Why 10k Matters on Instagram-but what Matters Even More

10k on Instagram is a community that’s larger than many small towns. It’s also a major milestone for any content creator. The account holder gains a few monetization perks as well as some additional professional clout once 10k is achieved.

Today I’m going to share some inside peeks into my journey to 10k as a content creator and blogger. Most importantly, I’m going to tell you why it SHOULDN’T be your #1 reason for using Instagram.

You Don’t Own Instagram

Let’s start with why getting to 10k shouldn’t be your primary focus for using Instagram. For starters, it’s a free marketing and social media app. You don’t own it! In fact, you don’t own your followers and you even give up some of the rights to your images and video when you post them to instagram.

That’s why when Instagram had an unexpected shut down for the better part of a day in early October 2021 many content creators and small business owners were REALLY nervous. They were nervous because, understandably so, Instagram is a huge mode of advertising and revenue for them.

So for me, growing my following on Instagram, while always a goal, was a few priorities down the list as compared to setting a strong foundation on my site and building a community.

My email list, and communication with all of you HERE is much more important, because I own this space. If something were to ever happen to IG or Facebook, I know it’s not the END of the world. Because we can still get in touch with each other and I can still share my message of Intentional Living, and Colorado Cabin Life.

So please, if you haven’t subscribed to my email updates, do it! It’s a great way to MAKE SURE you can stay connected with Pine Daisy House no matter what.

If this has peaked your interest in starting a blog you can go here to learn some basics.

Also if you are already a content creator and know blogging isn’t for you, I highly recommend still buying a URL and acquiring the very basics of a website landing page. You can even create an email list through the site Mailchimp. Consider it an emergency fund. A way to get in touch with your customers & community via email if you ever have to!

10K Perks

Alright, whew, with that out of the way let’s talk now about the perks of Instagram and why getting to 10K should for sure be a long term goal for any small business owner/content creator on the app.

I’m going to be the first person in this conversation to raise her hand and say that Instagram is fun! As a creative individual, I find using the app, in general, really fun. One of the reasons I started Pine Daisy House way back in late 2017 was to have an outlet for my love of photography. Instagram is a happy partner in that endeavor. Sure, as time has passed short-form video has become a huge player on the app but for me, and this community, beautiful visuals still remain a critical component of the creating I do.

So with all the fun comes the work side of things too. IF you are using Instagram as a tool for business development or marketing in any way shape or form getting your account to a following of 10,000 is really valuable.

It’s valuable for a few reasons:

• Reaching 10k enables the linking feature. So, as an embedded app feature, the account holder can direct link to ANY site in a story slide.
  • The feature doesn’t unlock until the account reaches 10k.
• Additionally, in spring 2021 account holders at 10k or above could qualify for monetization badges and bonuses.
  • Accounts can enable monetization features when creating content.
  • I recently qualified for a REELS bonus period, and was prompted to enable the feature through a series of dialogue boxes (see image below).
• Professional clout. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that as a content creator I am now able to garner more brand collaborations and sponsorships because I have full access to all of the features within the app. Brands are just that much more likely to say, “Yes!” because they know I have the link feature.
  • As an influencer and content creator spending networking and outreach time on Instagram getting to 10k has been the #1 game changer for me.

The Journey to 10K

Getting your account to 10k is a delicate dance between authentic community cultivation and clever marketing strategies. Because IF you simply buy ten thousand followers, which is entirely possible, you’ll have ZERO engagement which is critical if you want to work with brands.

So I recommend an 80/20 blended approach. Eighty percent community cultivation and twenty percent marketing strategy.

Spend the bulk of your time attracting an audience that is genuinely interested in your genre, niche, and product through the use of great visuals, hashtags, IGTV live co-hosts, and calls to action. Use captivating captions and authentic stories. Answer your DM’s regularly and engage in conversations with your followers.

Don’t misunderstand….cultivating a community is about the long game. It’s not quick, and it takes years.

Then with a strategic mindset consider doing instagram hops with similar genre accounts. When I was growing my community from 3-7,000 followers, IG story hops were a HUGE tool. They were fun, the followers were real, and I hosted them with my IG friends! Occasionally paying Instagram to promote a post within the app is a great idea too!

Be VERY, VERY, VERY wary of paying for engagement services, buying followers, and doing too many shallow giveaways that don’t line up with your niche or audience. You’ll gain followers but they’ll be bots (so fake accounts), or people that will literally act as dead weight in your following and provide ZERO engagement.

Let me say one more thing about giveaways. IF the giveaway is through a partnership, or is given as a give-back or gift to your community (like a thank you gift) I think they are perfectly fine and can be done regularly.

If you are going to pay to play, which sadly due to the sheer size of IG you may need to consider, I’d much rather pay to give away a product made by a small business I work with, or intentionally give my community a gift for engaging and participating in my content.

A Brief History

My instagram account truly began with intention in September of 2018. It was slow, compared to many of my friends in with home decor based accounts. I reached 10,000 followers in September 2021. I attribute that to a few things.

• In 2016 the initial algorithm was developed and rolled out into the app. It was being iterated over time to create account recommendations for viewers by taking into account their preferences. Then in 2018 rankings started playing a role in exposure and visibility. So growing became a much more strategic process than just a happen stance occurrence.
  • Read more here
• My home is rustic timber home/cabin. It’s a 40 year old cabin with charm, imperfections, and is not white, chippy, farmhouse, or brand-new.
  • In the genre of home decor brand new and on trend appeal to the instant of Instagram.
  • So I needed to create a visual lifestyle (which is what I wanted to do anyway) to appeal to my community.
• It took me about two years to really find my voice and message of Intentional Living on Instagram.
  • I also learned how to tweak my photography to appeal to the apps users. Social Media photography is very very different than professional portrait photography.
• I work 45+ hours a week ten months a year.
  • I simply couldn’t and can’t dedicate full-time working energy to the app or my blog.
  • My career in education is my professional passion. Pine Daisy House is my creative passion. Both are beautiful and easily overlap at times. But they are also very separate too.

Savor the Journey

You’ve likely noticed I use the words followers and community interchangeably a lot. It’s because I truly believe that even in our fast-paced world of social media, online shopping, and remote meetings people crave community.

So my hunch, that cultivating a COMMUNITY of like-minded, domestic, rustic & natural decor loving viewers who also long to live better overall, came to a full and resounding YES in 2020.

There is a poignant need for this kind of living. For this kind of conversation, and for this kind of creating.

In 2020 you became my people and Pine Daisy House on Instagram started to really thrive. And I, hopefully became one of yours. I realized that regardless of the swirly-ness of the world outside, my little corner of the internet can be a rest stop along the way. It can be a place where you can set down the hard for a few minutes to be encouraged and inspired through conversation and pretty pictures and video. My hope and prayer is that Pine Daisy House encourages your heart most of all. To live a life that’s soul fulfilling and one that intentionally cultivates love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.

With hope for you and your intentional life,