How I grew my Instagram following from 0 to 100k+ in less than a year

How I grew my Instagram following from 0 to 100k+ in less than a year

I get heaps of questions on my Instagram page Madalin Giorgetta, asking how I managed to grow my followers. I started my Instagram account in January 2016 and close to the end of the year I have accumulated over 140,000 followers. My Instagram account has opened up so many possibilities to me that I never dreamed were possible, it really has changed my life. Keen to grow your following too? These are my top tips for making it happen:

1. Find out your biggest asset. I’m not a super talented photographer. I’m no make-up whizz or superstar in the kitchen. I’m kinda funny (in a self-depreciating, dorky way), I’m genuine and I’ve got a cute butt. Haha. But seriously, think of your best assets. What do people notice about you? Your long hair or your child’s cute outfits, your humour and wit or your epic desserts? Write down a list of all the things big and small that you’ve been complimented on and focus your Instagram account around this.

Obligatory 'ass'et shot

Obligatory 'ass'et shot

2. Start your Instagram account, picking and choosing from the list and see the response you get. For example, I find that people respond well to my gym selfies, transformation photos, or when I post something that is honest and true about fitness. I don’t receive as much engagement on funny memes, inspirational quotes or scenic shots. I still post them from time to time as I like to give my feed some variety, but I generally follow an 80/20 rule, 80% from my popular list and 20% “other”.

An example of one of my transformation photos 

An example of one of my transformation photos 

3. To get started, a bigger account needs to regram you. I had a few thousand followers from the BBG community as I had begun connecting with other women and followed 1000 other accounts. However, it wasn’t until I got regrammed by Kayla Itsines that my following really grew. She chose to regram me because I had good results and I tagged her in the picture. I would tag other Kayla Itsines fitness pages as well as her account. I then started tagging other fitness accounts outside the BBG community, such as @just_fitness_health and @trainandtransform. Look to the bigger accounts that provide “inspo” pics in their feed. For example, if you had a vegan Instagram feed you could tag, @bestofvegan, @veganfoodshare and @dailyveganfood.

Tags that I use when I post a transformational photo

Tags that I use when I post a transformational photo

3. Don’t be afraid to hashtag! I used to think hashtags were so tacky and then I saw other, bigger accounts doing it. If you don’t like the look of them in your post, write them in comments section and that way when people comment on your post they will be hidden. Look to other accounts similar to yours and see what they are hashtagging.

Some hashtags that I use. I comment below so you can't see them in my caption.  

Some hashtags that I use. I comment below so you can't see them in my caption.  

4. Your photos need to be good. They don’t need to be perfect quality and you don’t need a photographer boyfriend. Just simple things like making sure to shoot during the day, choose flattering lighting and filters and use a decent camera. I use my iPhone6+ to take most of my photos and I use VSCO to edit all my photos. I also try and take most of my photos during the day when I get better lighting (hint, better lighting to see those abs!)

Taken with iPhone 6+ and edited with VSCO

Taken with iPhone 6+ and edited with VSCO

5. Listen to what people want. If you have heaps of questions about your diet or your fashion, start creating posts centred around that. I had a lot of people ask me about macros when I mentioned it briefly so I now try to create regular posts on the subject as I know that’s what my audience is interested in.

6. Don’t be afraid to try something new! When I first started my account I assumed no-one cared much for my face or clothes that weren’t activewear. But when I posted an upclose selfie and a fashion image I got a great response to these which I wasn’t expecting. Your audience will sometimes surprise you, so don’t assume anything.

Ohhh haiiiii

Ohhh haiiiii

7. Just be YOU. Your most genuine, honest self. Don’t become something that you’re not. Sounds lame, but staying true to yourself is so important. You don’t want people to follow you for something that you’re not. Plus it takes too much time and effort to pretend to be something that you’re not. I’m not some super fitness junkie and although I used to think that was a weakness in me (that I don’t know how to use gym equipment and that I am a bit lazy and do have one too many treat meals a week), I realise that’s what people like about me now because it makes me relatable. Be the best version of yourself and good luck!

