500 posts in 30 days. Here’s what actually happened.

Hi there,

It’s been a wild ride, but it’s done.
My 500 posts in 30 days experiment ended last week 🎉

It’s been a minute because I’ve just onboarded my first client as a full time social media freelancer! (a big win for me, I’m literally floating)

Yes, the challenge got me through my fear of video.
Even though I still feel exposed.
It’s in and out but mainly I’ve proved that, in fact, it’s not actually that big of deal.
(only if I make it one!)

The most amazing benefit to come of all, though, is clarity.
Because perfection really does kill action
And no action means no clarity
And lack of clarity well that just keeps you stuck.
(Spoken by the woman with a 10-month-old photo shoot she never really posted much of… not anymore!)

Also? An unexpected side effect. Nervous system regulation 

You have to reset quickly, you can’t overthink or check back every hour.
You have to trust yourself, move fast, tweak as you go.
You have to not wait for permission, and just get on with it.

I would 100% do it again but I’d schedule from a tool, comment more and posts 5 variations of videos that had clear perimeters of variables to test.

So today we get into:

The Challenge Results
Your IG Profile Glow Up (with AI)

500 Posts in 30 Days

I wanted to see what would happen if I stopped overthinking and just… posted. Everywhere I could, every day.

The goal wasn’t perfection, it was momentum, visibility, and getting over my fear of video.

I tracked, impressions, views, engagement, follower growth.

I wanted to:

• Get a baseline of what kinds of content works on which platforms.

• Allow the strategy to form around me, not follow anything rigid.

• Show up everyday, be intentional, and disciplined.

• Figure what my social-first funnel looks like.

Here’s a breakdown platform by platform:

Quick View Totals:

• 526 posts

• 14,110 impressions (LinkedIn)

• 43,637 views (not counting Threads, Bluesky & X)

• 256 new followers

• 3,020 total followers

• 4,226 engagements (not counting Threads, Bluesky & X)

LinkedIn:

• 32 (30 posts / 2 reposts)

• 139 new followers / 2,339 total followers

• 14,110 impressions / 2,743 reach

• 1,137 total engagement (avg. eng. rate: 8.06%)

I love getting a peak at the actual graphs, maybe you do too 😊

What I learned:

1. Engagement matters more than reach or impressions. My average engagement rate was 8.06% (that’s good). That tells me that even if fewer people see your posts, the right people are connecting with them.

2. You don’t need a huge audience to grow. I gained 139 new followers from just 2,743 people reached. That’s a small group, but dedicated, they paid attention and came back for more!

3. People aren’t just scrolling past, they’re sticking around. With a 5:1 impressions-to-reach ratio, it means many people saw multiple posts, multiple times. That kind of repeat exposure builds trust and familiarity.

4. LinkedIn is showing some of the posts from 2-3 weeks ago… NO idea what they’re planning yet!

5. Certain content formats consistently outperform others 
   (if you try any of these please tag me, I’d love to see how they do for you)

Content Lessons:

• Selfies or photos stopped the scroll more than anything else, pair this with emotion and honest lived experience writing.

• Text on images helped posts land better (it seems) but the hook has to be a banger.

• Polls worked best when tied to something platform relevant or trend topical.

• Asking directly (for a follow, click, or signup) actually moved people to act, but I use sparely as if the content makes people feel or learn something they will take the next action without a push!

• Video is still underutilised on LinkedIn, I think it’ll be back soon in a big way, I’ll be testing this more.

• Carousels and infographics while lower views and engagement (at this time) they appear to drive followers too.

TikTok:

• 49 posts

• 56 new followers / 56 total Followers

• 29,000 👀 views

• 365 profile views

• 1,109 total engagements (avg. eng. rate: 3.82%)

What I Learned (on a brand new account)

1. Discovery is unmatched, I posted 49 times and reached 29,000 views, all from a fresh account with no following. TikTok remains the best place to test and get seen fast.

2. Short, scrappy videos win, The best-performing content? Talking-head videos, off the cuff, no fancy edits. Just me, talking to camera. If you can tell a story, you’ve got growth potential.

3. Video over Photo Carousels, I tested two formats and video consistently beat photo carousels, even if the edit was rough. TikTok rewards real time value, over high production value.

