How Many Social Media Followers Should Your Small Biz Actually Have?
Alright, let’s be real: you don’t need a bazillion followers to make your small business pop off. You just need the right ones—people who care about what you’re selling and might actually spend money with you. But how many followers is “right”? Let’s figure it out. Don’t worry, there’s a little math, but we’ll keep it fun.
Step 1: What’s the Population of Your Area?
Start by figuring out how many people are in the area you’re targeting. We’re talking your city, town, or the five-block radius where you deliver the best pizza on the planet.
For example:
If you live in a town with 50,000 people, that’s your starting number.
Step 2: Who Are YOUR People?
Next, let’s slice that number down to the folks who actually care about what you do. Not everyone is your customer, and that’s okay. Think about things like:
Their age (Are you for the 25-year-olds? The moms? The retirees?)
Their interests (Fitness? Coffee? Bougie candles?)
What they need (A glow-up? A house? A stiff drink?)
Example:
Say you own a yoga studio, and your target audience is adults aged 25–45 who are into health and wellness.
Let’s say that group makes up 30% of your town’s population: 50,000×0.3=15,000 people.50,000 \times 0.3 = 15,000 \text{ people.}50,000×0.3=15,000 people.
Now we’re talking: 15,000 potential customers is a solid crowd.
Step 3: How Many Are Scrolling?
Not everyone in your target audience is glued to social media (shocking, I know). So let’s figure out how many of those 15,000 are actually on the platform you’re using.
If you’re prioritizing Instagram and 70% of your audience uses it, the math looks like this: 15,000×0.7=10,500 social media users.15,000 \times 0.7 = 10,500 \text{ social media users.}15,000×0.7=10,500 social media users.
Now you know: 10,500 people in your area are your social media target audience.
Step 4: How Many Followers Should You Shoot For?
Here’s the sweet spot: aim for 10–30% of that social media audience.
Why? Because it’s doable. And because it’s better to have 1,000 people who LOVE what you do than 10,000 who couldn’t care less.
Example:
10% Goal: 10,500 × 0.1 = 1,050 followers
30% Goal: 10,500 × 0.3 = 3,150 followers
So if you’re that yoga studio, your follower goal could be anywhere between 1,000–3,000 highly engaged followers. Totally realistic, right?
Step 5: Let ChatGPT Do the Heavy Lifting
If numbers make your head spin, don’t sweat it. ChatGPT can figure this all out for you. Just use the prompt below, and it’ll calculate your follower goal AND pull the data for you.
Copy and paste this prompt into ChatGPT:
"I own a [type of business] in [city, town, or geographic area]. I need help figuring out how many followers I should aim for on [social media platform]. Can you:
Look up the population of this area.
Estimate the percentage of the population that fits my target audience. My target audience is [describe audience traits like age range, interests, income, or behaviors].
Estimate what percentage of my target audience uses [social media platform].
Calculate a follower range for me, based on 10–30% of the social media target audience.
Please show your calculations so I can understand the numbers!"*
Example Prompt:
"I own a yoga studio in Asheville, North Carolina. I need help figuring out how many followers I should aim for on Instagram. Can you:
Look up the population of Asheville, NC.
Estimate the percentage of the population that fits my target audience. My target audience is adults aged 25–40 who like fitness and wellness.
Estimate what percentage of this group uses Instagram.
Calculate a follower range for me, based on 10–30% of my social media target audience.
Please show your calculations so I can understand the numbers!"*
ChatGPT will do the research, run the numbers, and give you an easy-to-understand answer. You don’t even need a calculator.
The Big Picture
When it comes to follower goals, it’s not about chasing huge numbers—it’s about connecting with the right people. Use this approach to set a realistic target, then focus on building a community that actually cares about what you do.
So, what are you waiting for? Drop your info into ChatGPT, get your numbers, and start growing that following! Let’s go!