The Harsh Truth About Instagram Growth: Hope, Hype, and the Pay-to-Play Reality

Instagram is a powerful tool for any business. But there’s a catch.

Back in 2019, I created my page Black_Nasdaq with the vision of building a platform that connected people in the melanin culture to help us network and build financial literacy together. What I quickly realized was that I wasn’t just competing with other accounts—I was competing with massive pages that had already built a following. Worse than that, I had to contend with the rhetoric these pages were pushing, much of which I saw as blatant scams.

The Problem: Selling Hope Over Truth

One of the biggest challenges I faced was that people tend to follow those who sell hope, not those who tell the truth. This became especially clear during the pandemic. We saw the rise of so-called entrepreneurs—some legitimate, but many selling gimmicks, bad ideas, and, quite frankly, false promises.

If you want to grow a page on Instagram quickly, the formula is simple:

1. Sell hope. Tell people what they want to hear, not what they need to hear.

2. Lie to your audience. It doesn’t matter if you believe in what you're selling; as long as people feel like they’re being led somewhere promising, they’ll follow.

3. Package recycled knowledge. Think about how many eBooks are out there selling information you could find for free on Google. How many consultants charge for common-sense advice?

The sad truth is that people will pay to feel included. They want to believe they are part of something bigger, even if that “something” is just a cycle of enabling bad ideas, false hopes, and empty philosophies.

Instagram Defaults to Women

Another reality is that Instagram’s algorithm favors women—not necessarily because their content is better but because of the way social media consumption works.

Men are visual creatures, and Instagram is a visual-first platform. Women’s content gets pushed further simply because men engage with their images more, often lusting after the creator rather than absorbing the message.

This isn’t hate—it’s just facts. If two people, a knowledgeable man and a significantly less knowledgeable woman, post the same content, the woman will still garner more support. If she’s provocative in any way, her growth skyrockets. If she’s not, she will still amass a following at twice or even three times the rate of her male counterpart.

The Pay-to-Play Model: Buying Attention

If you’re starting from zero, your biggest challenge is breaking the 1,500-follower mark. Why? Because people follow who others follow.

Psychology kicks in—when an account has a few thousand followers, people assume it must be credible. That’s why buying followers, likes, and engagement has become a billion-dollar industry. Once you hit a certain threshold, the herd mentality kicks in.

Even then, you have to pay for ads. Instagram has completely changed its algorithm over the years. Going viral is rare unless you’re breaking the norm, and organic reach is limited unless you’re already established or controversial.

The Only Genuine Way to Grow

Talent. That’s it. If you have genuine talent and relentless consistency, you will break through. But it takes longer, and it requires real skill—not just a flashy presentation or a well-crafted lie.

I believe everyone has a gift. The challenge is not just finding it but acknowledging it and putting in the work every single day to refine it.

Instagram is a game, and most people are playing it the wrong way. You can either play to the algorithm and the masses, or you can build something real. But if you choose the latter, be prepared for a much tougher battle.

The Solution: Start Locally, Build Organically

Whatever you’re selling, whatever you’re pitching—start locally. The best marketing is free, and it starts with you. This is a bit of what I consider guerrilla marketing: find five people every day to follow your Instagram.

The reality is most people won’t do it, but let’s say you do. Over a year, that’s 1,825 followers—and, more importantly, you will have a personal connection with these people. These are the ones who will engage with your content, support your business, and actually buy your product.

Now, let’s do the math: If you meet 1,825 people and have a genuine conversation with them, and you sell them an item or service for just $10, you’ve made $18,250—money that can help you scale.

Is this realistic for everyone? Maybe not. But it gives you more control than waiting on strangers to support you. Organic growth is harder, but it builds a real community that lasts longer than quick gimmicks and short-lived viral moments.

It’s not impossible—but it’s far from easy.