I also posted the same content on TikTok and YouTube for comparison
About a month ago, I came across Maria Wendt’s course and decided to run an Instagram experiment, posting on IG every day for 30 days.
While I’ve been creating UX design content for 5 years on YouTube, Substack, and Medium, I wanted to explore my other big interest: personal finance, because we know every human is like an onion, with multiple layers.
medium.com
It’s saturated in the US, but there’s a massive gap in the Canadian market.
Only a few creators talk about TFSAs, FHSAs, RRSPs, and good money habits specific to Canada.
As someone who grew up poor with money always being tight, I wanted to share everything I learned in my 30s and 40s about building wealth. If you’re starting from zero like I did, my tips can help you budget and think about money differently.
The course outlined a specific posting schedule, promising to reach 1K followers by the end of the challenge:
I followed this exactly.
And, I went one step further.
Instead of just posting on Instagram, I also posted the same content on TikTok and started a new YouTube channel called “nikinomics.”
Same content, different platforms. Because why not maximize the reach?
After 30 days (as of 31 Jan 2026):
The course creator promised a thousand followers, but suggested good content could get you even more. She also mentioned that RARELY, there are outliers who don’t reach 1K in a month, even though they follow the exact strategy.
Did I hit that?
Absolutely not.
Maybe I’m not good at this.
Maybe my content sucks.
Maybe this space is way too saturated.
Actually, Instagram performed the worst, which surprised me.
So, I guess, my growth makes me an outlier. Maria suggests a content audit to determine why you’re not reaching 1K if that’s the case.
I blocked all my friends and family except a few key people who genuinely wanted my content (not just supporting me out of obligation).
Why?
Two reasons:
Here’s what got the most views across platforms.
YouTube
TikTok
One thing surprised me: effort didn’t equal results.
Videos I spent hours on didn’t necessarily perform better than quick ones. Sometimes my most polished content got the least engagement.
On average, I spent 16 hours per week creating content.
Here’s my exact calendar schedule:
My January looked like this:
By day 8, I almost quit.
There aren’t enough hours in the day. I was shouting into the void with barely any engagement, and that’s extremely demotivating.
Even though I thought my content was good, maybe it wasn’t as good as I believed.
Morning, evening, afternoon.
I tested everything.
Good content performs regardless of when you post it.
I spent 15 minutes daily engaging on Instagram and TikTok.
Zero engagement on YouTube.
The result?
TikTok had steady growth with or without my engagement.
I even tested a full week without engaging on other accounts. My growth stayed exactly the same.
I can’t scientifically prove engagement helps because I can’t track if someone saw my comment, clicked my profile, and followed me. That data doesn’t exist.
My conclusion: Engagement is nice for supporting other creators, but it won’t grow your account. Save your time.
(Sidenote: TikTok is full of fake duplicate accounts. I got excited multiple times when one of my favourite creators followed me, only to realize it was just a fake dupe.)
YouTube surprised me with 23 subscribers, and here’s what worked:
Half of the people (including me) watch videos without sound. If you want them to follow your story, they need to read what you’re saying.
One video got over 600 views on YouTube. The same video? 13 views on Instagram. A few hundred on TikTok.
I think my Instagram account is in some kind of shadow ban jail.
I focused on creating crisp 4K 60fps videos with good lighting, but Instagram just doesn’t show them to anyone.
Go figure!
I switched from Final Cut Pro to CapCut Pro.
This saved me massive time.
A 60-second video that would take 4 hours in Final Cut took 1–2 hours in CapCut, including subtitles. The AI features for trimming and subs made the premium subscription worth it.
The truth: This pace isn’t sustainable.
But was it valuable?
Yes!
I stepped out of my comfort zone. I explored something I’m passionate about.
I’ve been budgeting for over a decade, and that habit has contributed significantly to my wealth-building. Sharing this knowledge matters to me.
I have a full-time tech job that requires 40+ hours per week. Most weekdays, I have zero energy for content after work. I’m still working on my product design YouTube channel and starting a 6-month course that will require study time.
Realistically, I can spend maybe 8–10 hours on content creation in February (and the next 6 months).
The real question is “Did I enjoy it?”
Yes. I learned a ton. I grew. I LOVE creating content.
But if you ask me to choose between writing and video creation, writing wins every time.
Still, I have this need to express myself in video format too.
So I’ll keep making videos, just fewer of them. I’ll focus on writing. And I’ll see where February takes me.
If you want to try this experiment yourself, I recommend it.
It’s genuinely fun.
You’ll learn.
You’ll grow.
Just know that the promise of 1,000 followers in 30 days might not be your reality. And that’s okay.
Instagram: 13 followers
YouTube: 23 subscribers
TikTok: 68 followers
Substack: 1 followers
Follow along.
I’ll update you in March on how the new strategy performs in February.