FAQ 13: how can I convert Instagram followers into Substack readers?
Save this for the New Year if it's too much to think about right now ;-)
This post is part of series where I answer some of the questions I am most frequently asked about social media. To browse or read the rest of the series click here.
As the new year approaches I’ve been thinking about whether we’re about to see a repeat of the storm of ‘I’m quitting Instagram’ essays that flooded Substack at the beginning of 2024.
I remember feeling decidedly unfashionable that my favourite platform was - and still is - Instagram, and while I didn’t feel the need to defend Instagram (imagine!) I did - and still do - think that there are ways to use the platform that counter-act many of the drawbacks that much of the discourse focused on at the time so I even wrote a couple of pieces in response to the conversation:
In the intervening months it’s been especially interesting to note how many high profile Insta-quitters have returned to the platform. For all its ills, it seems Instagram still has something of value to offer, and I would even argue Instagram’s strengths can address some of Substack’s weaknesses, and vice versa.
Substack and Instagram sitting in a tree…
Substack is where you can explore your thinking in full, unhindered by the visual demands of Instagram, and free of (some of) the noise
Instagram is where you can simplify and introduce ideas. Posts can be quick and dirty, not requiring the careful crafting long-form content demands. It offers a way to ‘trail’ your deeper thinking to entice and invite audiences to engage with your longer form writing on Substack (or as is the case for many of my clients, in your books)
Instagram and Substack can both be places where you can nurture your networks, support one another, and be supported in return
Substack offers the opportunity to get paid for your work
BUT Instagram’s much larger audience can offer a rich source of new readers from which those paid subscribers emerge, assuming that you can get your Instagram followers to become your Substack readers in the first place, something I know many of you are finding to be a challenge.
A case study of one
Over the last 90 days, approximately 40% of my new free Substack subscribers have come via Instagram; in the 90 days that preceded that it was 22%.
I was tracking these metrics out of interest but had no benchmark to compare them to until recently when, in a
subscriber chat, 👑 Queen of Substack 👑 told me this was ‘SO high’.
As a result I decided to write this piece - not because I have all the answers, this is based only on my own experience plus that of a handful of my clients - BUT because this is what is working for me, and I trust you to know whether there is anything here that will make sense for you, that you can take and run with for yourself✌🏼
First of all, an uncomfortable comparison
Before I worked as an Instagram educator and guide for writers and authors, I worked for seven years as a social media manager for small businesses in the e-commerce space.
The approach I’m going to outline here is similar to how I used to nurture Instagram audiences so they became paying customers of those product-based businesses.
In other contexts, I would encourage you never to think of your writing as a product, BUT if you’re trying to get people to move from one platform to another to read your writing, then I think it can be a useful comparison.
Why?
Because it’s hard to get people to take the leap from Instagram to Substack in many of the same ways as it is hard to get people to click through to an online storefront.
The place to start is by recognising that scrolling on Instagram is a low commitment action, vs the much higher level of commitment required to click through to a website off the app. Generating this momentum is hard whatever your niche or product or website is.
You have to factor in why people are on Instagram: because they like it, because they want bite-size content, because they want the escapism of a scroll-hole, because they can’t help themselves. When you’re trying to move them over to Substack, you’re pushing against all of that and more.
It’s also the case that the number of people who use multiple platforms is actually relatively small. Most people have a loyalty or preference for one social media platform that they tend to stick with.
And now add in the extra complication of asking people to move to a platform or app they may not know much about. In my experience Substack still has a brand recognition problem amongst the general population. Substack are working hard to address this but currently people are often not sure what it is, even if they’ve heard of it.
Finally, when you throw into the mix the potentially confusing mechanics of the sign up interface itself (I know I’m not the only one who found the different tiers of subscription super-confusing when I first encountered them) you might wonder that anyone ever makes the leap!
The reality is it’s highly unlikely that everyone who follows you on Instagram will make it over to read your Substack essays, no matter how brilliant they are, but there are things you can do to increase the number of people who do.
How to bring readers with you from Instagram to Substack
Do not mention the word Substack in your grid posts or stories
For me this is less about Instagram allegedly blocking the word or down-grading content that uses it, and more about how familiar my audience are with Substack.
My audience are largely writers and authors so you might assume they've all heard of SS but the last time I asked in a poll, 50% of respondents had not heard of it, or had heard of it but didn't really understand it.
