u/FuqYuo

I started 6 months ago and gained 115k followers. Im taking over some serious creators that have been doing this nich for years. JUST POST if you know u can do it better.

If anyone is wondering about monetization and others story. I started February 2026 and today officially marks my 6th month posting on Instagram. I am one of the top 0.1% creators according to my reel views and stats. Last month I brought 1 billion views for my 90 days stats. I gained 115k followers from zero. Andddddd I’m not monetized still. I as well read online at the beginning and thought I would get some sort of invitation after 10k but that does not exist. While I didn’t have high hopes about it anyway but after communicating with the Instagram support about monetization they legit said “it’s automatic, keep building ur presence and you’ll get it eventually” idk how much more presence I have to build lmao. And this is for a top 0.1% creator. Imagine everyone else with even 100m a month which is ALOT. So yeah… from my experience.. don’t expect any Instagram monetization.. that was a 2023 peak era.

After my last stats post on this subreddit, a lot of people asked how I actually grew my account. Instead of replying to everyone individually, I wanted to make one post explaining exactly what I did.
This isn’t “the secret algorithm.” It’s simply what worked for me.

Also, in 5 months I’ve probably posted about 1,000 times (including the archived videos)

FYI: I used chat gpt to just make it more clear to understand but this is all from me.

How it started

I created this account in January 2026. Originally, it was a meme page. I wasn’t showing my face—I was just posting meme images with captions.
I think I posted three times before realizing it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t excited about it, so I stopped.
Then February came around during Ramadan.
I saw a Ramadan-related POV video and immediately thought, “I can make this funnier.”
Not because I wanted to copy it, but because I knew I could improve it. I could act it out better, place the captions in a more readable way, and make the overall video more entertaining.
That became the fourth video on my account (I’ve since archived the first three).
That video hit around 100,000 views.
For Instagram, that completely shocked me.
From that moment on, I kept making Ramadan-related relatable POV content, and because the account was still new, Instagram kept pushing my videos. One after another, they continued performing well.

1. Find a niche that actually fits you

This is probably the biggest reason I grew.
I’m naturally good at facial expressions and acting, so relatable POV content felt easy for me. I actually enjoyed making it.
Don’t pick a niche because it’s trending.
Pick one that matches what you’re naturally good at.

2. Study creators—but improve their ideas

I followed a lot of meme pages and POV creators.
Whenever one of their videos blew up, I’d ask myself:
“Why did this work?”
If I thought I could improve it, I’d make my own version.
Maybe better acting.
Maybe a better trending audio.
Maybe cleaner editing.
Maybe faster pacing.
The goal was never to copy.
The goal was to make a better version.

3. Check the upload date

This is something I personally did that helped me.
If I found a viral video that was only about a month old and already had hundreds of thousands of views, that usually meant people were still interested in that format.
That’s when I’d jump on the trend.
If the format was already six months or a year old, I’d usually skip it because it had probably already peaked.

4. I posted… a LOT.

People always ask:
“How many times should I post?”
From my own experience…
As much as you can without lowering the quality.
There were days I posted 12 times.
Seriously.
And most of those videos still performed well.
I don’t personally believe Instagram has a posting limit if your content is genuinely good.
Good content is good content.
Now, this depends on your niche.
My videos were usually under 10 seconds long and took very little time to film.
If your content takes hours to produce, obviously don’t force yourself to upload 12 times a day.
Quality always comes first.

5. Post and forget

This was one of my biggest rules.
I’d upload a Reel…
…and immediately start thinking about the next one.
I wasn’t refreshing views every five minutes.
I let Instagram do its job.
Then I’d come back a few days later.
If a video didn’t perform the way I wanted, I’d archive it so my profile stayed clean and highlighted my strongest content.

6. Don’t get trapped in one niche

I grew during Ramadan.
But I knew Ramadan wouldn’t last forever.
So about 10 days before Ramadan ended, I slowly started making broader relatable content instead of only Islamic content.
That transition helped me keep growing after Ramadan instead of losing momentum.
Think long term.

7. Your bio matters more than people think

Your bio is basically your elevator pitch.
Imagine someone watches one of your Reels.
They like it.
Then they visit your profile.
If your bio says:
“25 | Gym | University”
…they still have no idea why they should follow you.
Within two seconds, someone should know exactly what you make.
Your profile picture should also be clear and recognizable.
Instagram didn’t put a bio there by accident.
Use it.

8. I said no to brand deals

This is probably the advice people disagree with the most.
Personally…
I turned down every brand deal.
Even at 200K followers.
Why?
Because I believe my growth is worth more than a quick $300 or $500.
Early on, I told myself I wouldn’t do brand deals until 100K.
Then I reached 100K and pushed the goal to 500K.
Every extra 10,000 followers brought better opportunities anyway.
Now, if you genuinely need the money, that’s completely understandable.
But if your goal is long-term growth, I’d personally protect the algorithm first.
If anything, I’d rather do story promotions than interrupt my Reels.

9. Always comment on your own Reel

The second I post…
I comment something like:
“Follow for more 👀”
or something similar.
It sounds simple, but it reminds people to follow.
Sometimes people enjoy your content but simply don’t think about hitting the follow button.
A small comment can trigger that reminder.

10. Collaborate

I’ve collaborated with multiple creators.
Every collaboration introduces you to a completely new audience.
It’s one of the fastest ways to grow if you’re working with creators in a similar niche.

11. Don’t be afraid to repost your own viral videos

This is something a lot of creators are scared to do.
I repost my own viral videos.
A lot.
If a format works, why would I only use it once?
I have one video of me crying that I’ve reposted with different captions over 70 times.
Different context.
Different joke.
Same video.
And most of the time, it performs well.
People think every Reel has to be completely original.
It doesn’t.
If you already have something that consistently works, keep using it.

Final thoughts

At the end of the day, I don’t think there’s some magical algorithm.
My strategy was pretty simple:
• Find a niche that fits you.
• Improve ideas instead of copying them.
• Post consistently.
• Don’t obsess over views.
• Adapt when your niche starts getting saturated.
• Protect your profile.
• Collaborate.
• Reuse what already works.
That’s honestly it.
Hopefully this answers most of the questions I keep getting. Good luck, and I hope some of this helps you grow too.

I don’t even use YouTube or make content specifically for it but just cross post it from my Instagram to YouTube with repurpose.io. Got monetized after 3 months.