Instagram does not trust new accounts. Whoever posts ten reels and follows a hundred people on day one looks like a bot and gets treated like one. That is why every new account with us gets a warm-up phase before it really starts.
What Instagram checks in the first days
Does the account behave like a human? Does it scroll, watch reels, like occasionally, follow a few? Or does it post in series right away and follow by the minute? The behaviour of the first two weeks shapes how much reach the account gets later.
Day 1 to 3: only watching
Set up the profile, picture, bio, one post. Then only watch the feed and reels, ten to fifteen minutes a day. A few likes, no follow, no comment. The account learns the algorithm, and the algorithm learns the account.
Day 4 to 7: first interaction
Three to six follows a day, spread over the day, at least a minute apart. Likes on reels from your own niche. A first own reel on day 5, no expectation of reach.
Day 8 to 14: ramping up
One or two reels a day, follows and likes continue at the same rhythm, first stories. From day 10 you see whether the account gets reach. If yes: from day 15 the normal frequency.
What breaks the warm-up
- Several accounts from the same device and the same IP. Instagram links them, and the new account inherits the reputation of the old ones.
- Links in the bio right away. Only after two weeks, and then never straight to OnlyFans.
- Identical content to an existing account. New accounts get the content slightly changed.
- Too much too fast. Every ban in the first weeks costs the account reach permanently.
Why it pays off
A warmed-up account gets more reach in week three than a cold account after three months. The two weeks of patience at the start are the cheapest reach there is.
Our phones run the warm-up automatically: scrolling, watching reels, follows with spacing, then slowly ramping up. You see in the dashboard which phase every account is in.