How to Get Followers on Bluesky

Growing an audience on Bluesky is a different game, focused more on authentic community building and genuine conversation than viral hacks. If you're tired of chasing fleeting trends on other platforms, you’re in the right place. This guide gives you the practical, no-nonsense strategies you need to build a real following on Bluesky, from setting up your profile for success to mastering the platform's unique discovery features.

Start with a Strong Foundation: Optimize Your Profile

Your profile is the first impression you make. Before you post a single "skeet" (Bluesky's term for a post), make sure your profile clearly communicates who you are and why someone should follow you. An incomplete or confusing profile is the quickest way to be overlooked.

Nail Your Handle and Display Name

Your handle (e.g., @yourname.bsky.social) is your unique identifier. Make it memorable and easy to type. If possible, keep it consistent with your handles on other social platforms to help your existing audience find you. Your display name is what shows up in bold above your posts. You can use your real name, your brand name, or something more creative. You can even add emojis to help it stand out, but don't overdo it.

Write a Bio That Connects

You have 256 characters to tell people what you're all about. Don't waste them on jargon or cliches. A great bio answers three simple questions:

• Who are you? (e.g., "Founder," "Illustrator," "Digital Marketer," "Coffee Enthusiast")
• What do you talk about? (e.g., "...sharing tips on sustainable living," "...posting daily design inspiration," "...nerding out about retro games.")
• What can followers expect? This is your value proposition. Are you here to educate, entertain, inspire, or connect?

Here’s a simple template: [Who you are] passionate about [your niche]. Posting my thoughts on [topic 1], [topic 2], and the occasional [fun, personal interest].

Choose the Right Profile and Header Images

Your profile picture should be a clear, high-quality headshot if it's a personal account, or a clean logo for a brand. People connect with faces, so a smiling photo often works best. Your header image is a larger canvas to showcase your brand's personality, your work, or something that reflects your niche. It adds context and personality to your profile page.

Understand the Culture: Speak the Language

Every social platform has its own unwritten rules and distinct vibe. Bluesky’s culture is often described as a throwback to the earlier, more conversational days of Twitter, mixed with a healthy dose of nerdy and wonderfully weird humor. It's less performative and more about genuine connection.

Unlike polished platforms where every post feels like a press release, Bluesky rewards authenticity. People share half-baked thoughts, ask random questions, and engage in lengthy, good-faith discussions. Trying to use corporate marketing-speak or chasing viral trends will make you stick out in the wrong way. The goal isn't just to broadcast, it’s to participate. Show up, be yourself, and contribute to the conversation.

Content Strategy: Create Posts That Attract Followers

Your content is the engine of your growth. Generic posts won't cut it. To gain followers, you need to provide value, whether that’s through information, entertainment, or community building.

Find and Own Your Niche

You can't be interesting to everyone. Instead of posting about random topics, focus on 2-3 core areas you're knowledgeable and passionate about. This helps you attract a dedicated audience that shares your interests. Are you into front-end development, baking sourdough, or analyzing fantasy football stats? Whatever it is, lean into it. Become a reliable source of interesting content on those topics.

Mix Up Your Post Formats

Variety keeps your feed engaging. Don’t just rely on one type of post. Try incorporating a mix of:

• Insightful Text Posts: Share a strong opinion, an interesting observation, or a quick tip related to your niche. Ask a question to encourage replies.
• Helpful Threads: Use threads to break down a complex topic into digestible steps. A well-structured "how-to" thread can be incredibly valuable and shareable.
• Visuals: Share photos of your work, behind-the-scenes glimpses into your process, or relevant memes and GIFs that fit your brand's personality. Visuals stop the scroll and grab attention.
• Sharing Other Users' Posts: Reposting valuable content from others (with your own commentary added in a quote post) shows you're paying attention to the community and provides value to your followers beyond your own ideas.

Principle #1: Be Generous with Your Knowledge

Don't hold your best tips and insights back. Give them away freely. When people see that you consistently share useful information, they'll follow you to make sure they don’t miss out on what you share next. If you're a designer, share a quick tip about color theory. If you're a writer, share a template for overcoming writer's block. Generosity builds trust and authority.

