Why do local advertisers care about my Instagram following?
Short answer
Because they can see it. Business owners can't see your subscriber count, but they can see your followers, and that's how they judge whether you're legit. A newsletter is private; Instagram is public, so it's also how advertisers find you. My target for every local brand is 10,000 to 15,000 followers, ideally 15,000 to 20,000.
Most local newsletter people only think about growing the list. That misses who's buying the ads.
"business owners don't care about your newsletter. They care about Instagram because they could see how many followers you have. And that's your sign of legitimacy."
Why followers instead of subscribers?
Think about what a business owner does when someone DMs them asking if they want to advertise. They go look at how popular you are. Your subscriber count is invisible to them. Your follower count is right there on the profile.
How does Instagram bring in advertisers?
Your newsletter is basically private. It's like an exclusive club: only people on the list really know about it. Instagram is the opposite. It's public.
I don't think Instagram is as valuable as the newsletter, but it's how advertisers find you. The better your Instagram is, the more likely they show up. Then you sell them Instagram and the newsletter together. An operator I know gets a lot of advertisers coming to him inbound because his Instagram is doing really well.
How many followers do I need?
| Followers | What changes |
|---|---|
| 10,000 to 15,000 | Business owners start taking you seriously and DMing you |
| 15,000 to 20,000 | My ideal target for every location |
Getting every location past that line is the most important thing for us. After that, the business owner game starts working. You get inbound, and the whole thing snowballs.
For a newsletter that's already near 10,000 subscribers, I'd get Instagram to 10,000 next. Then every pitch has two 10,000 angles.
How do I get the followers?
- Giveaways. The easiest route I know. Ask local restaurants for a $50 gift card and give it away to subscribers or people who share.
- Ads that ask for a follow. A partner says he can get followers for about 25 cents. At that price, 10,000 followers costs $2,500. I want to test it. It's not proven yet.
- Not boosting. The problem with boosting a post is there's no call to action, unless you have a reason for one.
How you get there matters less than the number. If we get our channels to 15,000 or 20,000 through giveaways, we can change the content later and keep the followers. For more on growing the account, see growing a local Instagram for free.
What do I sell once I have both audiences?
Packages instead of single ads. For example: one newsletter ad a month, one Instagram shout-out a month, and on six- or 12-month deals, a video made specifically about the business every three months. I'll even come to their place and film it. See multi-channel sponsorship packages.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From Local Media HQ podcast conversations, client and partner calls and my own notes, 2024-2026. Last updated .