This means that if I send them to ‘my Substack’ I’m immediately presenting them with an obstacle to climb over - what on Earth is ‘a Substack’? - so I use 'newsletter' (or 'membership' for my paid tier) instead.
Build credibility, trust and engagement with your audience *on* Instagram first, otherwise why would they follow you anywhere?
If you want people to follow you from Instagram to Substack, you have to prove to them that what you have to say is relevant and of value to them. This means using your content on IG as a 'gateway' to your longer form work, perhaps by sharing simplified versions of your SS essays.
It is possible to use a Substack essay to generate 3-4-5, maybe more, Instagram posts. Make sure you’re getting your existing work to do the heavy lifting so you’re not constantly reinventing the wheel.
This video walks you through a process that saves me hours of time and thinking every month:
Sharing content that does *not* centre you/ your agenda is, in my experience, also the best route to not feeling icky when you do want to promote something.
Do not use the Substack generated posts on your Instagram grid
I quite like the tiles that Substack generates for us but for reasons I don’t fully understand (although I do have my suspicions), they kill Instagram engagement dead 💀
Engagement is a key signal to the algorithms that determines how many people Instagram will show your posts to, so if you post something that your audience won’t engage with, they’re not going to see it!
These tiles can be a useful visual signal to pepper your grid with for users who are familiar with Substack, but I recommend using them once a month at most to 'round up' the pieces you have published, like this post from my Instagram account:
Be mindful of how often you use a Call To Action that directs people to your Substack
If your audience is going to trust you enough to follow you onto Substack, they need to feel like you’re not constantly trying to get them to do something that suits your agenda. This means meeting them where they’re at - on Instagram - and not constantly bashing them over the head with where you actually want them to go.
There are two ways of managing how often you ask your Instagram audience to sign up to my newsletter, or read more at the link in my bio: either post once every 4-5 posts with explicit instructions about signing up for your Substack, OR focus on promoting your Substack for a week, fortnight, or even a month at a time before shifting your focus back to serving your audience.
For example, when I was working in e-commerce, we would have ‘seasons’ where we focused purely on nurturing and connecting with our audience and barely mentioned the product at all, but then at peak buying times e.g Christmas, the ratio would reverse.
Make your Instagram Stories a destination
Stories are one of only two places on Instagram where you can include a clickable link so they are prime real estate if your goal is to get people to sign up for your Substack or read an individual post.
Stories will also often be the stomping ground of the people who’re already invested in your work. In marketing speak they’re your ‘hot leads’: no one finds themselves watching Stories by accident! This means they’re where you’re most likely to succeed in your efforts to bring people from your Instagram account to your Substack.
However, you won’t be able to make the most of this feature of Stories if your Stories are not a destination for your audience.
To make your Stories an appealing place to visit, make sure you’re adding snippets of your day to day, add more context to the grid posts you’ve shared that week, give extra advice or share examples of what you’ve been posting about, ask your audience for their opinions, and STOP re-sharing other people’s posts without any context!
When you do share someone else’s post, explain why you are sharing it or add your thoughts, perspectives, and ideas to increase the value, and the appeal, of your Stories.
More appeal = more views = more clicks through to your Substack
You should also make use of the different interactive features Instagram offers on Stories as this will encourage engagement which will then send signals to the Stories algorithm to push your Stories to the front of the line for more of your followers.
For more tips about how to use Stories, have a look at this short post:
And this essay also has a section about Stories you might find useful:
Make sure your Substack link is in your bio, and add a Call To Action to the bottom of your bio that says, SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER, or something similar.
🔗 I know it sounds obvious but have you done it…?
Repeat yourself until you’re sick of yourself!
As this person posted recently:
The same goes for telling your Instagram followers about your Substack 😬
A pep talk from me to help you with the ick this might provoke can be found here (obvs replace ‘book’ with ‘Substack’):
Finally, consider whether your audience would benefit from some ‘education’ about Substack
For example, record some videos on Stories to explain what Substack is, screen record the sign up process, screen record what your publication looks like once they’ve signed up, and add those videos to a highlight called, NEWSLETTER.
You never know which curious soul is waiting for you to explain it to them 😊
This is a free to read essay from Too Much by Nicola Washington. I hope you’ve found it useful. If you’d like more in-depth advice and guidance about how you can use Instagram to find more readers please consider upgrading your subscription to become a member of TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM. If it’s not the right time to upgrade, then please consider supporting my work by sharing this essay 😊
Are you really sure you want to?
Thank you! Putting this into my January action plan 👍🏻