Scaling an AI News Platform’s Followers from 60K to 200K

Background

An emerging AI-focused news platform (under a larger media publication) approached Opus Momentum for help in amplifying its social media presence and credibility. They operated in a crowded AI news space, producing in-house editorial pieces but struggled to achieve the level of engagement and follower growth they envisioned.

Starting Follower Base: ~60,000 on Instagram

Goal: Increase reach and engagement, position the platform as a leading AI news source, and set up scalable systems to keep the momentum going.

Key Challenges

• Saturated AI News Market: Countless AI-related pages, from indie tech bloggers to major outlets, made it tough to stand out.
• Low Engagement: Despite having 60K followers, average likes ranged between 200–500, suggesting the existing audience wasn’t deeply engaged.
• Time-Sensitive Content Needs: In the AI world, stories can become outdated within days. Producing timely news updates across multiple platforms required a streamlined workflow.
• Balancing Editorial & Engagement-Focused Content: The client wanted to maintain their “voice” through editorial reels and articles, while also introducing new, engaging formats.

Our Strategic Approach

Opus Momentum developed a multi-platform content strategy, aiming for consistency, timeliness, and adaptability:

Timely AI News

• Rapid Updates: We monitored AI trends daily, ensuring we posted relevant news as soon as it broke.
• Rich Carousels (4–10 slides): Instead of quick single-image posts, each carousel was crafted to unfold a mini-story. Each slide added value, from quick facts to deeper insights, keeping users engaged until the last slide.

Platform-Specific Versions

Instagram:

• Carousels with bold visuals, concise captions, and strong call-to-actions.
• Reels with intriguing hooks, relevant AI-themed sounds, and text overlays to catch short attention spans.

Twitter:

• Short, punchy threads or single tweets with quick updates.
• Re-purposing carousel content into bite-sized tweets for immediate shareability.

Facebook & LinkedIn:

• Longer-form posts for more context, appealing to audiences who prefer deeper reads.
• Professional spin on certain news stories to spark industry-level discussions.

Stories & WhatsApp:

• Short, vertical stories for quick announcements, poll-based engagement, and sharing behind-the-scenes AI snippets.

Engagement-Driven Content

• Creative AI Outputs: Showcasing interesting or “viral” AI-generated images, chat interactions, or code snippets relevant to the brand.
• Community Spotlight: Highlighting user-made AI projects or open-source breakthroughs that fostered conversation and shares.

Modular Content Templates & Easy Handoffs

• We built templates that allowed the client’s internal team to quickly plug-and-play new updates.
• Customized Asset Packs: Provided images, fonts, color swatches, and style guides, making it seamless to repurpose content for various channels.

Results Achieved

Follower Growth:

• 200K on Instagram within five months, up from 60K, a more than 3x jump.
• Early adoption on other channels like Threads, where the platform reached 6,400 users in a short period, adding to the brand’s multi-platform presence.

Increased Engagement:

• Average likes doubled to around 500–1,000 per post; many posts hit 11K, 12K, or 15K likes.
• One viral reel soared to 350,000 likes, demonstrating breakout potential when trending AI topics meet high-quality creative.

Effortless In-House Execution:

• By the end of our engagement, the client had robust, easy-to-use workflows.
• They no longer required external support, which speaks volumes about how self-sufficient the system became.

Sustained Content Quality:

• Even after Opus Momentum’s direct involvement ended, the platform continued to use the content strategies, templates, and styling we introduced, ensuring consistency and high performance. 

Why It Worked

• Timeliness is King: AI evolves rapidly, and every hour counts. Our near-real-time updates made the page a go-to source for fresh AI news.
• Story-Focused Carousels: Multi-slide posts provided more depth than single images, boosting saves, shares, and overall engagement.
• Multi-Platform Coordination: Each platform got its own “spin” of the same content, avoiding one-size-fits-all pitfalls and maximizing reach.
• Plug-and-Play Templates: We gave the client a toolkit that empowered them to produce high-quality posts without needing extended design or marketing resources.

Lessons & Long-Term Impact

• Automation + Creativity = Scalability: A well-structured system can handle high-frequency posting without compromising quality.
• Empowering Clients Is a Double-Edged Sword: Ultimately, the success of the system meant the client felt confident enough to handle content themselves—but it underscores the strength of the service.
• Collaborations & Partnerships: Though Opus Momentum wasn’t involved in the platform’s external partnerships, having a reliable “content engine” in place made their collaborations more impactful.

Conclusion

• This case study illustrates that a tailored, multi-platform, and time-sensitive approach can rapidly accelerate audience growth—even in highly competitive niches like AI news. By prioritizing authenticity, clarity, and shareability across platforms, we helped this platform become a recognized name among AI enthusiasts and professionals alike.
• Opus Momentum’s Edge: We don’t just produce content; we design systems that help clients stay ahead of the curve. Sometimes, that means they outgrow the need for our services—and that’s the hallmark of a job well done.