How to Grow a Following on Bluesky

Trying to build an audience on a new social platform can feel like starting from scratch, but growing a real following on Bluesky is easier than you think. This guide skips the generic advice and gives you the exact strategies that work on this unique, decentralized network. We'll cover everything from setting up your profile for discovery to mastering the art of the skeet and leveraging the platform's most powerful (and overlooked) feature for growth.

First Impressions Matter: Optimize Your Bluesky Profile

Before you ever post, your profile does the heavy lifting. A well-optimized profile doesn't just look professional, it acts as a magnet for the right kind of followers. When someone glances at your page, they should instantly know who you are and why they should follow you. Think of it as your digital business card.

Your Handle, Display Name, and Bio

These three elements work together to make you discoverable. Here's how to make them count:

• Handle (@username): Keep it simple, memorable, and consistent with your other social media accounts if possible. This makes it easy for people from other platforms to find you. If your ideal handle is taken, add a simple, relevant word like "@JaneDoeWrites" or "@AcmeDesignCo."
• Display Name: This is prime real estate! Unlike your handle, you can change your display name easily and it supports spaces and emojis. Include keywords that describe what you do. For example, instead of just "Sarah Chen," use "Sarah Chen | Social Media Marketer 📠." This helps you show up in user searches.
• Bio: You have 256 characters to convince someone to follow you. Be clear and direct. State what you talk about, who you help, or what your interests are. Use emojis to add personality and break up the text. End with a clear call to action or a link to your work if relevant. A good bio answers the question: "What's in it for me if I follow you?"

Profile Picture and Header Image

Visuals create an immediate connection. Don't overlook these two key elements.

• Profile Picture: Use a clear, high-quality headshot if it's a personal brand. For a company, your logo is the obvious choice. The key is consistency, use the same profile picture you use everywhere else so your audience instantly recognizes you.
• Header Image: This space lets you add more personality and context. It can be a photo of your team, a graphic showcasing your services, a sample of your artwork, or a quote that represents your brand. Avoid clutter. Your header should complement your profile picture, not compete with it.

Understanding the Platform: The Bluesky Vibe

Bluesky isn't a carbon copy of any other platform. Its culture grew out of a desire for a different kind of social experience, reminiscent of the early, conversational days of Twitter but with its own flavor. People are here for genuine conversation, not necessarily for viral Reels or clickbait articles.

The general atmosphere is less polished and more "in-the-moment." It's a space where people share thoughts as they have them, engage in multi-day threaded conversations, and bond over extremely specific, shared interests. Treating it like you're broadcasting marketing messages is the fastest way to get ignored. Instead, show up to participate. The currency of Bluesky is interesting conversation, and your posts (called "skeets") are your entry ticket.

What to Post: Your Bluesky Content Strategy

Your content dictates who follows you and why they stick around. On Bluesky, your goal is to be consistently interesting and to spark interaction. Here's a breakdown of what works.

Craft Engaging Text-First Content

Bluesky is, at its heart, a text-driven platform. While you can post images and links, high-quality text generates the most discussion.

• Share your expertise, but make it personal. Don't just regurgitate facts. Tell a story about a mistake you made and what you learned. Share an unpopular opinion in your industry and explain your reasoning. Personal anecdotes make your knowledge relatable.
• Use Threads to tell a bigger story. Got a great idea that won't fit into 300 characters? Use a thread. Number your skeets (1/5, 2/5, etc.) to make it easy to follow. This is one of the best ways to deliver immense value and keep people engaged with your content for longer.
• Ask open-ended questions. Avoid simple yes/no questions. Instead of "Do you like email marketing?" ask "What's one thing you wish people understood about email marketing?" Questions like this invite detailed responses and kickstart real conversations.

Use Visuals to Stand Out

While text is king, visuals help you capture attention in a scrolling feed. However, how you use them matters.

• Memes &, GIFs: Bluesky has a strong meme culture. Using relevant and timely memes shows that you understand the platform's language and adds a layer of fun to your account.
• Screenshots: A screenshot of a funny comment, a powerful quote, or an interesting data point can be a great conversation starter. It provides immediate context without requiring a click.
• Behind-the-scenes photos: Give people a glimpse of your process, your workspace, or your personality. These posts build authenticity and help your audience feel more connected to you or your brand.

The Social Secret: Driving Growth Through Engagement

This is where the real growth happens. You can post the best content in the world, but if you're not actively engaging with others, you're missing the point of "social" media. The more you give, the more you get back in the form of followers, replies, and community.

Reply Like a Human Being

Don't just hit like. Leaving a thoughtful reply is one of the most effective ways to get noticed by both the original poster and their audience. A great reply adds to the conversation - it might be an additional insight, a follow-up question, or a shared experience.

Make a daily habit of finding 5-10 interesting skeets from people in your niche and leaving meaningful comments. This activity costs you nothing but time, but the return in awareness and organic follows is huge.

Quote-Skeet to Add Your Voice

A "quote skeet" (similar to a quote tweet) is when you share someone else's post along with your own commentary. This is different from a simple reskeet (or repost). Use it to:

• Add your perspective to a news item.
• Disagree respectfully with a popular take.
• Amplify a great point someone else made and add your own context.

This shows your audience not only *what* you're paying attention to, but *how* you think about it.

The Ultimate Growth Hack: Mastering Custom Feeds

Custom Feeds are Bluesky's secret weapon. They are user-created, algorithmic timelines based on specific keywords, phrases, or user lists. A feed could be "Street Art," "Good News Only," "Positivity," or "#SciFi."

Finding and participating in these feeds is the fastest way to connect with people who share your specific interests. Here's how to do it:

1. Find Relevant Feeds: Tap the "# Feeds" icon in the navigation bar or search for keywords related to your niche. Add a few feeds to "My Feeds" to start.
2. Engage Within the Feed: Spend time in your chosen feeds. See what people are talking about and how they're talking about it. Like and reply to posts within the feed to become part of the community.
3. Create Content for the Feed: When you create content related to a feed's topic, it has a high chance of getting picked up by that feed's algorithm. This puts your content directly in front of a highly-relevant, pre-qualified audience. For example, if you post a picture of your cat with the word "cat" in the text, you'll likely appear in the popular "Cat Pics" feed. This is powerful organic reach that requires no hashtags.

Think about feeds as permanent, niche-specific chat rooms. Becoming a valuable contributor in one is a direct path to sustainable follower growth.

Putting It All Together: Consistency is Everything

Like any platform, growth on Bluesky doesn't happen overnight. It happens through consistent effort. It's better to spend 20 minutes a day actively engaging and posting than to spend three hours once a week.

Create a simple routine:

• Post one original skeet or thread per day.
• Reply to at least 10 other people.
• Check your favorite custom feeds and participate in conversations.

Stay active, be genuine, contribute value, and find your people in custom feeds. If you do those things, you won't just gain followers - you'll build a real community.

Final Thoughts

Building a following on Bluesky comes down to a simple formula: pair a strong profile with valuable, conversational content and engage directly within its unique communities and custom feeds. Show up consistently not just to post, but to participate, and you'll attract an audience that genuinely cares about what you have to say.

As you map out your content for Bluesky, you might worry about managing it alongside your other channels like Instagram, TikTok, or X. Juggling multiple platforms can get overwhelming fast. That's precisely why we designed a tool to simplify the process. With Postbase, you can see all your content scheduled across every network in one clean calendar, helping you stay consistent everywhere without the headache of switching between countless apps.