How a $1,000 Bet Turned Into 20K Followers in 10 Days

Hey — Eric here.

My old local coffee shop (@bumpcoffee) is blowing up on Instagram right now.

And they’re doing it with one of the simplest — but most effective — playbooks I’ve seen.

Here’s the formula:

1. Choose your character

You need a face for the brand.

Someone people can root for.

2. Choose a mission

“My boss bet me $1,000 I couldn’t grow our account to 20k by the end of the month.”

Boom. Clear objective.

3. Create stakes

If he hits the goal, he wins $1,000.

If not, he loses.

There’s something on the line, so now the audience is invested.

4. Build a repeatable format

Every video starts the same:

He walks out of the shop, coffee in hand, says the same hook, & cheers the camera —

Then it cuts to him sipping coffee in a different spot every day.

It’s fun.

It’s fast.

And it’s repeatable.

The audience gets it immediately:

• There’s a hero

• There’s a mission

• There are stakes

These three things create a simple story people can follow.

They hit 20k in 10 days.

So they raised the bar:

Now it’s $2,000 if he gets to 40k.

And it’s working.

They’re building momentum and brand love —

All while capturing attention ahead of a new product launch.

Way better long-term ROI than dumping money into ads.

If you're a founder — or a local business with a team — this strategy works.

Pick a mission.

Create stakes.

Bring the audience along for the ride.

That’s how you get people to care about your brand.

P.S. I’m opening the doors later this week for my first cohort.

We’ll work together to:

• Define your core narrative

• Find repeatable content formats

• And turn Instagram into a growth channel for you

I’m keeping it small so I can work 1:1 with everyone.

If you want early access…

Reply with “VIP” and I’ll put you on the list.

Rooting for ya,

—Dodds