[BaileyMonroe]

I’m thinking about starting from scratch with either Instagram or YouTube. I don’t really have any budget for upfront investment, so my plan is to build an account organically, grow it as much as possible, and potentially sell it later.

My main question is whether consistently posting short-form content is enough to get an account moving without spending money on ads or promotions.

Between Instagram and YouTube, which one do you think has better potential for growing an account from zero? Would you focus mainly on Reels/Shorts, or would you mix in some longer content as well?

I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually grown and sold social media accounts. What would you choose if you were starting with basically no budget?

 

[kcollins398]

Insta ill be more gd fr al types of collabs

 

[wfarrell150]

If I had zero budget, I’d start with YouTube Shorts and repost the same original content to Instagram Reels. One piece of content can give you two chances to find an audience.

 

[ajohnson295]

I’d personally choose YouTube. Shorts can bring discovery, while long-form gives you another way to build a deeper audience later.

 

[SueArcher]

Yes, organic growth is definitely possible. The difficult part isn’t posting every day; it’s figuring out what people actually want to watch.

 

[AdamAnderson45]

I wouldn’t spend money on ads at the beginning. I’d use that time and effort to test different content ideas first.

 

[ahicks]

For an account you eventually want to sell, I’d focus on the niche more than the platform. A targeted audience is probably more valuable than a random follower count.