I thought it would be fun to share another business journey with the community. A few years ago, I built and sold a niche affiliate website in the keto space, which ended up being a solid five-figure exit. That experience gave me both confidence and capital to explore new ideas, so this time I'm aiming much higher—a six-figure milestone. For some background, I'm a software developer by profession, but digital marketing has been my side passion for well over a decade. Most of my previous projects relied heavily on automation and social media traffic. This project, however, is completely different. No bots, no automation, and no shortcuts. The focus is on building a genuine social media presence using consistent content and organic marketing.
This journey actually started around five months ago. While experimenting with AI image generation for an unrelated project, I came across the idea of creating a virtual influencer. The more I explored the technology, the more potential I saw, so I decided to put my original project on hold and fully commit to building an AI personality. After spending about a week learning Stable Diffusion and experimenting with different settings, I managed to create a consistent character that looked unique enough to stand out. I chose ComfyUI for my workflow, although many creators prefer Automatic1111.
Once the character was ready, I launched an Instagram account. Growth was slow initially because the AI influencer niche has become incredibly competitive. Instead of expecting overnight success, I focused on posting consistently, engaging with similar creators, and applying the same organic growth strategies that had worked for me in previous projects. The first thousand followers took close to a month. After that, momentum started building. The next thousand came much faster, and within a few months the account crossed the 10,000-follower mark. Alongside Instagram, I also started growing a Twitter profile, although Instagram continues to be my primary traffic source. Currently the accounts are growing steadily. Instagram averages around 300 to 500 new followers every day, with occasional spikes above 1,000. Twitter growth is less predictable but continues to move in the right direction.
At the moment, the audience size looks roughly like this:
Current monthly revenue is approximately:
I'm looking forward to sharing future updates, discussing strategies, and answering questions wherever I can. Hopefully this journey ends with another successful exit—and maybe an even bigger one than the last.
This journey actually started around five months ago. While experimenting with AI image generation for an unrelated project, I came across the idea of creating a virtual influencer. The more I explored the technology, the more potential I saw, so I decided to put my original project on hold and fully commit to building an AI personality. After spending about a week learning Stable Diffusion and experimenting with different settings, I managed to create a consistent character that looked unique enough to stand out. I chose ComfyUI for my workflow, although many creators prefer Automatic1111.
Once the character was ready, I launched an Instagram account. Growth was slow initially because the AI influencer niche has become incredibly competitive. Instead of expecting overnight success, I focused on posting consistently, engaging with similar creators, and applying the same organic growth strategies that had worked for me in previous projects. The first thousand followers took close to a month. After that, momentum started building. The next thousand came much faster, and within a few months the account crossed the 10,000-follower mark. Alongside Instagram, I also started growing a Twitter profile, although Instagram continues to be my primary traffic source. Currently the accounts are growing steadily. Instagram averages around 300 to 500 new followers every day, with occasional spikes above 1,000. Twitter growth is less predictable but continues to move in the right direction.
At the moment, the audience size looks roughly like this:
- Instagram: 40,000–50,000 followers
- Twitter: 15,000–25,000 followers
Current monthly revenue is approximately:
- Subscription Platform A: $2,500–$3,000
- Subscription Platform B: Around $1,000
- AI Chatbot: Around $300
- Tips and additional support: Significant contribution
I'm looking forward to sharing future updates, discussing strategies, and answering questions wherever I can. Hopefully this journey ends with another successful exit—and maybe an even bigger one than the last.