strategy and use it consistently. Find your ideal followers and begin engaging with them in their feeds. Monitor your analytics to see what resonates well with your followers and create more content like that. 

Who would have thought that running a Justin Bieber fan account when Instagram launched in 2010, could lead to becoming a successful micro-influencer with over 10k followers on Instagram? Maddie Green of @the.insideview is living proof that, yes, this can actually happen.

Over to Maddie…

Start off by telling us about yourself, where you’re from, etc.?

Maddie Green from The Inside View and 10k followers on Instagram

Hello! My name is Maddie Green and I’m from Denver, Colorado! I’m currently a senior in college studying Marketing. 

How did you get started on Instagram and how many followers did you have?

Well this is a long story! I downloaded Instagram basically the day it came out in 2010. I started my account just for fun and was actually a  “Justin Bieber fan account” page. I would post daily “contests” and “quizzes” about celebrities…. I loved being on social media and it was my fun time as a kid. I had about 20,000 followers on this account and still do, and I transformed this into my personal account. In May of 2017 I launched my blogging account, The Inside View.

10k followers on Instagram microinfluencer

How did you grow your Instagram to what it is now? 

I have always been passionate and really good with keeping up with numbers and trends. In 2012 I grew multiple facebook pages to over 200,000 likes, and only went on for an hour a day. I knew I had a special talent ever since I was 12, and I wanted to translate that into  my brand.

In February of 2019 I invested in a growth course called Mastery By Mal which taught me a few new things I hadn’t already discovered about growing my account. I have been  using those techniques and the techniques I created myself. I only spend about 10 minutes a day dedicated to growing my account. Right now I have 11,000 followers!

Do you have any tips for the readers on how to get to 10k followers on Instagram? (Any specific tactics? And how long did it take you to reach 10k?)

It took me about a year of 15 minutes a day, to get from my slow grown 3,000 followers to my now 11k. This of course will differ for each person! My tips to readers are found all over the internet but this is what has worked for me:

  • Be authentically you. Don’t compare yourself to others.
  • Find a niche and stick with it.
  • Don’t get overwhelmed with trying to be PERFECT. 
  • Once you start working with brands stay true to your own personal brand.
  • Grow your followers slowly.
  • Post on your story EVERY DAY! Try to inspire somebody.
10k followers on Instagram swipe up
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How did you get into the influencer/blogger space? Any favorite brands you like working with?

This is actually a super fun story! I was on a road trip with my Dad on our way to the Grand Canyon. We would always take these super fun photos, and there was always a unique story behind it. I wanted to be able to share the memories and the full story through my account. This turned into “The Inside View, My Story Behind the Photograph”.

Long story short I decided to start a new Instagram page where I would do this! After a few months I saw other influencers posting with clothing brands and I thought to myself, “wow I want to do that”. I looked at who they were collabing with, and directly messaged them to ask who was their contact for collaborations! Now a year later, I get constant emails from brands asking to work with me, rather than me reaching out to them.

10k followers on Instagram collaborations

My favorite brands to work for are local boutiques and Denver restaurants, events, or spas! These are so fun because I get to be the most authentic, post on my own schedule, and with my own words. My favorite corporate sponsors have been Princess Polly Boutique, USANA, and Lululemon. 

What’s a day like for you in terms of being an Instagram influencer?

 I have three separate kinds of days! My life is always crazy.

As a college student I’m always super busy. A typical day for me is going to work or school (or both) all day, and then having maybe an hour at most at nighttime to work on my Instagram. During this hour I post, reply to emails, and even shoot content.

On collaboration days with brands for example, if I’m working for a Denver spa, I wake up early and drive to the location, get the service done, and spend the night creating content. These are my favorite days!

My third possible day will look like me going to school or work, and then forgetting about my obligations to do my social media and getting behind. This is a constant struggle for me, and my goal is to every day get better at not procrastinating and creating a content plan!

How much time do you devote to your Instagram?

Most of the time my Instagram comes secondary to my other priorities. I typically spend a few minutes in bed in the morning and night to check my emails and reply to comments! When I have brand deals to do, I write them all on a sticky note, and on my day off from work or school I’ll take about 2 hours to shoot and edit content to be ready to be sent for approval, or post that night. I spend about 15 minutes growing my audience through my growth techniques! That would be a whole new blog post ;)

What advice do you have for micro-influencers just starting out and trying to get to 10k followers on Instagram?

My advice would be to pick a few creators who you like. Watch what they post on their stories, and look what brands they’re working with. Find out what your purpose is and just go for it! Post what you want to post and the success will come.

What are your tips for readers about collaborating with other brands?

This could be a whole new blog post too! In short… KNOW YOUR WORTH! I have always come up with a set budget for my posting. I take into consideration how much time and effort this will take me and the value I will bring! Start off with small brands on Instagram! I used to DM small boutiques and work with them for free at first. Now I know my value and work with companies who do have an influencer marketing budget!

Start off with small brands, work for free even, have fun! Once you work with a few small brands, the big ones will notice and be emailing you for collaborations!

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Do you use any Instagram tools?

The only one I use is Lightroom on my iphone to edit my photos! I used to use a cleaner to see who to unfollow so I  could balance out my follower ratio, but I don’t do this anymore.

What would you say are the top 3 strategies someone should focus on when they’re trying to grow their following and get to 10k followers on Instagram?

My top three strategies are:

  1. Stay consistent in your posting and messaging!
  2. Reply to all of your followers and be authentic.
  3. Know that it will take time, and success will come if you put time, effort, and your heart into it!
10k followers on Instagram tools

What are your future goals to continue to grow and monetize on Instagram?

I have so many future goals! One goal I’m working on is to start an online business somewhere in the boutique realm… I love working with other brands, and a big goal that I’m striving for is to own my own business. Stay tuned!

Growing your Instagram doesn’t have to be overly time consuming, and Maddie is living proof of that! As a busy college senior balancing school, work, and The Inside View, she’s learned to use her time wisely and work with brands she enjoys. By collaborating with local brands, Maddie says she gets to be the most authentic. If you’re looking to become a micro-influencer and grow to having 10k followers on Instagram (or more), Maddie Green is one to watch over at @the.insideview.

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4 Comments

  • Madhurjya Parashar says:

    I was facing problem from many days past, I couldn’t give likes to people and I was facing this problem from past 21 days but yesterday Instagram gave me a notification which is completely beyond my imagination , Instagram gave me notification that I have used apps which promises to give me likes or followers which goes against their community guidelines but I didn’t used any such type of apps and now my account is temporarily banned upto 29 September but honestly I’m saying I didn’t used any such type of apps than why it is telling that I have used please reply to my comment because I’m very upset very very upset please give me a solution that what shall I do in the next??? Please

    • Sam Hackett says:

      Hello,
      I am sorry to hear that you have been banned on Instagram. I would suggest reaching out to their support team! Often times even if you are not using a service you can follow/like too many accounts in a short amount of time and Instagram can flag your account. Hope this helps!

  • Very nice website amazing website Rell

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