🛑 How I Stopped Chasing 100K Followers and Landed 27 Brand Deals instead

(And Why You’re Doing It All Wrong)

Ana Calin

Oct 27, 2024

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Let’s get real for a second: I also used to believe the biggest lie on social media—that more followers equals more success.

We’ve all been there, scrolling through Instagram, seeing those influencer accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers and thinking:

“That’s what I need to land brand deals.”

But here’s the truth: it’s total b**s**.

I’ve landed more than 27 solid brand deals without ever hitting 100K. In less than 3 months!

And guess what?

You don’t need 100K either.

You don’t even need a fraction of that.

Why?

Because it’s not the numbers that brands are chasing anymore—it’s authenticity and connection.

Let me tell you how I did it, stopped chasing the follower count, and started landing deals that actually matter.

1. How My Niche Audience Became My Superpower

I’ll admit it—I used to try to appeal to everyone.

I thought casting a wide net would attract more opportunities.

But then I realized something: nobody cares about broad, generic content.

The key to unlocking brand deals is to go niche. But with a catch.

Here’s what I did:

I stopped trying to be everything to everyone and focused on my people.

Solopreneurs, freelancers, portfolio career builders—people who are done with the 9-5 grind and want to build their own thing.

Once I was clear on that niche, things changed.

My engagement skyrocketed, and that’s when brands started to notice.

Shortform, for example, one of the best reading hubs out there, reached out to me after I posted a simple tip on growing a personal brand.

They didn’t care that I wasn’t clocking 100K followers—they cared that I was speaking directly to the people they wanted to reach.

We are now partners beyond a brand sponsorship as I became their lifetime ambassador too. (I only recommend products that I love and I mostly end up partnering for a longer period of time with brands like these):

That’s the beauty of a niche audience: you don’t need to shout, because your people are already listening.

2. Authenticity Is Your Currency

(And It’s Worth More Than Followers)

Here’s where it gets really controversial: follower count is becoming irrelevant.

What really matters to brands? Engagement.

And that comes from authenticity.

So, stop trying to play the algorithm game or follow the latest trend—your audience can smell when you’re faking it.

When I started being myself—sharing stories about my struggles building a portfolio career, my wins, and even my screw-ups—my audience responded.

And guess what? Brands responded too.

One deal I landed wasn’t because I had thousands of followers; it was because I had an audience that trusted me.

Here’s how you know you’ve got authentic engagement:

When your followers talk back.
When they ask questions
Respond to your content
And genuinely care about what you have to say.

That’s the kind of engagement that brands drool over, and you don’t need 100K followers to get it.

3. Quality Over Quantity (Or Why Posting Less Helped Me More)

In the beginning of my social outreach, I was obsessively posting on LinkedIn every day, thinking that the more I posted, the more likely brands would find me.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.

In fact, it was burning me out, and my content was getting weaker.

So I stopped. I slowed down. I started focusing on quality over quantity.

I remember creating one in-depth, meaningful post about the challenges of personal branding. It wasn’t flashy, but it resonated with my audience.

That post got me a brand deal, not because it went viral, but because it was valuable.

Here’s how they approached me:

The brand loved the depth of the conversation in the comments—people weren’t just “liking” it, they were engaged with it.

My takeaway?

You don’t need to post every day.
You don’t need to play the numbers game.
You need to post value (for your audience), and that’s what will attract brands.
They want to see creators who understand their audience and bring real insight.

4. How I Turned My Audience Into My Leverage

If you think brands are only looking for huge influencers, let me tell you something: brands are getting smarter.

They know the return on investment for working with smaller, more engaged creators is better than throwing money at mega-influencers who can barely scratch the surface of connection.

Here’s what I did: I leveraged my audience’s loyalty.

Instead of waiting for brands to come to me, I reached out to the brands that I genuinely loved and used. And, even more important, that I knew my audience would love and want to use.

I reached out to the best brand deal hubs and put myself out there.

Set up your free brand deal

I showed them my engagement metrics, shared examples of content where my audience responded enthusiastically, and—this is key—I pitched ideas that aligned with their brand’s goals.

Brands don’t just want to know how many followers you have; they want to know how your audience trusts you and how you can help them tell their story.

One brand I worked with literally said, “We don’t care about your follower count. Your engagement is what hooked us.”

5. The Rise of the Micro-Influencer (And Why It’s a Game Changer)

Here’s the kicker: micro-influencers (creators with smaller, highly engaged followings) are becoming the sweet spot for brands.

Why? Because smaller creators build real relationships with their audience.

They’re seen as more authentic, and their followers actually listen when they recommend a product.

I remember one of my best deals came after a campaign with another creator completely flopped.

Why? Because that creator had a huge following but zero connection with their audience.

Meanwhile, my smaller, engaged following showed up and actually converted for the brand.

That’s when I realized: small doesn’t mean less valuable. It means more targeted.

So, What’s the Real Secret?

You don’t need 100K followers. Heck, you don’t even need half that.

What you need is to understand your audience, build genuine connections, and focus on creating value for them (aka what they need to solve their problems)—because that’s what brands are looking for too.

Here’s what I want you to take away from this: