Using Instagram? - You need this Tool to get Folks into your Substack Stratosphere
From follower to engaged email subscriber on Substack
Hi all,
One of the frustrating things about Substack is my 30k followers1 who never hardly ever see my Substack Notes. I just let that be what it is and do the work I want to do BUT followers aren’t always dead leads here or on other social media…
We’ve got to zoom out…
Every time someone presses a button to follow or subscribe they are pressing a decision button -
I’m here - you’re here and I want to BE CONNECTED, to see more of what you have.
That connection, the spark is what we work on again and again… and then again until we really know our audience and who they are…
The depth of understanding I have of my audience as a whole has taken decades to learn. It started in my audience development plans for my festivals and events work.2
But don’t worry - I can fast track that for you…
Instagram is a BIG player in your Substack growth
You guys might know I’ve been using Many Chat for a while… Many Chat is the little automation robot that partners with Instagram. (they are offical partners).
It delivers links automatically for you. This works brilliantly if you want to pre-schedule posts and have posts/ classes/ e-gifts delivered for you while your away…
One of my clients ran a competition on her Instagram and got over 2000 sign ups to her Substack. Another uses a Substack coupon with (/instagram) in the URL to track sign ups…
Getting people in on FREE Substack coupons works better than paid discounts… it’s to do with the attention economy and bringing folks in and away from the dopamine hit. It’s VERY hard to get people off Instagram - they designed it that way BUT it’s not impossible if you’ve got something they want.
As you can tell, I 💖 Many Chat!
A few weeks back, Many Chat introduced a new feature.
AND it’s a BRILLIANT way to grow your Substack audience!! It involves setting up an AUTO direct message (dm) to a new follower…
Here’s how ‘Say Hi to New Followers’ on Instagram works…
You open Many Chat and set a message to say hello. A gentle introduction is nice and an invite to something FREE for them to download. This can be a class, ebook or audio in your welcome email inside of Substack.3
The new follower clicks the link and subscribes to your Substack. I would send them to your Substack about page (avoids confusion). Oo and make sure there’s a subscribe button high up.
They sign up and receive your welcome email (where you house the thing you promised). You can edit this and I strongly recommend you do.
These messages go into your ‘General’ folder in IG dms so you can easily pop back in and check the profile of the folks who are following you and receiving the messages. You can also send a personalised message or voice note if that feels good to do (I do this if I think they’re a good fit with my work).
That’s great Claire - but how do I get new followers on Instagram in the first place?
Glad you asked…
You need an IG optimised like a beautiful shop window.
My top ways…
when people share my work, new good fit followers come along.
through trial reels - this is top of funnel intro stuff… strip it right back - clear concise messaging using curiosity and humour.
through having 3 pinned posts that explain what I’m about with many chat automations set up.
Ooo and why not head over to Nicola Washington at Too Much Social for more IG tips for authors.
Want to give it a go?
You can play around with a free account but I pay for it as the automations work, bring me subscribers, readers and make me sales - it’s a business expense. I pay $15 a month and it’s worth it for me like a little assistant.
If you want to learn how to deliver your Substack url via posting on your grid with a “comment ______” to get the link - this video helps you do that….
One of my clients used this technique and got over 2000 Substack sign ups from a single post (it was a competition post). Another gets 100s each week.
What do you think?
Do you use Instagram - would you give it a go? I’m around for a chat if you want to meet me in the comments.
Claire
✨
Helpul Notes
Followers follow your Susbtack Notes ONLY and don’t receive your posts but on average only 80 of so see mine…algorithms change all the time so I hope they change this one.
The hardest people to engage were the people inside of the city - it was actually easier to reach out to people in drive time distance and invite them in to spend a ‘special day’ with their kids at the festival
EXAMPLE - Hi there, thanks so much for the follow. How’s your day going? I’m Claire - I’m an Engagement Consultant and Substack Expert. If you’re interested in getting started or growing your Substack you can download my free class. I’d love to support you. LINK. ✨