Turning a Side Project Into 45,000 Instagram Followers
Recently, I hosted a webinar with my friend, Noah Starr. In 2016, Noah was a junior at the University of Texas when he became frustrated by the historical illiteracy of our population. He would see videos go viral of people being asked basic questions such as, “What Country Did We Fight in the Revolutionary War?”. Noah decided to do something about this problem and started Truth Serum, a history channel for Instagram. Today he has over 45,000 followers. Here are some of the takeaways from our conversation:
Experiment with social media platforms. When Noah started, he didn’t start with Instagram, but rather creating videos on Facebook. Some of the videos did very well, with one video on Kurt Cobain getting over 60,000 views. However, Facebook decided to change its platform and began promoting prominent content creators they partnered with such as CNN. Unfortunately, Truth Serum wasn’t selected as a media partner and ended up pivoting to Instagram where they found sustainable success.
Don’t be afraid to hit publish. Noah shared that when he started, he thought friends of his would look down on him for publishing content about history. As he began to publish more, he started to overcome that anxiety and realized that his content was resonating with people. He also reiterated that you shouldn’t be deterred by critics. When you start to succeed, critics always come out of the woodwork. When Truth Serum posted a video about Kurt Cobain. It mentioned his official cause of death was suicide. Hundreds of people wrote comments to him vehemently disagreeing, some even using vulgar language, to say that he was wrong and that Courtney Love murdered him. If people start to criticize you, it typically means you are starting to succeed.
Focus on one platform. Once you begin to find success, don’t start experimenting with other platforms, but establish a base on your primary platform first. Even though Noah had experienced success with video, he only creates pictures on Instagram because that has been the only channel with consistent growth. People are always asking have you thought about YouTube, Facebook, etc. While he knows he might be missing out on growth, other platforms could also become distractions that end up sinking the company. In recent times, Noah has begun seeing Tik Tok take off as a social media platform but has refrained from using it because he didn’t know much about it. If you are considering using a new platform for growth, become a power user and understand what successful content looks like before you hit the publish button.
Starting as a side project. One of Noah’s best decisions was starting this and continuing to run it as a side project. While he has seen immense success, he hasn’t begun to monetize his platform (if he chose to he would yield around $150-$200 per sponsored post) and has only focused on growth. This is only possible because he has a full-time job that allows him the flexibility to grow his account. Starting as a side project also gives you a longer runway to succeed. While content quality is important, what is even more important is content that is consistent. This means it can take years to finally establish a following. If you start as a side project, there will be less pressure for quick success and more time to give yourself a chance to establish a following.
The best feedback is one on one. Many companies will send surveys asking for feedback and while that is important, nothing replaces having a conversation with a follower. You don’t just get feedback, but have the chance to establish a relationship. This could lead to a follower turning into a promoter. Not just liking your comments, but telling their friends about your platform because they know the person who runs it. You want to understand why they like your content and why they think it will be valuable to them. If you are adding value, your content will continue to find success.
Create real engagement. Many people use click-bait headlines to gain traction. While that sometimes works, it doesn’t create an audience that stays engaged. Noah wants people to learn something new from his Instagram channel. Click-bait doesn’t achieve that and brings forth the wrong type of follower. While that might sacrifice follower count, he knows it will create a more loyal community.
Get down and dirty to find initial traction. When Noah started, he messaged everyone he knew to try to kick start growth. He also found viewers who were passionate about the topics he created content on. For example, when he created a video on Harry Potter, he would join all the Harry Potter groups on Facebook a week before he posted it. Once he posted the video, he would post in all the Harry Potter groups. He reiterated that no one wants to follow a count with only a few hundred followers so you have to be willing to put in the work to grow.
Where we get our news is evolving. 55% of Americans get their news from social media. People in the past would turn on their TV to catch the 6 o’clock news or pick up the newspaper from their driveway in the morning and read it. This isn’t the case anymore. We live in a 24-hour news cycle where we are constantly inundated with more and more news, mostly because of the growth of social media. On the one hand, this has democratized journalism. Anyone can be a media company, but the downside of this is that ANYONE can be a media company. Fake news is a real problem and Noah knows that if Truth Serum wants to have staying power, it needs to be a trusted platform where people don’t doubt the authenticity of its content.
Watch Our Entire Conversation by CLICKING HERE.