I did the follow for follow thing on Facebook when I first started just to get into the partner program. But as with any platform, it's not the best idea. You want followers who WANT to read what you're writing, otherwise they won't do you any good.

It's like the follower lists people used to sell for Instagram and stuff. They learned quickly that having a high follower count doesn't mean anything.

Since the push to get my first 100, I haven't worried about it. I write 1-3 articles a month and generally gain around 50 followers a month. I am totally cool with that sort of slow and gradual growth.

I didn't know there was a $10 minimum though, I have to look into that more. I think a financial minimum makes more sense than a follower minimum.