nobody shows you this part on purpose 😮💨
my instagram was properly dead for years. not humble-brag dead, actually quiet. then i went all in on tiktok and crossed 20k in under six months. now brand deals land in my inbox from an account i used to be embarrassed to even bring up.
what nobody shows you is the middle. the flat months. posting into what feels like nothing, quietly wondering if you’re the one it just won’t work for.
you’re not the exception. you’re in the stage that doesn’t make the highlight reel yet my loves 🫱🏼🫲🏽
save this for your own flat, unglamorous middle 🤎
and comment MESSY QUEEN if you’re in the messy middle too, so we can be in it together 🥹
follow along, because i’m building this next stage in public too 🎧
———-
amy james x personal brand expert 👩🏽💻
#personalbrand #personalbranding #personalbrandcoach #contentstrategy #buildyourbrand
As someone who has experienced the slow and often disheartening growth phase firsthand, I can tell you that the "messy middle" is a common but rarely discussed stage in building a personal brand or social media presence. I was once in the same position—posting consistently on Instagram without any apparent growth, feeling stuck and embarrassed because my account was inactive for years. What changed everything was when I committed fully to TikTok, a platform that fueled rapid follower growth and new opportunities. Many people don’t realize that behind every successful influencer or brand deal are months—even years—of quiet struggle. This quiet period, the flat middle phase, often leads creators to question their worth or if the platform simply isn't for them. But that’s usually not the case. The key is persistence, posting content that matters to you and your target audience, and not giving up even when it feels like you’re posting into a void. On TikTok, I hit 20k followers in under six months. This momentum eventually revived my Instagram, which had been dormant. Suddenly, I was receiving brand collaborations and messages from companies interested in partnering—something I never imagined when my Instagram was 'dead.' This proved to me that consistency, patience, and leveraging the right platform at the right time are crucial. If you’re currently in the messy middle, I encourage you to embrace it as part of your growth journey. Engage authentically with your community, experiment with content strategy, and stay open to new platforms or audiences. Celebrate small wins and connect with others going through the same stage—like sharing your experiences with the hashtag #messyqueen or joining personal branding groups. Remember, success isn’t always a straight line or instant. Sometimes, the flat middle is where resilience is built. Sharing your progress publicly can not only hold you accountable but also inspire others navigating their own personal brand journeys. So keep going, your breakthrough might just be around the corner.