Principle #2: Show, Don't Just Tell

Instead of just saying you’re an expert, demonstrate it. Share case studies, personal projects, or results you’ve achieved. For example, a social media manager could post a thread analyzing why a certain brand’s campaign was so successful. This approach is far more compelling than simply updating your bio to say "social media expert."

Engagement: The Secret Ingredient for Growth

Bluesky is a deeply conversational platform. You can’t expect to grow by just posting into the void. Active, thoughtful engagement is non-negotiable.

Write Replies That Add Value

Moving beyond "Great post!" or "I agree!" is essential. A truly valuable reply does one of three things:

1. Adds to the conversation: Offer a related idea, a different perspective, or a follow-up question.
2. Shares a personal experience: Relate the original post to a story or lesson you've learned.
3. Asks a thoughtful question: Encourage the original poster and others to go deeper on the topic.

When you leave insightful comments, you get noticed not just by the author of the post but by everyone else reading the replies. It's one of the most effective ways to introduce yourself to a new, relevant audience.

Connect with Others in Your Niche

Make a list of 10-20 interesting people or brands in your field and make it a habit to interact with their content regularly. Don't be spammy, focus on genuine contributions. By becoming a familiar face in the right circles, you position yourself as a peer and attract followers who are already interested in what you have to say.

Mastering Discoverability: Feeds and Hashtags

Perhaps the most powerful and unique feature on Bluesky is Custom Feeds. These are user-created algorithms that curate timelines based on specific topics, keywords, or communities. If you ignore feeds, you're missing out on the platform's primary discovery tool.

How to Use Custom Feeds for Growth

Think of feeds as themed communities. There are feeds for almost every interest imaginable - from `Cat Pics` and `Gardening` to `Positivity` and `UX/UI Design`.

• Find and Follow Relevant Feeds: Go to the "Feeds" tab in the Bluesky app to discover popular feeds. You can also search for feeds related to your niche. Following them will add them to your main navigation.
• Post Content for Those Feeds: Pay attention to how feeds work. Some are powered by specific hashtags (e.g., a post with #ArtHistory might appear in an art history feed). Others use keyword detection (e.g., a post that mentions "JavaScript" might get pulled into a web dev feed). Tailoring some of your content to appear in these feeds puts you directly in front of a highly engaged and relevant audience.

Using Hashtags Effectively

While Bluesky doesn't revolve around hashtags in the same way Instagram does, they are still useful for discoverability, especially for getting picked up by Custom Feeds. Here are a few best practices:

• Be Relevant: Use 1-3 highly relevant hashtags that accurately describe your post's content.
• Don't Spam: A wall of 20 hashtags looks messy and doesn't provide much value. Focus on precision over quantity.
• Check Feeds: See what hashtags are commonly used in the popular feeds within your niche and incorporate them where appropriate.

Consistency is Your Superpower

Building a following takes time. You won't gain a thousand followers overnight, and that's okay. The key is to be consistent. Set a realistic posting schedule you can stick to - whether it’s one post a day or a few times a week. More important than your posting frequency is your engagement frequency. Try to spend 15-20 minutes each day replying to comments, participating in discussions, and interacting with others. Sustained, steady effort will always outperform short bursts of intense activity.

Show up regularly, provide value, and be a good community member. That's the real formula for success on Bluesky.

Final Thoughts

Building a true audience on Bluesky relies on a few core principles: setting up a clear profile, creating genuinely valuable content, engaging thoughtfully in conversations, and using the platform’s unique feed system to connect with your community.

We know that managing the planning and scheduling needed to stay consistent across all platforms can be the biggest hurdle. That was one of the reasons we built Postbase. Our visual calendar strips away the complexity, helping you see your whole content strategy at a glance. By simplifying how you manage your presence elsewhere, you free up the time and mental space to dive deep into the genuine, community-first engagement that works so well on Bluesky.