18 hours Ago
Twitter, now called X, has been a pioneer in microblogging and remains one of the most popular social media platforms. However, BlueSky is quickly catching up, with a rapidly growing number of registrations . Surprisingly, I found it is relatively easier to increase your follower count here.
Here are some tips you can use to grow your followers on BlueSky. I have been on BlueSky for less than a month, and I already have more followers here than on X, where I have had an account since 2009. I’m not very active on social media, so this was surprising to me.
The answer lies in BlueSky’s federated, user-controlled structure, which influences all levels of posts and ultimately shapes your feeds and followers. If you’re a new BlueSky user, you won’t feel invisible amid celebrity chat and top trends. Your posts and replies are more likely to be seen and reposted by your real connections (not bots), which helps you grow organically.
I wasn’t aware of these decentralized algorithms when I signed up, but it quickly became clear that on BlueSky, the end user controls visibility, not the platform. Here’s how it works. If you remember using X, you would see sections like What’s happening and You might like , which are based on location-based trends.
Even if some trends, such as those about politics, may not appeal to you, there’s nothing you can do as X uses a top-down approach to determine what you should see. BlueSky, on the other hand, has a different approach. While celebrities do have a presence here, the platform itself is not celebrity-centric.
For example, on my BlueSky home screen and on the main Discover feed, I can see posts from a celebrity like George Takei, whom I follow, alongside a regular user, “Sean,” who I just said hello once. Both are given equal importance. The key to increasing followers on BlueSky is to consistently connect and engage with like-minded individuals on relevant topics.
The algorithm takes care of the rest. Unless you’re an actual celebrity, avoid posting just to chase popularity (the absence of fake “influencers” is quite refreshing, to be honest). There are no “blue ticks,” and BlueSky does seem friendlier and better moderated .
Closely tied to decentralized algorithms, user engagement is vital for building active trust on BlueSky. This involves responding to posts that resonate with you, contributing original and meaningful content, and replying politely to those who engage with you, including dissenters. If you feel passionate about a topic, consistently posting (with a bit of humor) will eventually attract like-minded people.
Instead of trying to gain the attention of celebrities or users with many followers, I found better engagement by responding to those who mirrored my ideas (even if they had 0 followers.) These deep-level user interactions gradually helped grow my own BlueSky followers. While some users may have strong opinions, similar to X, the BlueSky environment is largely troll-free thanks to timely moderation of bad-faith commenters.
The end result is an environment where you can express yourself without being overshadowed by platform-promoted trends. You also don’t have to worry about seeing posts from users who you’ve blocked . To know how to get followers on BlueSky or any social media app, sharing quality content is essential.
With BlueSky, user ideas are actively considered if they have merit, address a challenge, or offer a surprising original insight. For instance, some of my posts that gained high traction (the one below receiving 73 likes) highlighted concerns on tech user privacy, which I found has a strong pull within the BlueSky community. Naturally, what works for one user may not apply to another.
Your core interests might vary, but it’s essential to recognize that there are always others who share those interests. Therefore, it’s important to think carefully about how to find your favorite topics. For example, posts about pets, such as cats, are extremely popular.
By posting cute videos of your favorite pets, you may attract a large community of individuals eager to connect with your BlueSky account. That certainly doesn’t mean it would work for everyone. You really need to dig in and find out your niche.
Also read : worried about Meta being too intrusive? It is possible to wean yourself from using Meta products and it’s become surprisingly common. It can’t be overstated how crucial your profile picture is in capturing attention and attracting followers, given the average social media user’s attention span is less than 3 seconds. Although there’s no perfect profile picture, having your own photo instead of an anime character or something vague generally yields better results in BlueSky.
If you’re a company, website, or brand, using your brand logo is essential. However, you should also post original photos. Some of the most popular BlueSky accounts, like “The Onion,” often use witty cartoons to engage with followers.
I don’t think my profile picture had much effect, but having a photo next to my views adds credibility and boosts user engagement. Just like Twitter, BlueSky has hashtags on many topics, and you can create your own. However, since BlueSky is decentralized, users have more control over the hashtags they want to see.
This differs from what you’re used to, as hashtags on this platform don’t just follow popular trends but reflect what’s visible within your immediate circle. A great way to explore this is through BlueSky’s hashtag Feeds feature. Here, you’ll find the most relevant feeds, starting with Mutuals , which are BlueSky accounts that follow you back and appear at the top.
Engaging with them is an excellent way to build trust within your community. Additionally, you’ll find many niche topic areas in “Feeds,” covering subjects like science, astronomy, news, and events. Keep engaging with users and create innovative hashtags that might resonate with many.
As BlueSky is still relatively new, there’s a lot of potential for you to establish new hashtag trends. Also read : new to Instagram Threads? Here’s how you can use this app . Timing is crucial for maximizing engagement on your BlueSky posts.
It depends on your content categories. Some evergreen categories, like “pets,” aren’t time-dependent. Event-specific posts are different.
They have peak activity spans you’ll discover by consistently posting at the same time every day. Observe your target audience’s patterns. My following post got over a 100 likes because I had observed a pattern of users commenting on social media privacy at a specific time during the day.
For me, my best time for posting has actually been morning in my time zone. This is during my peak activity rush for my chosen topics which deal with sweeping technological changes. Finding the right time to post is partly intuitive, but with consistent practice, you’ll get it right.
Remember, BlueSky is a decentralized platform where quality interactions thrive. Forcing quick popularity has fewer takers. BlueSky is known to suspend accounts that appear fake or ungenuine.
Authenticity here comes from contributing meaningful posts. We saw how to get followers on BlueSky using simple techniques that focus on fair play and consistent user engagement. Being viral often happens by accident.
We have another personal story on one of our writers going viral on TikTok . Image Credit: Pixabay . All screenshots by Sayak Boral.
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox Sayak Boral is a technology writer with over eleven years of experience working in different industries including semiconductors, IoT, enterprise IT, telecommunications OSS/BSS, and network security. He has been writing for MakeTechEasier on a wide range of technical topics including Windows, Android, Internet, Hardware Guides, Browsers, Software Tools, and Product Reviews..
