When will you reach 1,000 or 10,000 followers? Enter how many followers you have now, your goal and how fast you grow. You see when you will get there, which earning thresholds you pass on the way, and how many new followers a week you would need to get there faster.
Check in your statistics how many followers you gained in the last four weeks, and divide that by four.
You reach your goal in
Thresholds on the way
New followers per week you would need
Thresholds: what the platforms ask, as of September 2026. Everything happens in your own browser: we do not send or keep anything.
How to use the planner
- Choose Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.
- Enter your current number of followers and your goal, or tap one of the goals.
- Enter how many followers you gain per week. If you don’t know, check in your statistics how many you gained in the last four weeks and divide by four. For Instagram, the planner can also estimate it from how often you post.
Where do the thresholds come from?
The thresholds are what the platforms ask at the time of writing before they pay you: for example 500 followers for gifts on Instagram Reels, and 1,000 subscribers plus watch hours for ads on YouTube. All requirements per platform, and when brands usually start paying, are in how many followers you need to make money. What you can then charge per post, you estimate with the influencer rate calculator.
How realistic is the result?
The planner works with a straight line: the same number of new followers every week. Hardly any account grows like that. There are quiet weeks, and one video that takes off can bring more followers in a few days than a whole month. Use the result as a direction, not a promise.
The Instagram estimate comes from Buffer’s research into 2.1 million posts (2025): accounts that posted three to five times a week grew 0.26% a week on average, accounts that posted six to nine times 0.44%. That is an average: many accounts grow faster or slower.
Growing faster
- Post regularly, for example three to five times a week. Which times work, you can test with our post planner.
- Check in your statistics which posts brought new followers, and make more like them.
- More tips in how to get free TikTok followers.
Buy part of your goal?
You can, but bought followers are not an audience: they do not like or comment, so your engagement rate drops. If you still want to give a new account a starting point, these are our most chosen products.
Questions about your follower goal
How long does it take to get 1,000 followers?
That depends on how fast you grow. With 25 new followers a week it takes about 40 weeks from zero, with 100 a week about 10 weeks. Enter your own numbers in the planner.
How many followers do you need to make money?
It differs per platform. On Instagram you can receive gifts on Reels from 500 followers; on YouTube you can earn ad revenue from 1,000 subscribers plus watch hours. Brands often start paying at around 10,000 followers.
Is the planner free?
Yes, without an account. The calculation happens in your own browser: we do not send or keep anything.
