Outfame study finds median Instagram gain of 346 followers in 30 days

Outfame analyzed 981 customer Instagram accounts and found that 86% gained followers in their first month, with a median increase of 346. The study suggests most early growth happens fast, with 62% of typical 90-day gains arriving by day 30.

Why it matters: - The results give creators and businesses a benchmark for what early Instagram growth can look like on a paid service. - The study suggests first-month momentum is the biggest driver of longer-term follower gains. - Outfame says the size and niche tables can help accounts compare expected performance against similar profiles.

What happened: - Outfame published Instagram Growth Statistics 2026, a study based on its own customer data. - The company measured 981 customer Instagram accounts at day 30 and found a median gain of 346 followers in the first 30 days. - That median increase equals 15.8% of the accounts’ starting follower counts. - 86% of the accounts gained followers in the first month. - The study uses daily follower-count readings from 7,271 Instagram accounts that started between Feb. 1 and May 31, 2026, and were followed through Oct. 29, 2026.

The details: - Outfame records each customer account’s public follower count once a day while the account is on an active paid plan. - The data set includes 164,963 daily readings. - Most growth arrived early. - Among 264 accounts that grew over 90 days, the typical account had made 62% of its 90-day gain by day 30. - Across 340 accounts measured at both day 30 and day 90, 78% of the combined 90-day net gain came in the first 30 days. - The median gain rose to 483 followers at day 60 across 577 accounts. - The median gain reached 533 followers at day 90 across 417 accounts. - The middle half of accounts gained between 73 and 549 followers in the first 30 days. - Starting size changed the percentage gain more than the raw follower gain. - Accounts starting below 1,000 followers gained a median of 341 followers in 30 days, a 69.4% increase, and 94% grew. - Accounts starting with 1,000 to 9,999 followers gained a median of 359 followers, a 12.5% increase, and 90% grew. - Accounts starting with 10,000 to 99,999 followers gained a median of 288 followers, about 1% of starting count, and 70% grew. - Accounts above 100,000 followers were excluded because too few were measured. - Travel accounts posted the highest median first-30-day gain among the nine niches measured, at 379 followers across 138 accounts. - Health and wellness followed at 361 followers, and fitness came in at 346. - Food accounts gained a median of 341 followers, music 324, and fashion 310. - Beauty accounts gained a median of 205 followers, art 187, and business 130. - Outfame assigned each niche from the account’s public profile and posts. - Niches with fewer than 40 measured accounts are not shown. - The study places its customer numbers alongside published Instagram and Meta figures. - Instagram reached 3 billion monthly active users in September 2025, according to TechCrunch. - Instagram said in April 2026 that 75% of its U.S. recommendations now come from original posts. - Meta’s apps averaged 3.64 billion daily active people in September 2026, according to the company’s third-quarter results. - Day 30, 60 or 90 gain is defined as the reading closest to that day, within three days, minus the first reading. - Only accounts still on a plan on that day are counted. - Medians are used to reduce the effect of very large accounts. - The study excludes 394 accounts whose follower count jumped above five times or fell below one-fifth of the starting count, usually after a username change or a failed reading.

Between the lines: - The data points to a strong front-loaded pattern, with most of the 90-day lift happening in the first month. - Smaller accounts gained more in percentage terms, even when absolute gains were similar to larger accounts. - Niche appears to matter, with travel, wellness and fitness outperforming business, beauty and art on median first-month gains. - The study is based on Outfame customer accounts, so the results reflect service users rather than Instagram accounts overall.

What's next: - Outfame says the full study, including the size and niche tables, method and a ready-made citation, is free to read and quote on outfame.com. - Outfame plans start at $49 for the first month. - Outfame says it has served more than 65,000 creators and businesses. - The company was founded in 2019 and is based in Los Angeles.

The bottom line: - For Outfame users, the first 30 days appear to be the critical window for follower growth, and account size and niche can materially shape the outcome.