What is the ideal number of followers when you can stop engaging?

Sometimes when replying to people I wonder how many followers to exceed so you can stop getting involved in commenting/replying to every comment. 🤔 I have heard many times that 2,000 – this, e.g. claimed John Rush or Dan Mindru. Of course, the more people you follow and the more reactions you get, the harder it is to manage. On the other hand, some people exceed this number and always reply to comments. 🤷‍♀️ IT DEPENDS ON MANY FACTORS: • What is the Platform? (on PH there is less engagement than on X) • How engaging are you? (when you post once a week, you will get less notifications than posting once a day) • How good do you want to be as a community manager? (the good ones try to manage everything) 💡 HOW PEOPLE SOLVE IT? • They answer randomly or in acute cases. • Their answers are shorter. • Hire a virtual assistant. • Use automatised answers. ---------- My take on that: I try to answer in many cases almost to everything. Besides bot comments. 😃 Anyway, not every time it is possible but in those "short-in-time" cases, at least, I try to read as much as I can to be aware of what is happening. Maybe my standpoint will change over the years but for now, it is like that. What is your approach to this topic?

Replies

Vaibhav
I am starting to believe that these numbers don't matter at all.
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Borja DR
I wasn't aware of the 2k rule either... I make an effort to reply to all comments since I'm nowhere near that limit. I believe that if someone takes the time to read and respond, they deserve the same courtesy in return. By the way, I've noticed you post frequently on Product Hunt, and I'm curious about how you plan your content and come up with ideas. Do you have any tips or advice?
Shahroz Ali
in my opinion if you wanna check your engagement then it would be of 3rd part of your total followers i am running a page of bernedoodle that have almost 5000 followers but they are no so active therefore i have aim of get 20k then i would consider it as a community that can share and react on informative stuff.
Iulian D
I don’t think there's a specific follower count where you should stop engaging. Even with a large following, maintaining genuine interactions is key to building trust and community. It’s more about the quality of engagement than the quantity!
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Gabi Militaru
The ideal number really depends on your engagement capacity and goals. However, once you have a solid base of around 20k-30k followers, it might be manageable to focus more on high-value interactions rather than every single comment.
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Alexander Alkor
It's so interesting to hear about the 2,000 rule. Says a lot about our habits and responding activities in general. As for me, I'd answer on any comment with a thoughtful question, suggestion, or constructive criticism. The more of them are here, the better for me, I believe.
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Alexander Alkor
@busmark_w_nika yes, but how much of them are truly that valuable? Contain new ideas, or something that resonates with you a lot, for example. Actually you seem to have much more experience than me, so you maybe know this approximate proportion? I don't know whether it change as you grow, but I think valuable comments are rather rare.
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Linda Baker
I think follower count is just one part of the equation. How engaged your audience is matters more than raw numbers. If you stop replying at 2k followers but your audience still expects it, you might lose that personal connection. Maybe stagger replies or prioritize based on comment depth?
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Ilona Lizer
When it comes to building an online community, it's important to remember that the number of subscribers doesn't always determine your success https://imeicheck.net/. Even with a small audience, you can interact effectively and build strong connections. However, it pays to pay attention to the quality of the interactions. Authenticating information about your device, for example through services like IMEI Check, helps you be more confident in your tech, just as checking your subscribers and interactions helps you better understand your audience. Quality over quantity!
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Alexander Galitsky
This is a test comment. Just curious to see how things will escalate
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Alex AI
The reality: Never. For example, I used to get around 20-25 likes when I had 300 followers on X. Nowadays, I’m not consistent. I post something now. I have 5,000+ followers, but I get no more than 5-10 likes on my posts. And when it comes to comments, it's even more embarrassing: I used to get 20 comments back then; now I get about 1-2. But back then, I engaged more with people. It sounds harsh, but if you're not a celebrity, you have to interact with people if you want engagement. Or you need to be part of some communities to get engagement.
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Nathan Covey
Is this a trick question? Never stop engaging 😅
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numbers don't matter
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Nifal Adam
Hey Nika, your insights on community engagement are spot on! 🌟 You've captured the essence of what it means to be genuinely involved in your community, which is refreshing in the sea of automation and detachment. Sometimes, sprinkling comments like seasoning can enhance the flavour of the community without overwhelming yourself. Not every reply needs to be a novel. Sometimes, a quick "Thanks for sharing!" can mean as much as a detailed response.
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Vivek
@busmark_w_nika That’s a great question and one a lot of us think about as our following grows! Honestly, there's no magic number where you can suddenly stop engaging. It really comes down to what kind of connection you want with your audience. Even with thousands of followers, staying engaged (at least to some degree) keeps your community lively and shows you care. Some people manage by prioritizing comments that add value or spark interesting conversations, while others might start using tools or hiring help to keep up. Personally, I think it’s important to keep the human touch as much as possible, even if that means replying to fewer comments but with more thoughtfulness. What’s worked for you so far?
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Han Kim
Sunrise: Guided Journaling & Mindfulness
Sunrise: Guided Journaling & Mindfulness
I didn't know about 2,000 rule! Thanks for sharing!
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Max Zhang
Well I guess it really depends. The engagement rate matters more.
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Rafael Biasiolo
I'm new here, with no followers....Let's connect!
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Ardak Y
2000 per platform? or across all of them?
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