What makes a successful Instagram account?
What led to 13-year-old Min Feldman’s amazing success on Instagram (IG)? Even she isn’t quite sure. When Min started, she had no idea her site would be such a hit. Min has struck a cord that resonates with millions – OK, half a million – people who follow Min’s posts religiously.
Min will tell you she fell into her online success unintentionally. She started the account for herself because she had a passion for slime. Embarrassed by her predilection for watching people play with slime that makes crisp popping noises, she did not tell her family or friends. But she started reposting slime videos on her IG account: @crunchslimes.
Always with slime or Silly Putty within arm’s reach, Min finds it soothing visually and auditorily. And apparently so do many others. Followers flooded her site with comments and direct messages, telling Min over and over that her site delights, soothes and comforts young and old alike. Not only do her middle-school peers follow her, their parents and siblings do as well.
@Crunchslimes’ growth is 100% organic. There are two principles that fueled its traction: Min’s passion for crunchy slimes and her listening skills. She posts what tantalizes her and responds to her followers with kindness and interest. This was the foundation of her initial traction. Being featured on IG’s Explorers page created spikes in followers as did the introduction of simple questions followers can answer with one word: “What is your favorite drink at Starbucks?” “Do you like cats or dogs?” “What is stressing you out today?” Posting two times a day based on when her followers are most active, Min lobs questions inspired by her surroundings. For example, if she just returned from sports practice she might ask “Sports or couch surfing?” On average, she gets 400 comments per post.
Managing the account is routine for Min now. Limiting herself to 30 minutes a day, she spends 15 minutes looking at others’ accounts and curating future content, saving videos tagged with #crunchslimesnotice and putting them in a queue. She spends the other 15 minutes making her daily posts.
What amazes Min the most is the diversity of people who follow her and how all these different people are brought together by their shared passion for crunchy slime videos. With over 500,000 followers and growing daily, Min confesses that on the weekends she expends “quite a bit more time” responding to her direct messages. She tries to respond to them all and help those who are aiming for her level of success.
When asked what’s next, Min says she has a novel in her. An articulate and “wise beyond her years” writer, Min started @crunchywords on IG to share her writing. She has already written and edited 3 short novels, which are in a form she is proud of. With over 4,000 followers on her writing account, she is sure to be on Amazon soon.
Check out Min on IG @crunchslimes. If you don’t have an IG account, check out her feed here.
