6 Tried-and-Tested Ways to Grow Your Email List on Instagram

Paid ads, social media, and push notifications — most marketers believe that these new technologies are more effective and sophisticated than email marketing; they are mistaken. Email marketing is just as effective if not more.

In 2020, there are more than 4 billion email users globally, which is more than half the world’s population. And from the total number of email users, 49% find it beneficial to receive promotional emails from their favorite brands.

With emails, you’re able to build a relationship with your subscribers by sending them content that they find interesting about your brand straight to their inbox. Unlike the broad reach of social media, you’re able to personalized messages to customers to capture their unique interests.

Because emails are free to send, it can be your cost-effective and conversion-rich digital marketing channel to promote what you’re selling. On top of that, for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect a return of $42.

While there are tools that can help you discover emails just by viewing one’s social pages, from our experience, Instagram is the ultimate database.

You have a pool of more than 1 billion users on Instagram who are interested in discovering your brand. Also, your existing followers on Instagram are already fans of your brand and will enjoy keeping up with you in a more personal way.

Check out our 6 tried-and-tested ways to grow your email list with Instagram.

Add an Email Sign-up Link on your Instagram Bio

Your Instagram bio is prime real estate on your profile page. It holds crucial information about your business and is the first thing new followers see on your page. Use this section wisely.

This is why adding an email sign up link is a great way to build your email list. When followers click on the link in your bio, make sure it lands on a well-designed and functional sign-up page. You don’t want to lose the customer due to slow loading times or bad design.

A great way to get a user’s attention is to add a call-to-action on your bio like “sign-up here.” Even better, include an offer or inform them of the value of signing up.

Fashion brand Little Extra Lifestyle highlights their sign-up link with call-to-actions and a breakdown of the benefits users will get after signing up.

If you want to include more than one link on Instagram, use a link-in-profile tool. These Instagram bio tools allow you to send followers to a microsite where they can be redirected to different pages on your website, campaigns, or even your blog. One effective way to do this is by using Linktree.

Linktree, for example, uses their branded microsite to send users to their “About Us” page, careers page, and subscription page. This way, you are able to not just gather leads, but allow your followers to explore your brand.

Run an Instagram Giveaway

If you want to grow your email list, running an Instagram giveaway is a surefire way to get this done. As part of the mechanics, you can ask participants to sign up with their emails or subscribe to your newsletter.

Healthy popcorn brand Live Love Pop runs giveaways to collect leads. At first look, the participation requirements look simple. Observing the contest more closely, you’ll realize that it does multiple things for the brand: boost engagement, attract new followers, and increase email subscribers.

Using your bio, you can redirect users to a landing page where they can sign up for your newsletter.

To attract more attention to your giveaway, you need eye-catching photos. Use a tool like Instasize to create double-tap worthy posters and encourage email sign-ups. The all-around photo-editing app allows you to edit colors, add text overlays, and resize images to suit any platform.

Use the Instagram Stories Swipe Up Feature

More than 500 million people use Instagram Stories every day and share them through Instagram messages. It’s the primary channel for your followers to learn more about and interact with your brand.

The swipe up feature on Instagram Stories is a game-changer. You’re able to send interested viewers directly to any page of your website when they swipe up or click on the “see more” call to action at the bottom of the linked story.

Online marketing educator Amy Portfield uses Instagram Stories to encourage signups to her online marketing webinar. When a user swipes up, they will be asked for their email in exchange for the link to the masterclass.

To make use of the swipe up feature, you need to have ten thousand followers or be a verified account. If not, you can still make use of Stories by posting addictive videos, interesting polls, or share posts on your feed to generate more engagement.

A good example of this is how Steph Crowder of Courage and Clarity intelligently uses Stories to inform users to go to her Instagram bio and sign up through the link there. Despite not having the swipe-up feature enabled for her profile, she’s directing traffic to her bio instead.

Add Email Contact

90% of people use social media to discover and communicate with brands. These days, it’s more convenient to find information and contact a business through social media than to contact customer service via telephone.

This is why it’s imperative to add your contact information on your Instagram profile. An easy way to capture information from interested visitors is by switching to an Instagram business profile.

Fashion brand Made Well provides two contact options - phone or email. When a user emails you with an inquiry, chances are high that they are genuinely interested in your brand and open to subscribing to your newsletter.

On the flip side, It’s always a good idea to invite your email subscribers to check out your social media pages. A subtle way to do so is by adding social media icons as part of your email signature.

Create Compelling Lead Magnets

Instagram users who like your brand won’t freely give away their contact information without something in return. You’ll need to convince them with a lead magnet.

Lead magnets can come in a variety of content types from downloadable guides and discounts, to exclusive access, and behind-the-scenes information. An effective way to come up with content for your lead magnet is to step in the shoes of your target audience. Ask yourself: what kind of content do your followers need?

Foundr Magazine’s readers are young entrepreneurs looking to grow their business. The magazine understands that one aspect of growing a business today is to have a strong following on social media.

As a lead magnet, Foundr came up with a free guide on “How to get your first 10,000 Instagram followers.” In exchange for the guide, one must submit their contact information. The brand even uses a dedicated landing page to laser-target the leads they attract.

Run Instagram Lead Generation Ads

Instagram ads have a massive reach of over 850 million users around the world. With the advanced targeting options, your ads can target your desired audience based on their age, gender, location, and interests.

To get email subscribers, simply choose the lead generation objective when setting up your campaign. Also, set up an easy-to-use and compelling sign-up page to collect emails.

Analytics tool TruConversion runs Instagram ads with the CTA “Learn More” to drive users to a well-designed landing page to collect contact information.

Before diving in, make sure to revisit your marketing strategy. You may have a lead magnet or giveaway in the works that you can tailor-fit to your campaign. Then, you’re all set and ready to grow your email list with Instagram!