I usually follow people which looks they are experts in a given field I'm interested.
Those accounts gained reputation by sharing insightful posts in niched subreddits.
Most of the time, the only way you see promotion is on their profile page which is optimized to convert (with info/branding and a link for what they offer).
If by followers you meant subreddit members, then crossposting is the way to go, like most marketers suggest.