From 0 to 100K Followers: Tech Account Growth Real-World Recap

18 months ago, I published my first technical article. The backend showed 17 views—including 5 times I opened it myself. Honestly, that feeling was quite discouraging—I spent two days writing that tutorial, felt like talking to myself.

But 18 months later today, my tech account broke 100K followers across all platforms. Looking back at this journey, I found tech account growth actually follows patterns. Today I want to share this process with you—no fluff, all real data, pits I’ve stepped in, and hands-on experience.

If you’re also a tech blogger, anxious about slow follower growth and content nobody reads, hope this recap gives you some inspiration.

Startup Phase (0-1,000 Followers): Find Positioning, Survive First

Platform Selection: Don’t Try Everything, Deep Dive One First

Initially, I was ambitious too—registered WeChat Official Account, Zhihu, CSDN, Juejin, Bilibili accounts all at once, thinking “cast wide net, catch more fish.” Result? Posted same content on every platform, none took off.

Later I made a decision: concentrate firepower on Zhihu. Why choose Zhihu?

• Recommendation-friendly: Zhihu supports newcomers, quality content really gets traffic
• Strong tech atmosphere: Many programmers and developers, concentrated target audience
• Obvious long-tail effect: Good articles continue bringing traffic, unlike Official Accounts that “sink after posting”

This choice was validated 3 months later—my Zhihu followers broke 1,000, while other platforms basically stayed in triple digits.

My advice: If you’re a beginner, deep dive 1-2 platforms first. Official Accounts suit those with follower bases; Zhihu and Juejin are more newcomer-friendly; Bilibili requires video production skills. Don’t be greedy—master one platform first.

Content Positioning: Small and Focused Beats Big and Broad

My first article was “Python Full-Stack Development Guide”—lengthy 5,000 words, felt good about myself. Result? 17 views, 0 likes.

Later realized the problem: content too broad. People wanting to learn full-stack don’t lack resources—my beginner writing had zero competitive advantage.

The turning point was my 10th article—I wrote “Django ORM’s 5 Performance Traps.” This time I didn’t pursue big and broad, just focused on one very specific pain point. Result: views broke 1,000, gained 30+ followers—for me then, already a “viral post.”

My positioning strategy:

1. Choose niches with hands-on experience: Django development, performance optimization
2. Focus on specific pain points: Don’t write “How to Learn Python,” write “Django Queries Slow? Which of These 5 ORM Traps Did You Hit?”
3. Stay vertical: First 30 articles all around Django, letting readers know “come to him for Django problems”

Pit alert: Many people pursue “comprehensive,” wanting to cover everything. But in startup phase, precisely because resources are limited, you must concentrate—be the “expert” in one small niche first.

First Viral Post: Turning Point

My first article to break 5,000 views was “Django ORM N+1 Problem Deep Analysis and 3 Solutions.”

Why did this article go viral?

1. Hit precise pain point: This is a problem every Django developer encounters
2. Provided practical solutions: Not just theory, with complete code examples
3. Good title SEO: “N+1 Problem” itself is a high-frequency search term
4. Timely interaction: Replied promptly to every comment, increased activity

This article brought me 100+ followers in one week, more importantly—gave me confidence.

Growth Phase (1,000-10,000 Followers): Replicate Success, Build System

Content Strategy: 3-2-1 Rule

After having some follower base, I formed a stable output strategy:

• 3 vertical-depth articles/month: In-depth analysis, establishing expertise
• 2 practical tutorial articles/month: Solving real problems, high practicality
• 1 tool/resource compilation/month: Easy to spread, high save rate

This rhythm ensures both depth and breadth without excessive energy consumption.

Title Optimization: Data-Driven

I A/B tested dozens of titles, discovering these formulas work best:

1. Number + Pain Point: “5 Django Performance Optimization Techniques Doubling Project Speed”
2. Question + Answer: “Why Is Your Django So Slow? The Real Culprit Might Be This”
3. Contrast + Reversal: “Don’t Use select_related Anymore? This Django Feature Is More Useful”
4. Scenario + Solution: “Online Django Memory Leak, How I Positioned the Problem in 30 Minutes”

Data-backed insight: Headlines with numbers get 40% higher click rates than no numbers; question-type headlines get 25% higher interaction rates.

Multi-Platform Expansion: Methodical Cross-Platform

When Zhihu followers broke 3,000, I started expanding to other platforms:

Step 1: Establish Juejin (Month 6)

Juejin’s tech atmosphere is stronger, more concentrated developer users. I adjusted strategy:

• Zhihu content slightly more accessible, Juejin more in-depth technically
• Add more code examples and implementation details on Juejin

Step 2: Start Official Account (Month 9)

Official Account for building private domain, though growth is slow, follower quality high. My conversion path:

• Zhihu/Juejin articles include Official Account QR code at end
• Official Account exclusive content: weekly tech newsletter, in-depth long articles

Step 3: Try Bilibili (Month 12)

Video content is trending, though production costs are high, effects are good. I chose the easiest entry point:

• Screen recording tutorials, no face required
• Repurpose article content into video scripts
• First video “Django ORM Performance Optimization” got 2K+ views

Cross-platform synergy effect: Total followers across platforms broke 10K, single article max exposure reached 50K+.

