Ever wonder how an influencer with cringe or boring content can amass a million followers? Is it mostly luck? One post that went viral? Like, HOW?
So there’s an influencer – I won’t identify her – who has a staggering 1.4 million Instagram followers.
This is staggering because her content could put an elephant to sleep.
Apparently, throngs of women find her hilarious, but I’m like (sarcastic), “Ha-ha-ha, funneeee.” YAWN.
And it’s not just her. I’ve seen other rubbish content on Instagram that gets thousands of likes.
Some of the content is cringe-worthy, while some of it is essentially a digital version of a photo album of any random woman in the city.
Nobody would be flocking to some random woman’s home to view her photo album (if photo albums were still a thing). So why are they flocking to follow them on Instagram?
Luck? Riding on Coattails of Another Influencer?
The videos are awkward, the jokes fall flat or the acting is way over the top.
Yet somehow their audience keeps growing.
Part of the answer is that cringe gets attention.
It may be that people naturally stop scrolling when they see something unexpected or embarrassing.
Even if they’re laughing at the creator instead of with them, they’re still watching.
Every extra second of viewing tells the platform that the content is interesting enough to keep showing to more people. In short, the algorithm picks up that extra second.
Cringe content also gets people talking. Viewers leave comments arguing over whether the creator is serious, joking or simply unaware.
Those conversations create engagement, and engagement is exactly what social media algorithms like.
Another reason is consistency. Many of these influencers post every day without worrying about looking perfect.
While other creators spend hours trying to make flawless videos, cringe creators often upload constantly. More content means more chances for one video to go viral.
Some influencers even lean into their reputation. They know people are watching because the content is awkward, so they make it part of their online identity. Love them or hate them, people remember them.
There’s also a surprising amount of authenticity in some cringe content.
It may not be polished, but it can feel real. Audiences sometimes connect more with someone who seems genuine than with a creator whose videos or stills look overly produced.
Of course, not every cringe influencer enjoys lasting success. Some go viral for a few weeks and then disappear.
But others manage to turn the attention into a long-term career by adapting while keeping the personality that first caught everyone’s eye.
Other Reasons Including an Unexpected One
First, it definitely is true that a “bestie” of an influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers, let alone over a million, will often amass a sizable following simply because – yes – they’re riding their coattails.
All an influencer with 1M followers need do is mention her friend in a caption, and overnight, that friend may go from 150 followers to 5,000 followers.
And it just exponentially grows from there as long as she posts often and predictably, and gets more mentions from her influencer friend.
Second, it’s estimated that three billion people are on Instagram. Many don’t realize just how much three billion is.
It’s not too simplistic to say that out of three billion people, it’s not as hard as one might think for a person who consistently posts daily or even almost daily to attract enough followers to reach 1M before they know it.
Another way to grow one’s following is to spend large amounts of time posting comments on accounts that have tens of millions of followers.
Those accounts may routinely get tens of thousands of comments to any single post.
Imagine how many users will see your comment if you join in soon after the post goes up. People will follow you just because you made a comment to some celebrity’s post.
If you’re persistent enough, these new followers will add to your growth. It’s not the magic secret to getting a million followers, but it can definitely contribute.
Good Looks Not Always Required
I’ve seen accounts where the women were not exceptionally beautiful, and the men aren’t extraordinarily handsome. They don’t have movie star looks.
But they have an enviable following.
Despite all the aforementioned reasons that may explain how cringe content can reel in 500,000, a million and even several million followers, I still have to wonder just how in the heck these borrring or cringey people do it.
