Oh my god, this week has been a blast! It’s been very busy because I was able to sign two new clients for my agency Bloggers and Brands. A very proud moment and a good start of the new year. It makes me feel very successful and that’s what I want to talk about in this article. Because I’ve noticed that some people seem to connect success to the amount of Instagram followers you have. To be more precise, they often seem to think you can’t be successful without thousands of followers. But Instagram success isn’t real success.
If you haven’t seen the Fire festival documentary on Netflix yet, where have you been!? This festival never actually happened, they were only successful at hyping it up on Instagram. The organizers behind the festival are the prime example of fake success. Still many people seem to see Instagram as the instrument for measuring success in life. It usually doesn’t bother me, but this week it really did. Mainly because I came across some people who thought I’m not doing well in business or my blog, because my follower count on Instagram is low.
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As if Instagram is the only indicator for one’s success. This shows how stupid and narrow minded some people can really be, including myself! Yep, I said it, I have caught myself thinking the same way. I would see another blogger with 50.000 Instagram followers, thinking she must be doing really well. Only to hear she doesn’t make any money of Instagram or her blog through the grapevine. I’m in the influencer marketing and PR industry, so I hear a lot more than people realize.
This is how I came to realize myself, that Instagram success isn’t real success. You see, you can have a million Instagram followers, but still not make any money because your content or brand sucks. Mainly because brands and marketers are getting smarter, they’re not just giving you money anymore, just because you have a lot of followers. Nope, you have to be able to bring more to the table. Like brand awareness, traffic and actual sales. If you can’t do that, you’re not making any money.
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I guess I just want to tell you that you shouldn’t be too impressed with the amount of Instagram followers someone may have. Often all they have is a big number of followers, their bank accounts are often emptier than you think. Having a lot of Instagram followers doesn’t equal success in life either. Many influencers you know aren’t that good in social situations. Many of the older Youtubers you know started making videos out of loneliness. Many Instagrammers just started for the attention or validation of others.
Is that success? I don’t think so! So, the next time you feel less or unsuccessful while looking at a big Instagram account, think about this article. Look at your life and all the things you may have. A great job, a sweet lover, an awesome family and plenty of friends to have fun with. Look at all the goals you’ve set for yourself and how you’re accomplishing everything you’ve set out to do. That’s real success, that’s what really makes you proud! In the end nobody really cares about your Instagram followers, they care about your real-life results.
Instagram success isn’t real success, don’t forget it!
Kaya-Quintana
P.S. Want to know how unsuccessful I am on Instagram? Follow me there, haha!