4. Cross-posting to Instagram works, I used TikTok as my testing ground and shared the best performer of the day to Instagram (with platform-friendly captions). It helped grow both accounts.

5. There’s still so much to test, I’ve only scratched the surface of angles, formats, pacing. I’m planning a deeper experiment soon to really find out deeply what works.

Instagram:

I’m building two accounts from the ground up one brand, one personal brand. This month, I tested cross-collab Reels between them and it worked.

My personal account almost doubled in followers… with no bio, no pin posts, no link, no grid strategy, and nothing aesthetic.

Part Time Nomad Club

• 98 posts & stories

• 12,582 views / 4,588 reach

• 331 profile activity

• 38 new followers / 518 total followers

• 331 total engagements (2.91% avg. eng. rate)

Nicola Gwillym

• 55 posts & stories

• 2,055 views / 835 reach

• 89 profile activity

• 23 new followers / 46 total followers

• 43 total engagements (2.09% avg. eng. rate)

What I learned:

1. My content is getting seen but not felt (yet). Views and profile clicks are there but follower conversion didn’t get over 10%. That tells me people are curious, but I haven’t hit emotional resonance or deep relevance yet.

2. Instagram rewards familiarity, not just value.You can teach all day, but people still want to feel like they know you. The content that did best? It wasn’t the how-to, it was the posts that made people feel like they’d walked into a moment with me.

3. People clicked even when I had no bio. This was a reminder that your content does more talking than your profile, but the profile still can seal the deal. I’ve now built an AI powered IG profile system to help with this.

4. Posting isn’t the same as positioning. I shared over 150 times, but only a few pieces landed. That’s the difference between being visible and being remembered (I want more of the latter!)

Threads:

I don’t have access to all insights yet as I have less than 100 followers on each account but I collated weekly stats to give an overall view. I’ve dropped some screenshots from the weekly round ups I could see.

Part Time Nomad Club

• 82 posts

• 50 total followers

Here’s a sample of the weekly recap it does give:

Nicola Gwillym

• 85 posts

• 19 total followers

Fresh account!

Why I’m Betting on Threads (even without full data):

1. The platform is growing faster than it looks. Threads has quietly hit 300 million users, and it’s still not being fully taken seriously by most, for me, that’s a signal, not a red flag.

2. It rewards consistency without the algorithmic pressure. There’s no forced video format, no aesthetic requirement. If you have something to say, Threads is your place, I think that matters in 2025.

3. Repurposing here is frictionless. I post a lot on LinkedIn and Threads lets me strip back and test raw ideas. It’s become my personal thinking aloud space, and that’s where real connection begins.

4. You can build momentum without burnout. 160+ posts felt easy, No video editing, no optimisation, it feels like stories for non-followers, that’s rare, especially when growing multiple platforms at once.

What I’m Taking Forward:

→ Keep Threads in the mix, even if follower growth is slow, the ideas here sharpen everything else.
→ Use it as a testing ground for frameworks, hooks, and behind-the-scenes thinking.
→ Prioritise presence over perfection, it’s one of the most forgiving platform to be consistent on right now.

Bluesky & X

Bluesky: 47 posts
X: 78 posts

I posted consistently on both during the early part of the challenge but neither platform delivered meaningful results like the others did.

• Bluesky still lacks analytics access to even check.

• X didn’t generate any traction or engagement, even with regular posting.

The Lesson?

Not every platform needs to be part of your strategy. Sometimes the smartest move isn’t to post more, it’s to redirect your energy where momentum is actually building.

For now, I’m stepping away from both and focusing on the platforms that are giving me data, growth, or creative joy.

That’s a wrap on the 500 post challenge breakdown.

But before I go I asked ChatGPT (typo alert):

Here are some of my favourites it came back with (in no particular order):

This newsletter is getting realllllly long… Next episode, I’ll walk you through the AI helped Instagram Bio/Profile Glow-Up (there might even be a video tutorial link!)

It’s all about how I’m rewriting mine, what changed, and how to do yours (without being salesy)

If you’ve been thinking about showing up more or feeling stuck I hope this experiment helped. It’s true what they say “just post it!” 😊

Any questions, hit reply.

Until the next episode,

I’ll see you on your socials!

Stay Remotely Social 💅,

Nikki 😉