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Let’s say you’re having a big sale, and you’d like to get some new subscribers – fast. There are lots of ways to go about building an email list. And we’ve chatted before about using social media as a great way to build your email list. Today let’s hone-in on how to grow your email list with Instagram.

Insta-Stats

Did you know that 1 billion people use Instagram every month? And 500 million people use stories every month? 🤯 Yeah, our mind was just blown too.

Here are some other stats to keep in mind:

• 6 in 10 Instagram users log-in at least once daily. (That’s a great percentage of your followers that will likely see your message.)
• In the US, Instagram users spend almost a half an hour on the platform. (There’s plenty of time while your followers are scrolling and swiping through stories to see your content.)
• 200M Instagram users visit a business profile once a day. (Hey, that’s you!)

There’s no denying that among social media platforms, Instagram is a powerful tool for business and eCommerce, but let’s not overlook the fact that it can be used to build your email marketing list. Try these techniques to drive last-minute subscribes with Instagram.

To Grow Your Email List With Instagram...Tease Your Customers

Before your sale/event starts, announce it by using Instagram Stories and/or a post. Then, promise early access to the pre-sale, or an exclusive gift to any Instagram followers signed up to your email list. If you have 10k+ followers, your Instagram Stories should have an easy swipe-up function so that your followers can complete the action and sign up for your mailing list. Pro Tip: Use the countdown sticker on Instagram Stories to promote your sale. Your followers can also sign up for a reminder for when your promo officially drops.

Capitalize on FOMO

If social media is good for anything, it’s generating FOMO. If your followers missed out on an exclusive promotion, like the one we talked about above, let them know they can still sign up and get on the list in time for the next exclusive event. Let’s take adidas x IVY PARK for example. IVY PARK (by Beyoncé) built the hype by teasing the clothing (including giveaways to influencers). The day before the launch, Beyoncé herself modeled the collection on her own Instagram feed. Then, that same day, she dropped a super limited number of adidas x IVY PARK pieces for an exclusive set of fans. The entire collection sold out over a weekend. Now, we don’t all have the power of Beyoncé, but we can drive hype, promote the launch date and grow our email list through scarcity (and Instagram). Plus, there’s more to come. You better believe that fans that didn’t get the adidas x IVY PARK line are signed up to get notified next time it launches. The “stay tuned” at the bottom of this landing page is enough indication that more is to come. As a bonus, there is a sign up for the Adidas newsletter on every sold-out product page and at the bottom of the page for the entire line. https://www.ivypark.com/ (The IVY PARK landing page, post-sale.) Pro Tip: It’s a great idea to use user-generated/influencer content from those who either attended your exclusive event/bought pre-sale merch to drive that FOMO. Or, go live during the pre-sale to discuss product options that are exclusive to your email list sign-ups.

Use an Influencer

Have an influencer promote your sale or promotion, and push followers to become subscribers of your email list. You may even consider having an influencer take over your Instagram or partner with them on a giveaway. Here, Everlane partnered with @shannydoots to talk on their stories about their Curvy Authentic Stretch High-Rise Denim Jean (whew, that’s a mouthful!). In her posts, this influencer discusses how the jeans fit perfectly, even without a tailor. At the end of the takeover, @shannydoots promotes a swipe up option to buy the jeans. Immediately, Everlane has a pop-up to sign up for free shipping in exchange for an email address.

 

Do It for the Gram

With all of these amazing use cases, we’ve probably convinced you to use Instagram to grow your email subscriber list. Just keep in mind these best practices as you build your list:

• Monitor your subscriber-level activity
• Re-engage subscribers as needed
• Track new subscribers and their performance
• Keep building your list through new strategies!

Prove It

Now that you’ve ran your campaign on Instagram, and you’ve grown your email list using the above best practices, what's next? Prove your results! But how, you ask? The simplest way is to ask your new email list subscribers (grown from Instagram) “how did you hear about us” during sign up. This will help confirm your new subscribers came from Instagram versus your other acquisition efforts. It will also give you the proof you need to continue creating campaigns that slay on Instagram while boosting your subscriber rates. And remember, when you're ready to share that welcome email to all of your new subscribers, don't hit send without testing it first!