5,000 Followers

I recently hit 5,000 followers on Instagram which is crazy AF. 5,000 people saw my page and took the time to hit follow. It honestly blows my mind.

I started this because anyone who knows me knows I love talking (probably too much) and I wanted to finally make a small space on the internet mine. It’s actually surprising to me that given how nerdy I am I never had built a website before.

When I started SavePointDad.com, I thought only a few people would ever care about the small moments I share. I figured I might reach other dads, gamers, and maybe a handful of runners who also complain about early morning workouts. But then people started commenting and sharing in ways I did not expect. They read the blog. They commented with their own. They laughed at the same dumb shit that makes me laugh. And they made this page feel less like a vault and more like a living room where everyone drops by randomly. I don’t think that actually happens anymore, but it did when I was a kid, and it was fun as hell.

Once you see that people connect with the stuff you put out there, you start opening up more. You start telling the truth instead of polishing everything. You stop worrying about perfect posts because you realize people respond to the messy ones too, they actually respond more to them. Honesty pulls people in more than faking some perfect ass life that we are all used to seeing on social media. It feels strange but also comforting.

Friends

To me the craziest part of this whole thing is how natural the community building felt. I did not sit down with a strategy guide or a plan. I just posted what was on my mind and talked with literally anyone who took the time to comment or email me. I still do. Then over time those small conversations turned into actual friendships. I know it sounds odd to call people on Instagram “friends,” but a lot of you feel like that now. We have the same hobbies, watch the same shows, and are tired of the same bullshit. And that is something I did not see coming.

There are people I talk to almost every day. People I check in on and people that check in on me. People who send messages that feel more personal than anything my own friends would say. I did not expect the back-and-forth to matter so much, yet here I am treating people behind tiny profile photos like close friends.

And what makes it even better is how supportive everyone is. When you like someone's post, you are saying, “I see you.” When you comment, you are saying, “You are not posting into a void.”

The Bullshit Algorithm

Now let me tell you about the part that drives every creator a little crazy. Omg, I never once thought I would refer to my dumbass as a creator. I am rolling my eyes for you guys. The Instagram algorithm is unpredictable. One day it feels like your biggest fan. The next day it feels like it stuffed your post into the closet and is embarrassed to be seen with you. I know I have 5,000 followers, but on average my posts only reach between 700 and 1,300 people. You would think that number would be bigger. It makes you wonder why you try so hard to gain followers when only a small percentage even see your posts.

The most irritating part is that you can follow every rule and trick and still get shutdown by the algorithm. You can post at the right time, use the perfect tags, and spend real effort on editing. And then Instagram shrugs and says, “Nah.”

So, I focus on what I can control. I can control actually responding to people. I can control supporting my Instagram friends. I can control the stories I tell. If the algorithm decides to cooperate, dope. If not, at least the people who do see my posts see something real.

I Wish I Had Liked My Friends’ Content More in the Past

I wish more people understood the simple act of supporting your friends who create content can make or break their momentum. A like seems small. A comment seems quick.. But to the person on the other side of that screen, it can feel like a real push forward. It feels like someone reached over and said, “Keep going, MF.” Also, sharing or sending a post through direct message is the best way to help. Thanks lol.

You sit with your thoughts and assume they land with someone. So, when people support your shit, it is as if someone can relate or understands. That support builds confidence. It makes you want to post again.

I try to support as many people as I can because I know how much it helps me. If a creator posts something, I want them to know that it reached someone. Too many people quit because they think nobody gives a shit. A lot of the people who started accounts at the same time I did are gone already. What is shitty is they had awesome content, it was sure as hell better than mine. So, if you see a friend trying, even a little, give them that like. Give them that boost. It goes further than you think.

"Praise and encouragement are not finite resources." My boss told me this once and it has really stuck with me.

Spammy

This is something I still struggle with. I want people to read the blog because it is where I go deeper. It’s my part of the internet and not slave to the algorithm. But I also do not want to annoy people by pushing the blog everywhere.

There is a fine line between letting people know something exists and spamming them until they block you. I want people to know SavePointDad.com is a thing, but I do not want to annoy them. Instagram makes it trickier because sending too many DMs or posting too aggressively can flag your account as spam.

So now I mention the blog gently. I let people discover it at their own pace. And honestly, the right people always find it. The ones who want deeper connections drift there naturally. The ones who prefer Instagram stay there.

Creators Come and Go

Creators disappear all the time. I would say more than half the people who started around the same time as me are gone now. Some deleted their pages. Some walked away quietly. Some still exist, but they post like once a month.

I’ll admit thinking of consistent content is hard AF. It takes time. It takes energy. It takes vulnerability. And if you do not get enough support, the effort starts feeling heavy and even stupid. One bad week turns into a bad month. And before you know it, you fade out. I get it. I have thought about stopping more than once.

But then I get a message from someone saying, “Hey man, I just need you to know your blog connects with me,” and suddenly I'm all good again. Those messages feel like gold. They remind me why I started. They remind me that connection matters more than the bullshit analytics.

I realized I am glad I started this with no expectations and had no idea wtf I was doing. It keeps my voice different. I am a dad who works, runs, plays games, hates salad, and writes about the parts of life that feel familiar. That is my lane. That is my voice. It is a strange kind of freedom.

“I can do this all day.” - Cap

After all of this, I can say something I am just grateful. I have people who care about what I have to say and take time out of their busy ass days to read this.

I know I am still learning. I am still figuring out how to write honestly without overthinking. I overthink the simplest shit. Like even now, I am thinking did I add to many “bad” words? Do I need to remove them? Fuck it, I don’t care.

I am still balancing fatherhood, fitness, and a life online and offline. I still hit Infinite rank on Marvel Snap every season in 2-3 days. I am still adjusting to the weirdness of people connecting with things I share especially given the fact that we have never met.

I want to keep building a space where people feel like they belong. A space where you all simply say, “Yeah, I get that”.

Thank You 3,000

So, like always, thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading these long meandering posts and sending your own stories. Thank you for liking the posts and telling me when something hits home. Thanks for just being here on SavePointDad.com.

Thank you for being part of this. Let’s start working on 10,000 followers next.