It seems to me now that you would need to have followers to gain followers.
Not really. I suggest that you need to first be a follower. Be an engaged and interested follower. Also put some interesting bio in your bio. When you follow someone - providing that they are being notified of your followization, they might want to see who you are, and follow you. If you respond to someone's post intelligently, they might want to see who you are and follow you. If your goal is to grow in wisdom and learn to love better, you will soon have followers. If your goal is to distract yourself from life, stroke yourself into believing you are liked, you will still probably get followers. It just takes time and the ability to show up open-hearted and open-minded.
Good advice all around. I was never really against the removal of tag-based subscriptions; I'm much too new to have a strong opinion one way or another. This change definitely surprised me but I understand the motives and more importantly, the broader Hubski mindset much more now. Thanks.