That's one way to check for sure. Best to check from another/friend account too to be sure.

IG's goal is to get time on app up per user. Longer you are on the App, more they learn about you and serve you the right ads, etc. So content needs to keep attention, be engaging and add value. It's not only about feed posts...you can be active on IG without posting to the feed...respond to DM's, story post, comment, browse, etc.

It's definitely harder to grow as there is more content that users on IG but also not impossible. We have peers growing consistently daily. Shares from notable accounts would certainly help too but we notice the first share is the most valuable from a new account. Any subsequent shares from that account tend to reach less.

If you are looking for a quick blow up TikTok or even LinkedIn would do be more favorable for organic reach as they are generally more content deficient but that's slowly starting to change as well as more users are hoping on.