How I got from 50 followers to 50,000 followers on Instagram

When did this happen? Turn the clock back to January 2025...

Anna... This week, I've been watching the numbers and it ticked over to 50,000 followers on Sunday 26th January 2025. I'll admit that it's been a five year journey in the making, creating different styles of content as trends change and keeping up with my daily workout, wrestling with the algorithm. Instagram is my favourite platform. I love it for a whole host of reasons. It has helped enormously to build my confidence (yes, I suffer from Imposter Syndrome too!) and the platform has always been a significant driver when it comes to building my silver nutshell jewellery business.

When did you set up your account on instagram?

I launched my brand, Silver Nutshell, and my instagram account @silvernutshell in October 2019, having thought about it for a whole year! That is one of the downsides of working in publishing. I was used to 90/95% perfection, having built brands and developed a fiercely keen eye for detail. Sometimes, you have to launch 'dirty' as I've been told, and clean up as you learn and grow. But of course, I didn't listen to myself because after years of training to spot every double space between two words, typos in seconds, and minuscule details, my route to get here has probably taken longer than most. Organic, I call it! Measured and carefully curated. Most definitely.

Describe a special milestone?

No one prepares you for the fact that it will take an age to gain followers when you begin using any of these social media platforms. However, I'd managed to get to 50 by May 2020, with many of those loyal followers still with me now. I wanted to nurture my 'community' on Instagram so organic growth is important to me. But, I'll admit that it felt very slow going and at that time, I had so little experience of how to use the algorithm to help my business grow. Then along came 'The Kernowcraft Instagram Jewellers Challenge'.

I joined the Kernowcraft Jewellers Challenge, knowing little about what I was doing, or what it might mean for my account. I duly posted, it was photographs back then, and enjoyed the simplicity of sharing what I love every day. I never considered that I might win! To be honest, I hadn't even realised that there was a prize. I just loved being part of something much bigger than me and being active within the jewellers community. And, guess what? I WON!

Subsequently, Kernowcraft asked me to create a silver metal clay video and an episode of A Day in the Life, which you can watch here. It's had over 42,000 views. Click the link to watch the video on Youtube."

Watch my episode of a Day in the Life from Kernowcraft

How to make a silver metal clay daisy

Why was it a special milestone?

That is still a special milestone for me. My followers leapt from 50 to 100 in a day, and I felt like I'd won the lottery! I was getting lots of follower requests, which was the start of a special relationship with the Instagram jeweller community. I remember that moment well because I took the call to tell me that I'd won, standing under a tree at Blenheim Palace! I was on a visit with a good friend and we got so excited, I think we bought ice-creams to celebrate.

Watching my followers jump to over 100 that day made me realise what a wonderful community this was. It was the boost that I needed to really start investing my time into my Instagram account. I believe that there is no better way to feel good about your small business than to share what you do with others. Instagram is a great place to share your problems, get answers, learn new skills, and meet new friends, some of which I've gone on to meet in person."

So, how do you feel about Instagram in 2025?

Roll onto to 2025 and with over 50,000 followers, I'm grateful for every single one. As anyone with a small business knows, it's no longer okay to just be good enough. We have to excel at everything because the world is watching. That can feel like a lot of pressure for one person to deal with.

That sounds scary but it doesn't have to be. Instagram is quite honestly the light that enables my business to shine. It's the best marketing opportunity that I have, which is why I spend every day learning more about it. My account is like my friendship group. Everyone is welcome but there are rules. I have zero tolerance to anything that I wouldn't tolerate in real life. In five years, I've learnt a massive amount about the algorithm. It's a canny beast that, just when you think you've learnt a fraction of how it works, it changes direction!

Why do you love Instagram?

It's a bit like a game of snakes and ladders, really. There are lots of snakes (algorithms) and lots of ladders (opportunities) and the trick is to use your knowledge of the game to keep moving up the board. Just like in life, you can't always win, but you can win more than you lose if you pay attention.

What have you learned?

I've learnt so much during the past five years and my instagram account looks very different now to when I first started. From posting a single photo on instagram every day or so, to recording, editing and sharing a reel at least twice a day. Of course then, I didn't realise that there is a direct correlation between posting on Instagram and making sales. I was a newbie posting photos of my finished jewellery, and didn't understand that that wouldn't work.

