PostEaseThe short answer
Bluesky has no single algorithm to win. People read a Following feed in time order, Bluesky’s Discover feed, and custom feeds built around topics and communities, and newcomers often start from Starter Packs of people to follow. So grow on Bluesky by fitting the custom feeds your audience has pinned, getting into the Starter Packs for your field, posting when your followers read (weekday evenings are the window two 2026 studies share), and starting conversations people reply to.
The growth checklist, with the evidence
Each lever, what to do, and where the evidence comes from.
| Lever | What to do | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Custom feeds | Post plainly about your topic, in its community’s words and tags | Bluesky: most feeds are built by independent developers around topics |
| Starter Packs | Make one for your field, and ask to join others | Bluesky: packs of up to 150 people and 3 feeds shape a newcomer’s start |
| Timing | Weekday evenings, about 6 to 9 p.m., your followers’ time | Buffer and SocialPilot, 2026 |
| Discover | Earn replies and reposts | Bluesky: Discover mixes what is trending with a reader’s network |
| Following feed | Post when followers read; it is in time order | Bluesky’s Following feed shows newest first |
| Format | Up to 300 characters, 4 images or a 10-minute video | The AT Protocol lexicons; Bluesky, 26 August 2026 |
Fit the feeds your audience reads
Bluesky says the vast majority of its custom feeds are built by independent developers, and people pin the ones they like beside Following and Discover. A feed for a profession, a hobby or a city collects posts that match its rules, often by topic or tag. Sprout Social’s 2026 guide notes that a few specific tags connect posts to the feeds where an audience is. Find the feeds your audience follows, read their descriptions, and post plainly about your subject in the words they use.
Get into Starter Packs
A Starter Pack is a shareable list of up to 150 people and up to 3 custom feeds. Someone who joins Bluesky through one starts with its suggested follows. Being in a well-shared pack for your field puts you in front of every newcomer who uses it. Make a pack for your community, which also signals you as someone who knows it, and ask to be added to others. Keep your own pack current as people join and leave the conversation.
Post when your followers read
Because the Following feed is in time order, a post lands at the top of your followers’ feeds when you publish and sinks as others post. Buffer and SocialPilot disagree on the best day, but both find weekday evenings, roughly 6 to 9 p.m., a strong window, and both find the small hours dead. Test an evening slot against a weekend afternoon for a month.
A weekly Bluesky routine
A rhythm that grows an account in a few minutes a day:
- Most weekdays, post one thing about your topic in the evening, when your followers read.
- Reply to two or three people in your community each day, with something worth reading.
- Once a week, check which custom feeds and Starter Packs your audience uses, and whether your posts appear in them.
- Once a month, compare the replies and reposts your posts earned, and do more of what worked.
Start conversations
Discover mixes what is trending across Bluesky with posts from a reader’s network and people near it, so replies and reposts are how a post travels beyond your followers. Ask questions, share a clear view with your reasons, and answer the replies you get, with something that invites another answer rather than only thanks. Bluesky shows no view counts, so the replies, reposts and likes are also how you measure what works.
Questions
How do I get more followers on Bluesky?
Post about a clear topic so you fit the custom feeds your audience reads, get into Starter Packs for your field, post on weekday evenings, and reply to people in your community.
Does Bluesky have an algorithm?
Several, chosen by each reader: the time-ordered Following feed, Bluesky’s Discover feed, and custom feeds built by others around topics.
What is a Bluesky Starter Pack?
A shareable list of up to 150 people and 3 custom feeds. New users who join through one start with its suggested follows and feeds.
Do hashtags work on Bluesky?
A few specific ones help, because some custom feeds collect posts by tag. Sprout Social’s 2026 guide recommends a small number of specific tags over many broad ones.
How do I know if I am growing on Bluesky?
Watch followers, replies and reposts. Bluesky gives no view counts for posts, so those are the numbers that show whether people are finding you.
When should I post on Bluesky?
Weekday evenings, about 6 to 9 p.m. in your followers’ time zone, are where Buffer’s and SocialPilot’s 2026 studies agree.
Sources
- Bluesky, Algorithmic choice with custom feeds, July 2023.
- Bluesky, Introducing Bluesky Starter Packs, June 2024.
- Bluesky, Video update: up to 10 minutes and faster uploads, August 2026.
- Sprout Social, How to build your Bluesky strategy, July 2026.
- Buffer, The best time to post on Bluesky, August 2026.
- SocialPilot, The best time to post on Bluesky in 2026, August 2026.