Why Your First 100 Followers Matter More Than 10K
Hi there,
I study the secrets behind viral LinkedIn posts, so your content gets noticed.
In this issue, you’ll find:
Why Your First 100 Followers Matter More Than 10K
TOGETHER WITH POSTHERO
Grow your audience faster on LinkedIn. With an AI-powered tool that helps you create content and grow on LinkedIn.
Create high-converting content that helps you grow on LinkedIn
Create a weekly content in 76 seconds
AI Voice assistant for creating content in seconds
Why Your First 100 Followers Matter More Than 10K
Everyone wants 10K followers.
It’s a dream. The milestone. The proof that you’ve “made it.”
People chase it obsessively. They check their follower count daily. They compare themselves to bigger creators.
“If only I had 10K followers, then I’d get clients.”
“If only I had 10K followers, then people would take me seriously.”
“If only I had 10K followers, then everything would work.”
Here’s the truth:
Your first 100 followers matter more than the next 10,000.
I know that sounds backwards. But let me explain.
The Vanity Metrics Trap
Big follower counts look impressive.
But they don’t pay bills.
I’ve seen accounts with 50K followers who can’t sell anything. Their audience is random. Unengaged. Not interested in what they offer.
I’ve seen accounts with 500 followers who are fully booked. Their audience is small but perfect. The right people. Ready to buy.
The difference isn’t size. It’s quality.
10K followers who don’t care about what you do = worthless.
100 followers who are your exact ideal clients = a business.
Why Your First 100 Are Special
Your first 100 followers are different from all the rest.
Here’s why:
1. They found you early.
These people followed you before you had social proof. Before you had big numbers. Before you were “somebody.”
They followed because they genuinely liked your content. Not because everyone else was following you.
That’s a stronger signal than any follower you’ll get later.
2. They’re paying attention.
Big accounts have followers who forgot they followed. People who scrolled past once, hit follow, and never engaged again.
Your first 100? They see your posts. They actually read them. They notice when you show up.
Attention is the real currency. And your early followers are paying it.
3. They’ll engage with you.
Early followers comment. They reply. They DM you.
Try getting a response from someone with 100K followers. Good luck.
But your first 100? They’ll have real conversations with you. They’ll give feedback. They’ll tell you what they need.
That’s invaluable.
4. They become superfans.
People who discover you early feel ownership over your success.
“I followed them before they blew up.”
They root for you. They share your content. They tell their friends. They become your biggest advocates.
You can’t buy that kind of loyalty.
The 100 True Fans Math
You’ve probably heard of the “1,000 True Fans” concept.
The idea is simple: you don’t need millions of followers. You need 1,000 people who love what you do and will buy everything you make.
But for most of us, you don’t even need 1,000.
Let’s do some math.
Say you have 100 true followers. Not casual followers. People who actually care.
If 10% of them buy something from you each year, that’s 10 clients.
If your average client is worth $2,000, that’s $20,000.
From 100 followers.
Now imagine those 100 followers each refer to one person. Now you have 200.
10% of 200 = 20 clients = $40,000.
This is how small audiences build real businesses.
You don’t need 10K. You need the right 100.
Quality vs. Quantity
Here’s the question that matters:
Would you rather have:
A) 10,000 followers who vaguely know you exist
or
B) 100 followers who read everything you post, trust your expertise, and fit your ideal client profile perfectly
Option B wins every time.
But most people chase Option A. Because it looks better. Because it feels like progress. Because follower counts are visible.
Quality is invisible. But quality pays.
How to Build Your First 100 the Right Way
If your first 100 matter most, you should be intentional about who they are.
Here’s how:
1. Define your ideal follower.
Before you worry about growing, get clear on who you want.
What’s their job? Their industry? Their problem? Their goal?
If you can’t describe your ideal follower specifically, you’ll attract random people.
Random people don’t buy.
2. Create content for that specific person.
Every post should feel like you’re talking directly to your ideal follower.
Not “everyone who wants to grow on LinkedIn.”
But “freelance designers who want to land premium clients without cold outreach.”
Specific content attracts specific people.
3. Engage where your ideal followers hang out.
Don’t just post and hope.
Go find your ideal followers. Comment on their posts. Engage with creators they follow. Show up in their feed.
Be proactive about building the right audience.
4. Prioritize connection over reach.
In the early days, a DM conversation matters more than a viral post.
A viral post brings random followers. A real conversation brings the right ones.
Focus on building relationships, not just numbers.
5. Don’t buy followers or use engagement pods.
Shortcuts kill quality.
Fake followers will never buy. Pod engagement is from other creators, not clients.
Build real. Build slow. Build right.
The Compound Effect of Quality Followers
Here’s what happens when your first 100 are the right people:
They engage → your posts get more reach → the right people see you → more right people follow → they engage → cycle continues.
Quality compounds.
But so does the opposite.
If your first 100 are random, your content gets shown to random people. Random people don’t engage. Reach drops. Growth stalls.
The foundation matters. Get it right early.
Signs You’re Building the Wrong Audience
How do you know if your followers are the wrong people?
Some warning signs:
High follower count but low engagement
Lots of likes but no comments or DMs
People engaging who would never buy from you
Followers from completely different industries
No one asking about your services
Viral posts that attract randoms, not ideal clients
If this is you, stop focusing on growth. Start focusing on quality.
It’s easier to rebuild with 500 right followers than to fix an audience of 10K wrong ones.
My Own Experience
I’ll be honest.
In my early days, I chased vanity metrics too.
I posted about AI because it went viral. Got followers. It felt good.
But those followers didn’t care about LinkedIn content. They didn’t need what I offered. They were useless for my business.
I had to stop. Refocus. Start attracting the right people even if it means slower growth.
It was the right decision.
Now my audience is smaller but engaged. They reply. They DM. They buy.
I’d take my current 100 engaged followers over 10K random ones any day.
Reframing Success
Here’s a mindset shift:
Stop measuring success by follower count.
Start measuring by:
Engagement rate (are people actually interacting?)
DM conversations (are the right people reaching out?)
Profile views (are people curious about you?)
Leads generated (is your content driving business?)
Clients closed (is this actually working?)
A creator with 500 followers and 5 clients per month is more successful than one with 50K followers and zero revenue.
Numbers on your profile don’t matter. Numbers in your bank account do.
Your Homework
This week, do this:
Write down exactly who your ideal follower is. Job title, industry, problem, goal. Be specific.
Look at your current followers. How many fit that description? Be honest.
Look at your recent content. Would it attract your ideal follower? Or anyone who happens to scroll by?
Identify 10 ideal followers you already have. Engage with them. Build the relationship.
Stop checking your follower count for one week. Measure engagement and conversations instead.
Your first 100 followers are your foundation.
Build it right, and everything else gets easier.
That’s it for this week.
If you’re focusing on quality over quantity, reply and tell me who your ideal follower is. I’d love to hear.
See you next time.
That’s a wrap for today.
See you next week! If you want more LinkedIn tips, be sure to follow me on LinkedIn (link).
If you love this episode and want to support us, spread the word about us by sharing The LinkedIn Secrets with colleagues. I really appreciate it!
Thank you for reading!
What’d you think of today’s edition?
Help me to understand what you think about this episode. Just reply with a number (1, 2, or 3) to this email.
1 - Damn good
2 - Meh, do better
3 - You didn’t cook it
Your compadre,
Anton “LinkedIn growth strategies” Cherkasov