Do Meta ads for a newsletter also grow your Instagram followers?
Short answer
Yes, if you send new subscribers to your Instagram page after the survey. Roughly 30% to 40% of them follow. One brand I grow has about 6,000 Instagram followers with zero posts, from 12,000 newsletter subscribers in a year. One ad dollar buys a subscriber and a follower.
A guy in my hometown has about 12,000 newsletter subscribers that I've helped him get in roughly a year. He also has about 6,000 Instagram followers. He has zero posts.
"Half the people subscribing are also clicking follow on a blank page, and we don't ask them to."
How does it work?
The flow is subscribe, survey, Instagram. After someone submits the survey, the redirect drops them on the brand's Instagram page. No ask, no button saying "follow us." They're just there, and a lot of them tap Follow.
On many of my brands there's nothing on the Instagram page, and they still have 500, 1,000 or more followers purely from that redirect.
How many subscribers will follow?
My estimates have ranged from about one in three to 30% or 40%, and on that hometown brand it's closer to half. The more active the page, the more likely people follow. A blank page still works. A busy one works better.
"One lead is really a newsletter lead and an Instagram lead."
Why does this matter?
- It's free. You already paid for the subscriber.
- It closes the loop. With an auto-DM tool on Instagram, new followers who aren't subscribers yet can be invited to the newsletter.
Does this work for newsrooms too?
Yes. When I set up flows for news organizations that don't have a paid plan, the choice after the survey is usually the donation page or Instagram. A lot of mine go to Instagram, because a lot of times those people will then follow. If donations matter more to you than followers, send them to the donation page instead.
Should Instagram replace the survey?
No. Survey first, Instagram after. The survey gets you 10 or more data points from half your subscribers. The follow is a bonus on the way out. If you have a donation page or paid plan, that may deserve the final redirect instead.
What should you set up today?
- Create the brand's Instagram account, even if you won't post yet.
- Set the survey's completion redirect to the Instagram profile URL.
- Check your follower count in a month.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From client and partner calls in 2025 and 2026. Last updated .