Alan Bersten posted a visual challenge on Instagram on Wednesday. The post earned 8,733 likes on the back of a three-word caption: “Spot the difference.”
He paired the image with what appears to be a side-by-side visual comparison and offered nothing further by way of explanation. His followers did the rest.
They clearly did. Over 8,700 likes with a three-word caption is a strong result. It’s an interesting signal. Bersten has clearly developed a strong audience over his years on ABC’s long-running dance competition.
Bersten has been a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars for several seasons now, and his on-screen personality is warm and competitive. That combination translates well to social media. He’s built a following that sees him as a full personality beyond the ballroom floor. That kind of connection tends to show up in engagement numbers, and Wednesday’s post is a solid example.
The “spot the difference” format is a smart one for a performer in his position. It invites participation without demanding much from the viewer. You look, you compare. Maybe you drop a comment. The barrier to engagement is low, but the payoff – that small satisfaction of spotting the distinction – keeps people on the image longer than a standard photo would.
This format has worked well across social platforms for years. Dancers and athletes tend to get strong results from visual formats in particular. Physical presence and appearance are a meaningful part of their professional identity. An image-led challenge lands naturally with their audience. The differences in Bersten’s post may have been subtle or obvious. His followers clearly found the exercise worth their time regardless.
On DWTS, Bersten has partnered with a wide range of celebrity contestants and earned a reputation as a technically strong instructor with a relaxed, encouraging manner. That quality comes through on camera, and it shapes the kind of community that follows him off-screen too. His audience isn’t passive. They show up and engage when he posts.
The DWTS fanbase tends to be deeply loyal. Fans follow the pros year-round, not just during the competition window, and Bersten has been a consistent presence in that community. His posts don’t need to be elaborate to draw a strong response.
Bersten has danced with contestants from different professional worlds across his seasons on the show. That diversity of experience shows in how naturally he connects with a broad audience.
The timing of Wednesday’s post is worth noting. DWTS typically runs its main competition season in the fall, so the show’s fanbase is in a quieter stretch heading into summer. A low-stakes, playful post like this one keeps Bersten visible and his audience warm between seasons. It’s also a reminder that strong engagement doesn’t always require a big announcement.
For longtime fans of the show, any Bersten content outside the competition window feels welcome and personal. For the casual scroller, a “spot the difference” challenge is universally engaging. The format crosses demographics and time zones easily. That suits someone with a broad, internationally curious following.
What’s genuinely stunning, in a quiet way, is how much traction Bersten extracted from three words. A clean visual with a minimal caption connected with over 8,700 people. That’s a kind of social media instinct that can’t really be taught.
Whether he eventually reveals what the difference was – or simply lets the mystery stand – remains to be seen. Given the engagement, he may not need to explain anything at all.