@mimikinis 💓 I love being creative and I love every second I spend on Mimi Kini. However, recently I’ve been so busy that and I struggle to maintain any sort of “balance” in my life. I haven’t been home for longer than 2 weeks since July. I find it difficult to balance my work, my relationship, friendships, family and my health. I tend to put 100% into something that I focus on which is always work, leaving little left over to the other people that are important in my life. I become so obsessed and passionate about what I’m working on, that everything else falls to the wayside. I get so much joy and satisfaction out of work, that I forget I need anything or anyone else in my life. I forgot to message my best friend on her birthday, I didn’t call or message my mum for 3 weeks when I was away, I hardly message my twin sister anymore, I wouldn’t checkin with my boyfriend for days on end, and eventually, people would start to give up on me. It leaves me with a huge feeling of guilt and makes me want to just bury my head further in my work so I don’t have to face up to the fact that I constantly disappoint people. Since losing Mimi, it’s made me realise how important it is to make time for those you love. I remember the last week I spent with Mimi and I only went with Sid to walk her once because I was too busy with work. It breaks my heart when I think about it, because these are the best, most special memories you can experience in life. We all want to make promises to ourselves to work harder, hustle more, get up earlier, go to be later and try, try again until we succeed, but it’s also really important to make sure you don’t lose sight of what’s really important and what really matters. So, instead of only just making a promise to myself to eat healthier, get stronger and work harder, I’m also making a promise to myself to make time to all the special people in my life who haven’t given up on me! Me being me, I’ve come up with a list to help me achieve my goals of being a better me. If you want to join me on my 8 week “Be Your Best You” challenge, then click through to the link in my bio to download my free PDF!
💓 If you like this workout, remember to like and save so you try it later! 💓 Plates aren't just for barbells! You can get a great workout from just using a plate. This is great fat burning circuit to give you all the feels in your leggies! The best way to burn fat is to target the legs through compound exercises. They make you work all your muscles the hardest, thus resulted in the most amount of calories burned. 🔥 Fat Blasted Leggie Workout 🔥 💖 Wood Chop 3x12 💡Pro Tip: This is a great one for your abbies! Breathe out as your twist your torso and keep your core engaged. 💖 Rotating Kneeling Front Hold 3x8 💡Pro Tip: Another great one for your abs and it's because a big fav of mine. Make sure not to tuck you chin, and direct your gaze forward. Level up, and keep the reverse knee off the ground. 💖 Squat Front Press 3x10 💡Pro Tip: This is a really great full body movement as it’s great for your core as well! If you struggle with squats I recommend exercise as holding the weight in front of you will help with your form. 💖 Floor to Press 3x10 💡 Pro Tip: Try do this in a flowing movement so it’s not jerky. 💖 Single Leg Deadlift 3x12 💡 Pro Tip: keep your gaze on one spot in front of you to help you stay balanced
🌏🌻World Vegan Day 🌻🌎 so here’s a pic of my butt coz #relevant 🌱 Now. I know I have many comments and DMs about this and a wide range of differing views. But the below are my views - you don’t have to agree with me and that’s okay if you don’t. You never deserve to be shamed or bullied, this will never, and has never, resulted in anyone changing their mind. It will only further enforce your views and push others away from you. It’s not a black and white situation. I don’t believe if you can’t go vegan then you should just keep eating meat. Some people can’t afford to be vegan. Not all people have the privilege to be vegan either. Fast food is affordable and cheap. If you have a family, you work two jobs and you’re struggling, becoming vegan is not exactly a priority, being vegan is a privilege. Telling somebody that if they can’t go vegan then they shouldn’t do anything at all is ridiculous to me. If we can make a change, no matter how small, it all adds up. Small steps. You don’t expect someone who has never exercised before to start training for their first bikini comp tomorrow. Change doesn’t happen overnight. And if it did for you, that’s great. But you can’t presume that everyone is like you. Many vegans used to be vegetarians and many vegetarians used to be pescatarians and many pescatarians used to do meatless Monday’s. We all start somewhere. Don’t condemn someone else’s starting point because it doesn’t align with yours. We can all make small changes everyday to do better and contribute to the welfare of animals and the environment. My cookbooks are on sale for the next 24 hours if you want to get in on the fun (lol this post didn’t sound fun haha but the recipes are!😂) and make the world a little bit better, one small change at a time 🦋 Use code WORLDVEGANDAY for 20% off 🌈
Don’t forget to tap and save for later 💛Feeling like a sexy banana 🍌 in this lil @gymshark get-up 🍌 Someone commented on my inner thighs the last time I wore shorts saying that I shouldn’t wear them because I had “fat inner thighs” and should probably do some exercises to reduce that. She then defended herself saying that she was doing me a favour and helping me out because I probably wasn’t aware of my fatty inner thighs 🙄 It is something I’m insecure about because I don’t have rock hard inner thighs, and I’ve always been aware that my shorts dig into my thighs. But I just wasn’t that bothered. Then after that comment I felt like I should be more self conscious of them. When other people comment on someone else’s body to let them know that they have no boobs, or no butt or a fat stomach or cellulite, you’re not telling that person something they don’t already know. Trust me, we know. But if we’re showing it, it’s clear we also don’t care 🤷🏼‍♀️ Anyway... enjoy my shorts haha! You guys have been loving my at home workouts so here’s another one to add to your routine! It’s a burner 🔥🔥🔥 🌞 Side Plank + Oblique Crunch x15 🌞 Kneeling Rotating Twist x10 🌞 Raised Leg Toe Taps x15 🌞 Single Leg Ab Bikes x15 each leg 🐝 Perform 5 rounds with 1 minute break between each round
Goes to the hairdresser *shakes butt* 🤦🏼‍♀️ what can I say? Old habits die hard lmao 💁🏼‍♀️ @circlesofhair thanks for filming me shake my tush, and bringing me multiple cappuccinos and giving the best damn head massages ever 💓💓💓
🌟Smith Machine workout going down🌟The smith machine gets a lot of slack for being the lazy girls alternative to using a barbell, but I believe it’s got its uses. If you don’t have access to a barbell, a SM is your next best bet. One thing to remember when doing squats, because the bar is on a fixed vertical path, you won’t be able to shift your hips back. For that reason, your torso should remain in upright to a greater extent and your hips will remain “under” your shoulders to a greater degree. 💥Reverse Lunge to Squat 3x8 per leg 💡 Pro Tip: Love doing this on the SM so I don’t fall over, much safer them using a barbell if you’re doing a complex like this. 💥 Bulgarian Split Squat 3x8 💡 Pro Tip: great to use the SM for this if you struggle with your balance doing regular Bulgarians. 💥 Single Leg Squat 3x6 per leg 💡 Pro Tip: Try and get as deep as possible! This will really burn out your quads and is harddd so don’t give up, just try your best. 💥 Hip Thrust 3x20 💡 Pro Tip: prefer to do this exercise on a SM where the bar goes all the way down to the bottom, as your gym may get pisses at you for standing on the bench lol
Dedicated for all the peeps in the back with the “she just pulled her knickers up” comment. One of my favs. My body composition has changed so much recently, smaller waist, wider hips and I’m getting some delts! They are still tiny but I love my lil shoulders so much 💓What’s your favourite body part? Mine used to be the bottom of my feet because it was the only part of me that I couldn’t dissect and hate on (I’m not even kidding). There’s nothing wrong with openly admiring a part of/or all of you ❤️ I’m still getting there, body part, by body part, but I’m getting there 👊🏼
🏡 Home Ab Workout 🏡 You can do these exercises if you have one 5kg set and one 10kg set of dumbbells. Home workouts can be brutal guys 😅 Really love these exercises, because not only do they workout your abs, but your whole upper body get a good burn as well 🔥 💓 Lying Lat Pullovers 5kg 💓 Side Bend 10kg 💓 Russian Twists 5kg 🌟 Do as a circuit AMRAP before you burn out!