How I Went from 3K to 30K IG followers in 2.5 months

And EXACTLY why I've set a massive goal for myself this year.

The goal here is not to turn my Substack into a “how to grow an IG following in 2026” destination, in fact, this may be the only time I ever write a whole dedicated post on the subject, but this is a question I’ve been repeatedly asked in the past few months.

And, if I’m being honest, I’m just as surprised as anyone else by these numbers. I spent years growing an IG account for my old blog, The Fox & She, somewhat successfully, but I never EVER saw growth like I have in the past few months. I think we’re in a weird, yet awesome, time with Instagram where it can be really easy to grow if you know what you’re doing and you’re willing to put in the work.

I think so many creators are waiting for their one viral moment (I know I was), but what I’ve learned is that going viral isn’t the end all be all. And, while I HAVE had a few viral-ish posts, it’s been so interesting to see what actually moves the needle and what doesn’t. More on that in a minute, but first, the quick background…

My Last IG Growth Attempt

If you followed me in my Fox & She days, content creation was my full-time gig for 6+ years, but things were different back then. The blog was still king and Instagram was pretty new and people were still figuring out how to monetize their content.

Growing on Instagram was a totally different ball game. We posted pretty pictures. Selfie shots of our outfits with our faces cut out. Coffee shop still-lifes and random stuff that was just pretty. And it worked! For a long time too, but as IG shifted, I admittedly was not an early adopter of their changes.

I remember stories coming out and that was fun, but when reels launched and the priority became video content, I had no idea what to do. I spent WAY too much time trying to summon the courage to talk on camera in way that felt more polished than a story and what the heck was I supposed to say?

Reels launched and took precedence right after I’d had my second child and moved half way across the country into a new house. The thought of adapting felt like a mountain I simply could not climb. So, for a while, I didn’t. And it majorly impacted my business, and honestly made me question everything I was doing. I was already in such a weird headspace as a new mom and really felt like I’d lost my way. I didn’t know what to post or share anymore and felt like I was doing it all just to keep up.

And eventually, I hit a wall. I was completely burnt out, so I took a break and shifted gears and reopened my web design business. Was it a bit drastic? Um, ya, probably, but I was riding those postpartum hormones so can I really be held accountable for my impulsive actions?!

When I left IG at that point, I’d built an account over those 6+ years of around 75K (I think it was 2020 or 2021). Actually I think I’d once it 80k thanks to one of those super annoying loop giveaways and over the next couple of weeks, naturally, people who didn’t win said giveaway slowly disappeared.

But this time has been different and honestly a wild ride. In 2.5 months, I’ve gone from a dead account (@blairstakystudio) that had 3,680 followers to an active account with over 30K followers, and it feels like it’s just the beginning…