How this Instagram influencer’s followers went from 25k to 400k

How this Instagram Influencer's Followers went from 25k to 400k
woman next to pink car

We caught up with Angela from @thesundaychapter to discuss her success, the power of Instagram Stories and her goals for the future.

Vamp influencer @thesundaychapter went from 25k to 400k followers in just over a week.

The creator, Angela, achieved her rapid success not by purchasing fake followers but by her use of Q&A templates on Instagram Highlights. The templates, which went viral, were reposted by celebrities and even made the news.




1) What do you think were the key factors that led to your success?

I think a lot of people will talk about the templates which I agree, were a key factor as they were reposted by so many big accounts and celebrities, but I also created a strong brand beyond that.

The design of the templates were in line with my branding and I’d worked for 5 years prior to them on just creating and improving my content. The main focus on everything I do and post to Instagram is about how I can add value. The templates gave me the exposure but a lot of people have said it was my content that made them click that follow button.

<blockquote class=”instagram-media” data-instgrm-permalink=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BgGARXhBWEf/” data-instgrm-version=”8″ style=” background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% – 2px); width:calc(100% – 2px);”><div style=”padding:8px;”> <div style=” background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.5% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;”> <div style=” background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;”></div></div><p style=” color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;”><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BgGARXhBWEf/” style=” color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;” target=”_blank”>A post shared by Angela ⚡️ Style &amp; Travel (@thesundaychapter)</a> on <time style=” font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;” datetime=”2018-03-09T07:18:40+00:00″>Mar 8, 2018 at 11:18pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async defer src=”//www.instagram.com/embed.js”></script>

2) Why are Instagram stories such a powerful platform, and how have highlights changed the Instagram game?

I truly believe Instagram Stories is one of the most undervalued tools on social media. It allows people to see a more personal side to you and nurture an intimate, authentic relationship with your audience. You can post polls to get your audiences opinion, share post links, reach new audiences with the location tag, share your favourite accounts (and be shared yourself) and above all it allows for a real-time format, which everyone has been so desperately seeking after the algorithm. It’s also proven to be a great eCommerce tool given you have the swipe up option to share product links.

As for Instagram highlights, I think it’s another wonderful feature to help increase your brand awareness and consumer engagement. For example, if you were a travel blogger, I would create a different highlight story for each place you’ve been to and leave it there for at least a few months. That way new followers can get a real feel of you and get up to date quickly with your past adventures!

<blockquote class=”instagram-media” data-instgrm-permalink=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BgA44ELj_Nt/” data-instgrm-version=”8″ style=” background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% – 2px); width:calc(100% – 2px);”><div style=”padding:8px;”> <div style=” background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.5% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;”> <div style=” background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;”></div></div><p style=” color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;”><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BgA44ELj_Nt/” style=” color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;” target=”_blank”>A post shared by Angela ⚡️ Style &amp; Travel (@thesundaychapter)</a> on <time style=” font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;” datetime=”2018-03-07T07:37:51+00:00″>Mar 6, 2018 at 11:37pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async defer src=”//www.instagram.com/embed.js”></script>

3) What are your goals for your Instagram account over the next year and into the future?

I’ve learned that travel content is what inspires me most so I would love to hone in on that niche over the next year. I was a blogger before I was an Instagrammer, so my goal was and will always be to cultivate a community of like-minded people to share and connect with each other. I want my account to be about my audience so I’ll always be looking for new ways to add value into their lives, whether it be by sharing new destinations, lifestyle advice or fashion inspiration.

Beyond this year and into the future, I would love to create my own business or line of product, which I’ve already started working on some ideas for! The possibilities are endless when it comes to this industry.

Download the free Vamp guide and learn how your brand can succeed on the original influencer marketing platform, Instagram.

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