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How to Grow on Social Media in 2024: Proven Tips for Creators & Brands

Crescitaly Staff

Crescitaly Staff

— 3 min read

In December 2023, Lisa, a 22-year-old micro creator from Berlin, posted her first TikTok video recapping her year in thrifted fashion. Within 48 hours, it hit 1.2 million views. By the end of the week, she had gained 75,000 followers—and three collaboration requests from sustainable clothing brands. What changed? Everything and nothing.

Social media is still the most democratized launchpad for creators, brands, and entrepreneurs—but the platforms, audience behavior, and growth mechanics evolve fast. If you’re still applying 2020 tactics in 2024, expect stagnation.

In this guide, we’ll break down how to grow on social media in today’s fragmented, scroll-optimized landscape—with actionable strategies tailored to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Telegram.

What Growth Means in 2024 (And Why It’s Not Always About Followers)

Social growth today is more nuanced than ever. Sure, your follower count still matters, but real influence comes from:

  • Sustained engagement (likes, comments, saves, DMs)
  • Community participation (people tagging others, sharing Stories, replying to polls)
  • Cross-platform movement (e.g., drive TikTok viewers to your Telegram channel)
  • Commercial conversions (link-in-bio clicks, affiliate sales, brand deals)
“Algorithms may decide reach, but community decides growth,” says Aaron Zheng, growth strategist and consultant for early-stage creators.

With that lens, let’s look platform by platform.

Instagram: Reels and Relationships Still Rule

1. Reels Are Still the Reach Engine

In 2024, Instagram continues to prioritize Reels as its top discovery surface. According to Crescitaly.com, creators who posted at least 4 Reels per week saw a 28% faster follower growth rate compared to photo-only accounts.

What’s working now:

  • Hook in 1–2 seconds: Start with motion, facial emotion, or text-on-screen that triggers curiosity.
  • Native edits: Use Instagram’s in-app features like Cutouts, Remix, and trending audio to boost visibility.
  • Reel-to-Story follow-ups: Post additional context in Stories to turn viewers into followers.

2. Story Engagement = Algorithm Signals

Instagram’s algorithm favors accounts with steady DM activity and sticker engagement over raw post frequency. Here’s how to exploit that:

  • Use the questions sticker weekly to source content ideas
  • Share DM replies anonymously (with permission) to show community voices
  • Encourage replies with controversial or opinionated polls

TikTok: It’s Now Search + Culture

1. Think of TikTok as a Dynamic Search Engine

Users now use TikTok’s search bar like Google—especially Gen Z. Start by identifying high-intent searches in your niche (e.g., “best budget travel apps”).

Then:

  • Include keywords directly in your opening sentence and on-screen text
  • Add descriptive captions and relevant hashtags (e.g., #travelbudgettips)
  • Make content visually skimmable in under 10 seconds

In 2024, trends that feel niche and narrative-driven outperform generic lip-syncs. For example:

  • “Here’s what nobody told me about quitting my job at 27” → storytelling + vulnerability
  • “Things tourists do in Rome that locals hate” → location-based insights
Creators who “add to the culture” are prioritized by TikTok's algorithm, says a recent Trends Report from the platform.

YouTube: Shorts Work, But Longform Converts

1. You Must Be Posting Both

This isn’t optional in 2024. YouTube Shorts are crucial for reach—especially with repositioned content from TikTok or Instagram. But they’re only half the funnel.

Combine both for a hybrid strategy:

  • Use Shorts to test hooks, personalities, and discoverability
  • Direct viewers to longform videos that deepen value and build loyalty

Top SMM creators on Crescitaly's dashboard leveraged this dual publishing schedule to triple their average watch time in under three months.

2. Treat Thumbnails Like Headlines

Your video is only as powerful as the thumbnail-CTR. In 2024, trends favor:

  • No more than 3–4 words per thumbnail
  • Facial expressions that signal a clear emotional tone (shock, relief, joy)
  • High contrast colors matched to your niche (e.g., calming pastels for wellness, bold reds for activism)

Telegram: The Passive Powerhouse No One Talks About

Telegram quietly grew to over 800 million active users in 2023—becoming an underground hub for creator megachannels, crypto marketers, and course sellers.

Why It Works

  • High visibility: Almost every message hits your subscribers directly
  • No algorithm: You reach 100% of your audience every time
  • Automation ready: Scheduled posts, bots, and integrations make Telegram perfect for content systems

Adding a Telegram channel to your content ecosystem stabilizes your influence—especially when algorithm reach tops out elsewhere. Tools like Crescitaly's advanced panel even let you layer in intelligent automation to improve posting cadence.

Final Takeaways: What the Smartest Creators Will Do Next

Growth in 2024 belongs to creators and marketers who:

  • Actively adapt to platform shifts, rather than complain about them
  • Blend storytelling and SEO for virality and conversion
  • Build satellite audiences across apps—YouTube + TikTok + Telegram is the new holy trinity
  • Use panels like Crescitaly.com not just for metrics, but as diagnostic tools for improving strategy

There is no one-size-fits-all playbook anymore. But if you treat your content like product, your audience like co-creators, and your data like a compass—not a grade—you’ll continue to grow no matter the platform.

Meta Title: How to Grow on Social Media in 2024

Meta Description: Learn how to grow on social media in 2024 with effective strategies for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Telegram.

Tags: Instagram, SMM panel, TikTok growth, YouTube Shorts, Telegram marketing, social media strategy, Crescitaly

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