I've also learnt how much of a data geek I am! Instagram is a powerful tool with so much information stored within every post. I'm constantly looking at the data and changing my activity to disrupt the algorithm. When you are starting out, you don't know if low engagement is caused by something that you've done, or not done, or by something connected to the algorithm.

I'll often message a friend to let her know that the algorithm is on a go-slow and that it's not her! I recognise the ebb and flow of the platform because I post so often that I can usually tell when it's them, and not me. But it's why it can be a hugely frustrating platform for a lot of jewellers and makers.

What's a great piece of advice for using Instagram?

In my time working on the platform, I've learnt to be patient because Instagram has it's own rhythm and you need to, as they say, lean in and roll with it. If I was to give you one piece of advice then it would be to do reels. They are a game changer, no matter how you look at it. Would you stare at a blank tv screen? No! We're used to seeing video everywhere now and it's really not hard to transform your account from photo content to video, even a mix of both. Of course, there is a place for photographs for some jewellers. But, if you want growth, you need to add video content. Oh, and get the sizes right! I've got plenty of advice to share.

Back in September 2023, one of my reels went viral. That was a huge surprise for me, and an exciting change to my account. I was getting notifications to say that 27,000 people had liked my reel, rather than just naming one account. Everything was bulking up to big numbers and whilst it was exciting, I had no idea where the path would lead. Throughout all of 2024, it led to more viral reels and huge growth for my account.

To date, I have 45 reels with over 1 million views. One has 29.5 million views, and counting. It has over 224,000 likes and I've gained 2730 followers from just this one reel alone. Over 700 people have saved it.

That's not the largest amount of followers from one reel. If you scroll back through my grid to one showing the Cool Tools dragonflies mould. This is an 8 second reel and I gained over 4850 followers from just this one reel. Oh, and it has over 8000 saves! Mind blowing isn't it?

Do you buy ads or pay for sponsorship on Instagram?

In all this time, I've not paid for any activity, sponsored any posts or in fact, got paid to do so. I have however, learnt a lot from years of experience, by constantly analysing, reading the performance and reacting. Sometimes reluctantly, because the platform loves new, and as soon as my 'new' reel becomes a 'regular' performer, I sigh, because the algorithm reminds me that I need to change up my content, again. I'm in that phase now. I've been sharing four reels a day over the past few weeks, which is all part of a plan I put into place at the start of 2025. You didn't believe that I was a nerd!

Of course, the algorithms keep changing, so the game is always on. But, insight and experience helps me understand how to get the best out of the beast... until it changes again! I know some people hate instagram but if you are committed to growing your account, you need to see it as your friend. Perhaps a precocious one, but a friend all the same.

What's the single, most important rule to know about Instagram?

We all doom scroll! Mindlessly scrolling and not realising that another hour has gone by. And yes, for any small business, if often feels like there's a party going on and everyone else is having more fun, and doing better than you are. One rule I've learnt is not to compare myself to others. That's a game I cannot win. I know who my competitors are, and I applaud them. They are most likely are doing better at things that I'm not great at. We are all sharing our knowledge and that's cool by me.

Do you have lots of Instagram friends who are jewellers?

Instagram is the best meeting place in the world because there is a huge group of fabulously talented jewellers and amazing creative people to connect with on there. They are the reason why I keep turning up.

Just a quick thank you!

50,000 followers is amazing! I'm blown away by the support I've received to build my instagram following. If you're reading this then it's most likely that you're following me. Thank you. I wouldn't be here without your kindness and support.

Congratulations if you've managed to read this far! I have a lot to say about Instagram so if you want help with your account, want to read more about what works for me and get all my secrets, check out my NEW INSTAGRAM GUIDES.

WHERE CAN I GET HELP ABOUT INSTAGRAM?
If you're keen to know more about Instagram, and would love some help building your audience, I've launched issues 1 and 2 of my NEW INSTAGRAM GUIDES! Click the link below to find out more

CLICK HERE for INSTAGRAM GUIDES