25K to 446K IG followers in 2 weeks: How The Sunday Chapter did it

On March 4, 2018 – The Sunday Chapter was sitting on a very respectable Instagram following of 25K. Blogging since 2014, she’d earnt a name for herself in the digi sphere as someone that constantly delivered in the style stakes. 16 days later – and Angela now commands a following of 446K Instagram followers and growing by the day.

But before any cynics start jumping on Social Blade and crying foul play, let’s just put the record straight – there was no dodgy business going on here. No paying of someone to get a boost up. This was the case of a full-time content creator having a great idea and it being picked up by some major players in the influencer space. We’re talking influencers with over 11 million followers. The end result? Viral success.

Off the back of this event, we decided to track Angela down to discover just how and why The Sunday Chapter suddenly became the IG account that everyone was posting about in their Stories…

For those who don’t know what happened, can you tell us a bit about what’s been going on the last 2 weeks for your Instagram account?
I created Q&A style templates that were filled out and posted to Instagram Stories. They soon went viral being shared by thousands!

Can you talk us through some of the key people who shared your templates?
Something Navy, Maddie Ziegler, Kenzie Ziegler, Ohhcouture, Jessica Barden, iluvsarahii, Samantha Maria & Sydney Fashion Blogger… although these were only some of the key accounts I heard about.

Where did you come up with the idea of the templates?
It wasn’t actually my idea, so I can’t take credit for it. These kind of Q&A’s have been floating around social media for a long time now. I believe it was more about how I executed it and the design that went viral.

Did you ever predict that the templates would have such a massive effect?
No, not at all! I thought it would be a fun way to connect with my audience and learn more about them – but I never thought it would blow up the way it did.

What do you think it is about the templates that has seen them gain you so much interest?
Despite a lot of people wanting to connect with their audience, sometimes it’s hard to share things about yourself on Instagram. It’s a very filtered social media space. I think templates gave people a fun and lighthearted way to get to know each other.

Have you had many cynics question you since the templates came out? What do you say to these people?
Definitely! I’ve had more cynics in the last 5 days than the last 5 years, but I think it’s just part of the job. At first they really got to me – but I’ve learnt the best approach is to block, delete and move on. You’re never going to be able to please everyone, so I’ve kept my focus on all the positive, supportive people that have come out of this!

Creating incredible content is nothing new for you though, as you’ve been doing amazing things with Sunday Chapter for a long time now. Can you tell me a bit about the blog?
Thank you! Sunday Chapter is a travel, fashion and lifestyle blog that I started nearly 5 years ago with a goal to instil a spark of inspiration into your everyday life. I’ve been lucky enough to create content for many brands including The Iconic, Nike, Forever New, Swarovski, Uber, L’Oréal and ASOS, to name a few.

When did you start it and what lured you into the world of blogging?
I would spend hours every day reading blogs (mostly beauty and fashion reviews) and I became completely immersed in the blogging world. At the same time, I had just finished my studies in PR and was feeling incredibly lost. I created my blog as an escape to everyday life and to document the things I love; whether it be a new outfit, a latest lipstick obsession, or ticking somewhere off my bucket list. I poured all my energy into it and it soon became my biggest passion.

Were you blogging full-time before the templates took off?
Yes, I was fortunate enough to call myself a full-time blogger and content creator.

And before we let you go, can you quickly talk us through what did a typical day in your life looks like?
As most bloggers will tell you, no two days are ever the same. Although, it would more than likely begin with admin, emails, conference calls and any meetings over coffee. I go over my calendar and make sure everything is scheduled, especially when it comes to coordinating campaigns with shoots and live dates. If there’s photos to be edited, I usually try to get that done so I can schedule them onto social or submit them to brands if they’re for a campaign. I try to write a blog post and make sure I have posts scheduled on social media, along with the copywriting, for the next few days.

I take time everyday to also reply to as many comments and messages on Instagram. If I don’t have an event in the evening, that’s usually my favourite time to shoot. Other times, I might have a full day of events or be working more closely with a brand and spend the day creating content if it’s a big project. There’s a crazy amount that goes on behind the scenes!