7 Ways to Grow Your Email List Via Instagram

Email list building is one of those things that is always in the back of your mind and while you may have gotten the hang of list building on Facebook, Instagram feels like a different beast with it's limited linking abilities.These limitations are why it's so important to convert IG followers into email subscribers—you need more control over how you interact with them!Luckily there are actually quite a few ways to build your email list, especially if you have an active Instagram audience already. Let's get into some specific examples!

Tease a Freebie in Your Bio

If you have a great freebie to offer your audience, make it the main link in your profile and then reference it as much as possible when you're posting. Check out how Chalene Johnson promotes her 131 diet program. When you click her profile link you're directed to an email opt-in page to join the free program.

After two years I'm so thrilled to finally tell you about my baby! @131diet- REVEALED! (More info from the link in my bio) I can't even begin to explain how transformational this process has been for tens of thousands. We will do this by teaching you how to test your diet. You see in school, you were given knowledge - then you were tested to see if you knew the answers. This is different. You see ...the test GIVES YOU YOUR answers. The 131 isn't my diet- it's yours! Thank you to the 25,000 people who helped to be research subjects in the development of this program! This isn't a diet - this is a movement. #131movement

A post shared by Chalene Johnson (@chalenejohnson) on Sep 9, 2017 at 6:35pm PDT

//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.jsHere's another example of a photographer @pixistock offering free stock photos directly in her profile link and calling attention to this offer via her bio.(insert photo)

Go Live with an IG Challenge

You've likely seen a lot of challenges on social media that serve as a way to grow your email list and send potential customers down a funnel sequence. Instagram live can be a great place to run a 5 day challenge—especially right now before everyone is doing it!One great way to ensure a live challenge is a successful list building strategy is to include a tool kit or cheat sheet that participants have to download via email opt-in (link in your profile) in order to follow along.Since you'll be doing one live video every day for 5 days, you can continue to reference the free download and anyone who missed the first few days can get caught up by grabbing the tool kit.If you plan to give away some sort of prize to winners of the challenge, you can also mention that they must be subscribed in order to win.Live stories can be saved for up to 24 hours so people won't have to tune in exactly when you go live. Plus, Instagram live has the added benefit of being featured at the top of the app, enticing people to watch.

Promote, promote, promote

Be sure to promote your challenge prior to going live! Check out how Lewis Howes promoted a recent challenge in his regular Instagram posts. He also created a challenge-specific hashtag to spread the word beyond his followers. Once participants in the challenge start using the hashtag others will see it and wonder what it's about and click over.

If you want to get clear on your dreams and make them come true faster then join the 5 day #GreatnessChallenge that starts tomorrow! ???????? . I'm giving away a one on one coaching session from me ($5,000 value for 30 mins), my $2,000 online business course, tickets to my Summit of Greatness, signed copies of my book and other gear to the winners! . To enter the 5 day challenge sign up at lewishowes.com/challenge (it's free!) and follow the prompt each day for 5 days! (Link in bio also) . I'll email you each day of what the challenge is. If you complete the challenge members of my team will select the winners at random so everyone gets a chance! I'll announce the winners on my page and story and live to get you so extra promotion as well ???????? Excited to see what you all create and it will be fun, easy and help you get closer to your dreams! Comment below if you are gonna join! ???????????? #GreatnessChallenge

A post shared by Lewis Howes (@lewishowes) on Aug 16, 2017 at 9:28pm PDT

//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js

Q&A to Capture Emails

You may already be doing Q&A's in the comments of your posts or even on Instagram live which is smart since anytime you can provide value to your audience, you are growing your brand!Have you considered having people submit their questions ahead of time via a Google form where you can also capture their email address?Not only is this an effective list building tool, it's also a fantastic way to be more prepared for Q&A's and to give more people the opportunity to participate.It's also a nice way to avoid the difficulty of reading and answering questions in the moment (cue the image of squinting into the camera trying to sift through questions versus comments about your hair!)

Reel 'em In with Sneak Peeks and Coupon Codes

If you run a product-based business, offering sneak peeks of upcoming releases are an enticing tactic.You can incentivize people to sign up for your email list by teasing that they will get early access to your release or even a coupon code. You can promote these opportunities either in your regular Instagram posts or via your Instagram stories. Or both!This baby wrap company has somewhat of a cult following and does a new release each season. Check out how they are teasing the release day and encouraging followers to sign up for their newsletter to get something extra special.

FALL'S ARRIVED! // Our new FW17 collection (our biggest yet) is going live tomorrow at 9pm PST! ???????????????? ???? ???? You really don't want to miss this one, mamas! Tag your BFFs, sign up for our newsletter (hint, hint ;), and be back for so much goodness tomorrow!!

A post shared by Elle Rowley (@sollybabywrap) on Sep 11, 2017 at 1:45pm PDT

Instagram Stories are the New Black

If you have a business profile with more than 10,000 followers you can use direct links in your Instagram stories via the 'see more' option.Lots of brands are using this new feature to effectively build their email list. It's a great place to link to freebies or other opt-ins without having to ask people to leave IG stories and head to your profile link.Try using a trackable Bit.ly link to test what's working and what isn't.

Optimize Your Profile Link

Since you only get one profile link on Instagram, use an app to get around this limitation and avoid constantly changing your profile link. Linktree is a (free!) option that allows you to link out to lots of different places so you can share free downloads, free course opt-ins, giveaways, products, or simply a subscribe button—and you can do all of them at once!Try rotating these around and offering different freebies every couple of weeks to meet the needs of different types of followers.Check out how this blogger uses her linktree link to share links to a free download, an ecourse, and her Facebook community.(insert photo)If you are running a product based business, Gallery Metrics allows people to easily shop your Instagram posts via your profile link.Making sales is always amazing and each time someone buys something, they are also added to your email list!Similar to a pop-up on a website, offering a coupon code or sale updates via your profile link can be a great way to capture email addresses as well.

Taking Giveaways Beyond the App

Most Instagram giveaways and contests typically require users to follow accounts and comment or like posts but they can also be effective for list building. Use an email opt-in platform (like Rafflecoptor or KingSumo) and link to it from your profile or IG stories (if you have the 'see more' option).See how Urban Outfitters ran a giveaway that requires an email sign-up and used IG stories to promote it with a direct link.(insert photo)

You can Always Pay to Play

Finally, if you don't mind putting some money into it, you can grow your email list via Instagram ads which are very similar to Facebook ads using the same Facebook pixel to target your audience.If you already have experience using Facebook ads, you are likely good to go. Just keep in mind the aesthetic of your Instagram feed and be consistent with your ads.If you're new to Facebook advertising, this is a great post to get you started.Instagram advertising has the added benefit of being very organic and since there are only a few places for ads to live within Instagram (regular posts and stories), users don't have blinders on to them (yet) like they do on Facebook and other platforms.Check out how ThirdLove is using ads to reach their potential customers. This ad was actually a combo of video and images and you can click directly from the post to shop which isn't possible with unpaid Instagram posts.(insert image)

What successes have you had with list building on Instagram?

Have you already been using any of these methods?Which one of these tactics feels right for you and your audience?Tell us about what's been working for you in the comments!