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The key to gaining 15K+ followers on Dribbble & Instagram.

over 3 years ago from , Webflow/No-Code Enthusiast, Product Designer & Product Maker. Tweets as @janlosert. Pixels on http://dribbble.com/JanLosert.

About a month ago I was invited to the first Dribbble meetup in Bratislava, Slovakia. Along with two fellow designers we spoke about leveraging social platforms in a way that we can benefit from them the most. From sharing our work, building a community, to getting new clients and much more. In my talk I shared my point of view on the topic of Life behind 15K on Dribbble & Instagram.

https://medium.com/@JanLosert/your-passion-the-key-to-gaining-15k-followers-on-dribbble-instagram-f8d270db7748

20 comments

  • Aaron D, 3 years ago

    Wow, so now we are writing articles how to boost vanity metrics that don't mean a thing in the professional world... Have we really have stooped this low as a design community? What's next, a $200 course focused on "Creating the perfect Dribbble post"?

    We are designers. The core of our profession is to understand and solve problems that help enrich people's lives, and it is our duty to apply this not only to our employers/clients/end-users, but also our fellow designers. "How to get Dribbble/Instagram Famous" isn't a design problem, it's a problem of vanity and ego.

    38 points
  • James Young, 3 years ago

    Interestingly, despite the high follower count on Instagram, engagement (comments, not likes) is very low suggesting that although you have the sheer volume in numbers you're not leveraging that very well with the content you're posting and it's more a vanity metric than anything.

    11 points
    • Jan Losert, 3 years ago

      Any suggestions? Would be happy to hear more James. My twitter is @janlosert

      0 points
  • Scott ThomasScott Thomas, 3 years ago

    His instagram feed oddly looks like a feed for a mockup site....

    4 points
    • Jan Losert, 3 years ago

      Slightly yeah :D

      0 points
    • Anthony Irwin, 3 years ago

      Completely. It looks more like a lifestyle blog than it does an attempt to share design work. You can't even see the work most of the time and every shot becomes exactly the same. I'm not sure as a designer why I'd want to follow that Instagram.

      2 points
  • Guilherme SchmittGuilherme Schmitt, 3 years ago

    The answer is: Gradients.

    3 points
  • Johan Horn, 3 years ago

    Just wanted to say that I think a lot of people are missing the point of your post; so don't take their comments to heart. You are giving marketing insight and getting attacked for it. Marketing / Selling is a big part of design. I like reading how other people try to improve their platform reach.

    0 points
  • Megan McNeice, 3 years ago

    So something someone else noted: You do have a lot of followers and likes, but rarely any feedback or comments (which is not ideal as a designer for other reasons, but those don't pertain to this post). With the new Instagram algorithm, I think this is a serious problem for you and getting your work noticed since instagram is no longer chronological.

    Solutions or thoughts?

    0 points
  • Smile Studio, 3 years ago

    haters gonna hate.

    0 points
  • Thomas Michael SemmlerThomas Michael Semmler, 3 years ago

    I can tell you what gives you instagram success - using the right hashtags and making candid shots of apple products on desks. That is literally it.

    Oh, and please don't forget that Instagram is basically just a synonyme for a thirst trap. If you are attractive, you will gain more followers.

    0 points
  • Rey AlejandroRey Alejandro, 3 years ago

    Upon searching your site, I realised you made this one awesome free style guide sketch template http://janlosert.com/store/symbols-styleguides.html I am using right now. Thank you for sharing! helped me jumpstart a project!

    0 points
  • R. KamushkenR. Kamushken, over 3 years ago

    Overall Dribbble sucks and here's the reasons: • Only 20% visitors care about your attachments • Most of your attached commercial products won't be clicked with high probability • Most of your received inmail opportunities will be a garbage

    So, what's the profit to pay for Dribbble PRO ? What's the estimated profit from your followers besides your ego?

    0 points
    • Jan Losert, 3 years ago

      Not sure what's you experience and how long are you on Dribbble, but I'm usually getting offers for fulltime job from Google, Apple, Fb, Agoda or Microsoft and I used dribbble to get most of my freelance gigs as well.

      0 points
  • Jason LiJason Li, 3 years ago

    Curious how this translates directly to prospects. If you don't mind sharing, how often do you get inquiries from your Instagram/Dribbble audiences?

    0 points
    • Jan Losert, 3 years ago

      In average month around 10-15 inquries from Dribbble. In months when I'm actively posting around 30. Instagram is just a side gig which somehow took off to sell my digital products.

      2 points