How to Become Popular on Social Media: Strategies and Real-Life Examples

The rise of social media has opened doors for individuals and brands to showcase their creativity, connect with global audiences, and build a powerful online presence. Becoming popular on social media requires a mix of strategy, consistency, and authenticity. 

Let’s explore effective methods, supported by real-life examples and statistics, to understand how you can achieve social media success.

Define Your Niche and Audience

Before diving into content creation, it’s crucial to identify your niche and target audience. Popular creators like Emma Chamberlain, who built her YouTube following by sharing relatable and quirky vlogs, demonstrate the power of connecting with a specific demographic. Emma boasts over 12 million subscribers, thanks to her focus on authenticity and relatable content.

You can focus on one niche or several. For example, beauty influencers also talk about health and wellness and fashion. Similarly, fitness influencers focus on not just fitness but also diet and technology.

There is no harm in trying multiple niches and figuring out what works best for you. However, make sure to pay attention to the platform you are on. For example, fashion-related niches work well on Instagram. Similarly, adult content works best on OnlyFans.

With your niche defined, you will be able to focus on your audience as well and understand what they want. For example, if you are a fitness trainer, you can focus on people interested in losing weight. Similarly, if you’re an OnlyFans content creator, you can figure out who is more likely to subscribe for your services.

Consistent Content Creation

Consistency is key to building a loyal following. This involves maintaining a regular posting schedule, sticking to your brand’s theme, and providing value to your audience. Consider the case of Zach King, who started creating magical and visually stunning videos. His dedication to posting consistently on TikTok helped him amass over 70 million followers.

Tips for Consistency:

• Create a content calendar to plan posts.

• Use scheduling tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to maintain regular uploads.

Interestingly, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to consistency. The right frequency depends on factors such as the platform and the size of your audience. For example, experts suggest posting once or twice on Facebook and Instagram and up to four times on Twitter (now X). Instagram’s own Adam Mosseri suggests posting 2 Stories per day.

YouTube is also known for pushing accounts that post everyday. However, there isn’t much data for platforms like OnlyFans. So, if you are an OnlyFans content creator, it is best that you try different techniques to figure out what works for you.

Engage With Your Community

Engagement is a two-way street. Responding to comments, liking posts, and starting conversations with your audience fosters loyalty. 

Gary Vaynerchuk, an entrepreneur and social media influencer, built his brand by replying to hundreds of comments daily and actively engaging with his followers on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Even big celebs like Dwayne Johnson and Selena Gomez often respond to comments or go live on social media.

Find the strategy that works best for you. For example, if you are an OnlyFans content creator then engaging through videos might be the best option. Similarly, if you are a YouTube influencer then responding to comments and going live might do the trick.

Engaging with your community will not only help push engagement rates but also give you great insights that can help you come up with better content. This applies to all, whether you’re an OnlyFans content creator or a YouTuber. Knowing what people want will ensure you give them exactly that. 

Leverage Trends, Challenges, and Hashtags

Social media trends and challenges are golden opportunities to boost visibility. For instance, Charli D'Amelio’s rise to fame on TikTok is attributed to her participation in viral dance challenges. She quickly became one of the platform’s most-followed creators, and is now a top content creator.

You can do something similar to gain a following. The key lies in taking part in challenges that are going viral, and using relevant hashtags. Many brands and influencers spread hashtags that go viral and attract more people.

In fact, reports show that On Twitter, tweets that incorporate hashtags see double the engagement compared to those without. Moreover, tweets with carefully selected and relevant hashtags are 55% more likely to be retweeted, underscoring their value in amplifying content visibility.

Instagram posts show similar benefits. Accounts with fewer than 1,000 followers experience a 79.5% increase in interactions when their posts include 11 or more hashtags. This demonstrates that using a higher number of well-thought-out hashtags can significantly enhance audience interaction.

You can use hashtags even if you are an OnlyFans content creator as the platform allows the use of hashtags but they’re not so popular on it.

Collaborate With Others

Collaborations with other influencers or brands can expose you to a wider audience. Consider the success of the “#TeamTrees” campaign, initiated by MrBeast and Mark Rober. Their collaboration rallied creators and brands to plant 20 million trees, raising over $20 million. The campaign’s virality demonstrated the power of collective effort.

You can do this even if you are an OnlyFans content creator as two or more big names can help attract a wider audience. Remember that collaborative posts tend to generate nearly 5x more engagement.

Focus on High-Quality Visuals

Visual appeal plays a significant role in gaining attention. Instagram influencers like Kylie Jenner thrive on aesthetically curated posts. Her visual storytelling has not only earned her over 400 million followers but also solidified her brand’s identity. There are many pages that are solely dedicated to aesthetics as visuals are an important part of social media.

Whether you’re an OnlyFans content creator or an Instagram influencer, it’s vital that you invest in good lighting and editing tools. Photos and videos need to be of high quality and your profile should look attractive. Remember that it isn’t only about how you look but also about how you present yourself.

Remember that about 87% of users pay attention to the quality of a video. In fact, most accept that it impacts how much they trust a social media page. Furthermore, high quality content can be valuable for engagement as well. Remember that HD images and videos get more likes and comments.

It Takes Time

Anyone can be popular on social media, this is the beauty of it. In fact, many users with no such intentions have gone viral. Nobody knows the secret formula, it is all about putting your best foot forward and working hard.

Don't look for quick success as it doesn't come easy. Reports say that the average person takes 100 days to reach 100 new followers. The road to 1,000 followers is even tougher with the average YouTube channel taking 15.5 months to hit the mark. But, there are some outliers too on every platform with some managing to get 1 million followers on Instagram in just a few months and some getting millions on YouTube within a few hours (Ronaldo!).

If you’re already well known then you’ll find it easier to attract an audience but if you’re new then make sure to keep these pointers in mind, and, more importantly, be active and consistent because YouTube and even Instagram tend to push creators that are active. Lastly, don’t shy away from getting added to directories like OnlyFinder so users can easily find you.