Acceleration Phase (10,000-100,000 Followers): Build IP, Explore Monetization

Personal Brand Building

This phase is no longer just “writing articles,” but “building personal brand.”

Unified visual identity:

• Consistent avatar and bio across all platforms
• Fixed article cover design style
• Unified content tone and style

Establishing expertise tags:

• Zhihu certified “Django Development Expert”
• Juejin awarded “Excellent Author”
• Spoke at tech conferences several times

Content Quality Upgrade

10K+ followers means higher reader expectations—can’t be casual anymore.

My quality standards:

• Each article requires 8+ hours (research + writing + polishing)
• Code must be tested and runnable
• At least 3 architectural diagrams or flowcharts
• Provide complete GitHub demo code

Data feedback: After quality upgrade, average article views jumped from 2K to 8K, save rate increased from 15% to 35%.

Commercialization Exploration

Don’t avoid talking about money—this is the result of value creation.

Revenue sources:

1. Platform incentives (20%): Zhihu Good Content, Juejin Creator incentives, monthly average 2K-3K
2. Paid columns (40%): Published 2 Juejin Booklets, total revenue 40K+
3. Brand collaborations (25%): Selective tech brand ads, average 3K-5K per article
4. Technical consulting (15%): Hourly rate 800-1500 yuan, monthly average 2-3 clients

Total: Monthly stable income 15K-20K, peak months broke 30K.

Principle: Never sacrifice reader trust for short-term gains. I only take ads matching my positioning, clearly marked, won’t mislead readers.

Pitfalls and Lessons

Pitfall 1: Chasing Hot Topics Lost Focus

Around Month 8, seeing AI content trending, I rashly wrote several AI-related articles. Result? Existing followers weren’t interested, new followers didn’t last—wasted energy.

Lesson: Ride trends but don’t lose your positioning. Can write trending topics but must relate to your expertise.

Pitfall 2: Update Frequency Instability

For a while I published 10+ articles in a month, then didn’t publish for 2 months. Follower growth very unstable, even experienced negative growth.

Lesson: Stable output rhythm is more important than bursts. Even 1 article/week is better than irregular bursts.

Pitfall 3: Ignoring Data Feedback

Initially I purely relied on feeling to choose topics—whichever I wanted to write. Later learned to check data: which articles get high views? Which topics get high interaction? Data will tell you the answer.

Current practice: Maintain a data analysis spreadsheet, review monthly, optimize topic selection and content strategy based on data.

Pitfall 4: One-Way Output Neglecting Interaction

Initially I only focused on writing articles, rarely replied to comments and private messages. Later realized: interaction is the key to building loyal fans.

Adjustment: Now insist on daily comment section maintenance, replying to every meaningful comment; regularly host Q&A sessions in WeChat groups.

Key Growth Milestones Review

Advice for Beginners

1. Lower Expectations, Stay Patient

Don’t expect overnight success. I spent 3 months going from 0 to 1,000—this is normal. Tech content growth is inherently slower than entertainment content, but followers are higher quality.

2. Focus on Value, Not Vanity Metrics

Don’t just chase follower counts—focus on whether content truly helps people. One loyal fan who trusts you is worth 100 casual followers.

3. Build Systems, Not One-Offs

From topic selection, writing, publishing to promotion—establish your own SOP (Standard Operating Procedures). Systems make growth sustainable.

4. Learn Continuously, Stay Humble

Tech evolves fast—maintain learning enthusiasm. I still spend 10+ hours weekly learning new tech and reading quality articles.

5. Build Network, Help Each Other

Get to know more tech bloggers, promote each other, share experiences. This circle is actually quite small—everyone helping each other grows faster.

Conclusion

From 17 views to 100K followers, this 18-month journey taught me: Tech blogging isn’t easy, but definitely worth it.

It’s not just about follower counts and income—more importantly:

• Forced systematic knowledge organization, ability significantly improved
• Met many excellent developers, expanded horizons
• Personal brand brings more career opportunities
• Helping more people through content brings great satisfaction

If you’re also considering or already started being a tech blogger, my final advice:

Start now, keep iterating, stay patient, cherish readers.

Your journey from 0 to 100K might be different from mine, but as long as you persist in creating value, success is only a matter of time.

Welcome to share your tech blogging stories in the comments—let’s exchange and encourage each other.

If this article helped you, don’t forget to like and follow—more growth experiences and practical tips coming soon.

Published on: Nov 25, 2025 · Modified on: Dec 4, 2025

Easton

Digital Media