How to Know If Your Instagram Account Is Growing

By @wilinlines | @wilinline | @quoteoff_theday

Many people ask me: “How do I know if my Instagram account is really growing?” It’s not just about follower count. You can have 5K followers and earn more than someone with 50K if your account is working properly. In this blog, I’ll show you the two most accurate ways to measure growth — the Explore Page Test and Professional Insights. Later in this series, I’ll show you how to achieve these results step by step.

🔍 Method 1: The Explore Page Test

Your Explore Page is the best way to check if Instagram has identified your niche correctly. Here’s how:

• ✅ Open your Explore Page (the search tab).
• ✅ Check the type of content shown to you.
• ✅ If your niche is quotes, your Explore Page should show mostly quotes, motivation, and related posts.
• ❌ If it shows random, unrelated topics (fashion, travel, food, etc.), your account still isn’t optimized.

Why this matters: When Instagram understands your niche, it pushes your posts to the right audience. That’s when growth becomes natural and fast.

📊 Method 2: Instagram Professional Insights

Switching to a Professional Account unlocks detailed insights about your posts. This is the second reliable way to measure growth. Key things to check:

• 📈 Reach → How many unique accounts saw your post.
• 💬 Engagement → Likes, comments, shares, saves.
• 🚀 Virality → If a post gets most reach from Explore, you’re on the right path.
• 👥 Follows → How many new people followed you from a post.

💰 When Growth Turns Into Income

Once your account passes these two growth tests, monetization becomes much easier. Remember, it doesn’t matter how many followers you have — what matters is virality and audience trust. Even with a smaller page, you can earn through:

• ✅ Affiliate Marketing → Promote products with a unique link and earn commissions.
• ✅ Personal Products/Services → Sell your own eBooks, coaching, or digital products.
• ✅ Brand Deals → Collaborate with companies once your posts consistently go viral.

When your posts start reaching the Explore Page consistently, you’ll see opportunities to make money appear naturally.