From Frustration to Freedom: Why I'm Finally Giving Up on Growing on Instagram

From now on, I'm stepping away from the crazy rat race of trying to grow my following on Instagram. It's become such an unnecessary source of stress, and, honestly, I’ve had enough. You might have noticed that my blog posts have been dwindling. That's because I've been spending an inordinate amount of time figuring out what to post on Instagram. What will attract more followers? What do they want to see from me? And the truth is, I don’t really know. But I've reached a point where I don't care anymore. 

When I first launched Kerin's Korner in 2017, my goal was never to amass a huge following, especially not on Instagram. I wasn't even an Instagram user back then. I simply switched my personal account to a business one to promote my blog content. However, as my followers began to grow, so did the pressure to create Instagram-exclusive content. I remember hitting the 500 followers mark and feeling so thrilled. They were genuine followers, real people who truly cared about what I had to say. 

Now, my follower count hovers around 1800, but it dips a little more each day. I question the authenticity of most of them. I reckon about 500 of them are genuinely interested in my content. I toyed with the idea of starting anew with a fresh Instagram account to better engage and grow my audience. I even did some research on how to go about it. But, after much contemplation, I realized that's not the real problem. The issue lies in my reluctance to create content purely for Instagram growth. 

I yearn to return to my roots, to create content for my own enjoyment. Instagram was never the goal, and every time I find myself trapped in this cycle of trying to expand my presence on Instagram, I find myself quitting everything. I abandon my blog, and I stop sharing the creative part of me. Since its inception in 2017, I've started and stopped this blog about five times. It's never because I run out of ideas, but because I get ensnared in this mindset that I need to be continuously growing, especially on Instagram. 

When I first ventured into Instagram, my growth was steady, and I wasn't even trying hard. At my peak, I had about 2500 followers. For someone who hadn't had an account for long and wasn't posting frequently, I thought it was pretty good. Then, I decided to take things more seriously and treat this like a job. I convinced myself that if I wanted to expand Kerin's Korner, I needed to be all in. So, I started creating content I thought people would like, paying attention to my feed's aesthetics, and other trivial things that don’t truly represent what Kerin's Korner is about. 

Kerin's Korner was born out of my desire, as a sensitive introvert, for a platform to freely share my thoughts and opinions. I chose a blog because I've always had a deep love for writing, and it's the best medium for me to express myself. When I first started, it was liberating and fun. I wrote about anything and everything. I even made YouTube videos and posted them on my blog because I didn't care what people thought. This was my safe space. 

However, when I returned to blogging after a brief hiatus, my mindset had changed. I felt the need to improve and expand my following, and I thought the way to do that was through Instagram. But the issue is, the type of content I want to create doesn’t perform well on Instagram if the goal is to grow. 

So, I've decided to stop trying and return to why I started all this in the first place – for my own personal journey. If people want to accompany me on this journey, that’s wonderful. If not, that’s fine too. When I relaunched Kerin's Korner this year, I was convinced it would be different. After a transformative year, I thought I was mentally and emotionally prepared to get back into content creation. For a week or so, I was. I had a few good blog posts and was actively posting on Instagram. But my content wasn’t performing well, and I was losing followers. 

I tried to switch up my content strategy, posting things I thought would perform well. I even dabbled in TikTok, despite not having used it before. I sought advice from growth gurus and tried to implement their strategies. It worked to some extent – I was getting more engagement and a few more followers. But it didn't feel authentic, and I wasn't writing anymore. 

Instead, I found myself consumed with devising an Instagram growth strategy, neglecting my main content – my blog, my little corner of the internet. I churned out a few blog posts, but they were subpar. I was just trying to convince myself that I was sticking with the blog this time. But even my most loyal followers didn't bother with those posts. I knew they were trash. 

I have a notebook brimming with ideas for Instagram reels and stories, and a Notion calendar full of plans. I even planned to shoot content this weekend for B-roll footage, which is supposedly great for reels. But all of it felt so overwhelming that I ended up doing nothing at all. 

I don’t want this. I want to show up for the people who truly enjoy my content, but more importantly, I want to show up for myself. So, I’ve decided to shift my focus back to creating content that I enjoy – long blog posts, rants, tutorials, life updates, and anything else that tickles my fancy at the moment. I'm done taking this too seriously. Yes, I would love for my blog to reach more people, but not at the expense of my mental health. 

Going forward, I'll be focusing on writing again. Will I still post on Instagram? Probably. Will I still create reels? Most likely. But I'm not going to obsess over my reach, engagement, and follower count anymore. Instagram will merely be an extension of my blog. 

I refuse to niche down to please the algorithm. Kerin's Korner will return to being my personal blog. Much of the content I've been creating recently feels educational and impersonal, missing the whole point of Kerin's Korner, which is me – KERIN! So, if you continue to follow this space, expect to see a lot more of me. I don't yet know what type of content it will be, but I do know it will showcase my journey through life.