Hey everyone! Just wanted to share my experience in case it helps someone else who’s trying to grow without spending money on ads.

I started my account a year ago, hovering around 2,000 followers. For months, I felt like I was posting into the void. But then I got obsessed (in a good way?) with understanding what was actually working — not just in terms of likes, but saves, shares, replies, etc.

Here are a few things that made the biggest difference:

1. I paid attention to behavior, not just numbers.

I started noting down what types of posts got saved vs. liked vs. ignored. Carousels with quick, helpful info always outperformed aesthetic pics. I also noticed stories with polls and casual behind-the-scenes always got way more replies than polished “day in the life” ones.

2. I posted LESS, but more intentionally.

I used to post 5 times a week just to stay “active.” Now I post 2–3x a week, but each post is crafted to either spark a convo, teach something useful, or just be relatable as hell.

3. I got over myself and showed up on video.

This was a game changer. My reels weren’t going viral or anything, but people started DMing me just to say hi or react to my jokes. Those convos are how I built actual connections, and those people stayed, commented, shared my stuff.

4. What I’d do differently now:

• Start using insights earlier — I didn’t even check analytics for the first 6 months 🤦‍♀️
• Engage more in DMs — Not just replying, but starting convos based on people’s replies to stories.
• Stop stressing over unfollows — I used to feel crushed when I’d lose 50 people after a post. Now I get that it’s just part of refining your audience.

TL;DR: You don’t need ads, but you do need to treat your followers like humans, not metrics. Listen to them, learn from the data, and don’t be afraid to show the messy parts of your day — that’s often what connects the most.

Would love to hear what’s worked for you too! Let’s swap strategies.