The account began garnering attention in the press – as well as a significant follower base – in December 2019, amid Gabel and Coyne's use of NJGov in a public relations campaign to change perception of New Jersey.

In addition to lighthearted Twitter antics, Gabel and Coyne sought to give substantial information about the state's current events and policies to their new follower base.

[3] The Twitter account struggled to gain a significant following until it saw a sharp increase in popularity in December 2019;[4][3] the spike is largely attributed to Gabel and Coyne.

[7] Coyne and Gabel saw the Twitter account as a way to change public perception of New Jersey; the state has been mocked as "the armpit of America", with an accompanying reputation as dirty or smelly.

[5] As a Twitter user since the age of 13, the 22-year-old Coyne was able to keep the other staffers updated on cultural trends; Gabel, as an older millennial, was more adept at creating snappy one-liners, quips, and "clapbacks".

In Ehrlich's piece in Rolling Stone, she summarizes the position of Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey: "Once they’re hooked on the jokes and memes, the government can hammer home more important issues, like voting and healthcare".

"[14] In August 2022, the New Jersey Globe reported that Coyne was leaving her position as social media director to join the White House Office of Digital Strategy.

[4] Writing for Axios in December 2019, Sara Fischer compared NJGov to the Instagram account of the Transportation Security Administration, which posted images of the exotic items patrons would attempt to bring on airplanes.