Instagram Has Over a Billion Users. How Are You Using It to Grow Your Email List?

If you have an Instagram account, you are one of the 1 billion monthly users of the photo and video sharing app. The company announced yesterday that it has just reached this new milestone and introduced a video feature many were expecting. Let’s see what’s new on Instagram and how you can tap into the platform’s potential to grow your email list.

The new feature on Instagram is called IGTV and allows users to upload videos up to one hour in length. This comes as exciting news for those who prefer video communication and is set to become a very popular medium for younger content creators and consumers.

For (email) marketers and business owners, too, IGTV has great potential. But if you don’t feel ready yet to upload long video content, here are other ways to entice your followers to sign up on your email list!

How to get Instagram users on your email list

YOUR SIGNUP FORM

No.  1: have a landing page for your signup form. This ensures registration is as easy as possible.

No. 2: place the link in your bio. Want to make it look nicer and let your followers know where it takes them? You can use a app like Bitly to edit the link and give it the name you want.

YOUR POSTS

No. 1: Our own experience has shown us there’s no better way to grow your email list than telling people what they get if they sign up. So, let’s say your next newsletter is a personal story you want to share with your audience. A couple of days before you send it out, make a post on Instagram that piques curiosity. Then, tell everyone the rest will be delivered to their inbox.

No. 2: Are you offering a freebie? Tell everyone in a post about it and focus your call-to-action on the link in your bio.

No. 3: Are you offering advice, tips and tricks that can make a difference in someone’s personal life or business? Do it wholeheartedly! And don’t hesitate to invite your followers to sign up on your email list– yes, by following the link in your bio.

No. 4: always strive to post useful, interesting content. It’s the best way to grow your Instagram account in the first place, and from there, to attract people on your email list.

Related: How to manage Instagram DMs on PC

YOUR STORIES

Instagram Stories have the bad habit of disappearing from people’s feed after 24 hours. However, millions of users love them. Whether you like Stories or not, it would be a pity not to us them to grow your email list.

No. 1: Create a story before every message you send and let people know that a new email is on its way. This gives those who haven’t subscribed yet the chance to register.

No. 2: In order to use the “swipe up” option, you need to have a verified account or to have gathered over 10,000 followers. If you haven’t yet, always refer to the link in your bio.

Related: How to get Instagram advertising right

How often should you post?

Many business owners don’t know how often they should post invitations for people to sign up for their emails. For your strategy to work, we’d say one post every week is enough to help you grow your list without becoming overly promotional.

How often should you clean your email list?

Instagram can be a fantastic source of new subscribers, but along with growth comes the risk of collecting invalid and fake email addresses. No marketer wants those in their databases, so they use an email cleaning service. It’s the fastest way to get rid of bots and contacts that can endanger your sender reputation – such as spam traps, catch-all and abuse emails. We recommend a thorough email hygiene once a month, but if your database is expanding fast, validating it ahead of every campaign is ideal.

How are you using social media to grow your email list?