William Jin 
Want to jumpstart your Bluesky journey and quickly build a following? Bluesky’s new starter packs feature is your secret weapon. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to use them to accelerate your growth on the platform.
What are Bluesky Starter Packs?
Starter packs are personalized invites that allow you to bring friends directly into your slice of Bluesky. They’re designed to help new users instantly connect with the right community and content. Each starter pack includes:
- A curated list of accounts and feeds to follow
- A shareable link
- A personalized welcome to your community
The main goal of starter packs is to help new users follow the right accounts (basically follow all the accounts and feeds in the starter pack). Therefore, starter packs are a good way to grow your following on Bluesky!
There are two strategies to grow your following using starter packs:
- Create a starter pack yourself
- Join a starter pack created by others
We will go through both strategies in this guide.
Creating Your Own Starter Pack
1. Access Starter Packs Tab
Navigate to your profile and find the new Starter Packs tab next to your media and likes tabs to start creating your own starter pack.
2. Write down your starter pack name and description
Find a name and description that best represents your starter pack. For example, if you are a software engineer, you can name your starter pack “Software Engineer Starter Pack” and describe it as “Follow the best software engineers on Bluesky”. It’s also a good idea to use emojis to make your starter pack more visually appealing, just like the sports fan’s starter pack below.
3. Adding people and feeds to your starter pack
You can include:
- Up to 150 recommended accounts to follow
- A personalized name and description for your pack
in your starter pack.
Tip
Take time to carefully select accounts and feeds that truly represent your niche. Quality recommendations will lead to better engagement.
4. Sharing your starter pack
Every starter pack comes with:
- A shareable link
- A QR code
- An auto-generated preview image for posting on Bluesky
The easiest way to share your starter pack is to post the link on Bluesky. You can also share your starter pack through:
- Direct messages to friends
- Professional networks
- Other social media platforms
- Your website or blog
People want to join your starter pack to get followed. Therefore, request them to:
- Follow you back
- Post why they are suitable for your starter pack
- Repost your starter pack post to increase visibility
Once they have done these, you can add them to your starter pack. Finally, your starter pack is shared to the world and people who join it will follow you!
Tip
Pick accounts that are really relevant to your starter pack. Don’t just let anyone join.
Joining other’s starter packs
The logic is pretty straightforward. You can join other’s starter packs, and when a person clicks “Follow All”, they will follow you automatically. Let’s go through the steps to join other’s starter packs.
1. Setting Up Your Profile First
Complete your profile before joining other’s starter packs:
- Professional photo
- Banner image
- Compelling bio:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- What are you passionate about?
- Why should people follow you?
- What can you offer to the community?
- Relevant links
- Pinned post
Tip
Make sure your profile is polished and active before joining other’s starter packs. You want to make a great first impression on new followers.
2. Finding a starter pack to join
You can find starter packs by searching for them on Bluesky. There are also some useful tools to help you find starter packs:
-
WhichPack is a tool that helps you know which starter pack is a user in. A good strategy is to search the large accounts in your niche and see which starter pack they are in, but you are not. For example, I’m in 22 starter packs, and one of the most popular accounts in the indie hacker community, @levelsio, is in 122 starter packs. I can target these starter packs and connect with the author to request joining.
-
Directory websites like Bluesky Starter Packs, Bluesky Directory and Bluesky Info helps you find starter packs in your niche.
3. Joining a starter pack
Once you find a starter pack, you can find the author’s post about it and request to join. In most of the times, the author will accept your request if:
- You liked and reposted the author’s post
- You have a good profile and bio
- You have a good reason to join the starter pack.
Best Practices & Tips
- Keep Your Starter Packs Focused: Create themed starter packs for different interests or communities.
- Update Regularly: Refresh your recommended accounts and feeds periodically, remove inactive accounts.
- Engage with New Users: Welcome people who join through your starter pack.
- Monitor Performance: Track which recommendations resonate most with new users.
- Gather Feedback: Ask new followers what they find most helpful about your pack.
Remember, starter packs are a powerful tool for community building on Bluesky. They’re not just about growing your following – they’re about creating meaningful connections and helping others find their place in the community.
Ready to grow using starter packs? Head to your Bluesky profile and start building your community today!
