- Newsletter Growth Memo
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- From 0 to 100K: how these brands used Instagram to explode their newsletter lists
From 0 to 100K: how these brands used Instagram to explode their newsletter lists
In April 2024, Meta pulled the plug on its Facebook News Tab in Australia.
A month later, it stopped paying news publishers for their content.
And just like that, thousands of journalists and news creators were at risk of losing their audience overnight.
With over half a million young Australians turning to Instagram for bite-sized news, the team at The Daily Aus knew they needed a backup plan.
They started migrating their audience to their newsletter.
Fashion insiders like Leandra Medine Cohen and Laura Reilly also started their newsletter to escape Instagram’s algorithm.
Instagram can get you seen. But it can’t keep your audience.
The algorithm changes. Reach dies. One platform decision and you lose everything.
A newsletter is what keeps your audience.
And it also sells to them.
Brock Johnson, Codie Sanchez, Jasmine Starr, Ali Abdaal, Sahil Bloom - they all built 7 to 8-figure businesses off email.
If you want to monetize, build your list.
In this guide I’ll break down how to turn IG followers into 100K newsletter subscribers.
But first, let’s talk about the basics 👇
1. Pick a niche and build a community people want in
Pick a niche. Focus on one ICP.
Your Instagram should feel like it was made for them.
When people feel seen, they stay.
That’s how you build trust.
Then invite them to your newsletter for deeper conversations.
People subscribe when it feels personal. When they think, “This is so me,” they’ll want to sign-up for more.
That’s exactly what Daphne Gomez, founder of Teacher Career Coach, did.
She built her entire brand around one problem—helping burned-out teachers leave the classroom.
As a former teacher herself, she knew the struggle of feeling stuck and not knowing what to do next.
So she picked that niche, focused on one audience, and built everything around their biggest pain point.
And that’s how she grew a newsletter with 100K+ subscribers off Instagram.
And once she had their attention, Daphne used two types of quizzes to build her email list.
2. Use Reels to acquire new attention (they’re your best growth tool)
Posts go to your followers. Stories go to superfans. Reels go wide, it’s how strangers find you.
So if you're trying to grow and build your audience, Reels are non-negotiable. They're the most discoverable format on Instagram right now.
According to Buffer, Instagram Reels see 36% more reach than other post types
Plenty of accounts create quick Reels just by curating clips, adding subtitles, or remixing existing content.
If you don’t want a ton of time editing videos, use AI-powered tools like OpusClip or VEED make it easy to turn your tweets, blog posts, or newsletter snippets into pro-level videos.
Use them to bring people in.
Then get them on your list.
Example:
Startup Archive grew their newsletter subscribers to 40K+ by clipping startup talks and posting them.
No original filming. Just smart curation.
All they do is keep the format simple and make it interesting for people to binge.
Once they have their attention, they ask watchers to subscribe to their newsletter.
3. Tactics to convert attention into newsletter subscribers
→ Optimize your profile
Your bio should say who you are and what you do—in one clear sentence. Keep it simple.
For example, “I help creators grow their audience.” Or “Daily news in 60 seconds.”
Add a profile pic that fits your vibe.
Make it easy.
Put your sign-up link right in your bio.
Use a short, clean URL.
If you like, add a line that tells people why they should subscribe.
Let’s look at how Justin Welsh has optimized his bio, newsletter link, and CTA:
Create a simple post explaining what your newsletter is about and who it’s for. Then pin it to your profile so anyone who lands there sees it first. Think of it like your Instagram welcome mat.
Sports media brand, The Gist, encourages newsletter sign-ups by utilizing pinned posts to highlight the value of their newsletter and special moments, like hitting 1M subscribers.
→ Story Highlights
Create permanent story highlights that showcase your newsletter value
Example:
Look at how Ali Abdaal uses Highlights to promote his newsletter
→ Carousel CTAs
Use the last slide of every carousel post to promote your newsletter.
Structure: Value → Problem → Solution → CTA.
Giveaways work because people love free stuff.
You offer a prize (your product, a gift card, a bundle) — and in return, people have to do something to enter.
On Instagram, that usually means:
Follow your page
Tag a friend
Join your newsletter
It’s one of the fastest ways to boost your email list, grow your reach, and get real people talking about your brand.
Here’s how The Daily Aus did it:
→ Offer exclusive value through lead magnets
Give your audience something valuable for free in exchange for their email.
Lead magnets like guides, templates, checklists, or resources provide real value to your followers, making them more likely to sign up for your newsletter.
Keep it exclusive to your newsletter to make it more attractive.
Mandi Gubler at happyhappyhouseplant posted about her free guide that got her 800+ comments and newsletter subscribers.
→ Use automation tools like Manychat
Manychat turns IG comments into email sign-ups instantly, saving you hours of manual work.
Instead of the old "link in bio" approach, you can have followers comment specific words like "quiz" or "guide" and automate DMs with Manychat.
The tool will then automatically send DMs and collect their email on the spot.
Use it for:
Auto-replying to DMs.
Delivering lead magnets, coupons, FAQ.
Growing your email list
Set up an automated follow-up sequence. Example: someone comments → gets a DM → clicks a link → gets a reminder if they don’t sign up.
4. Case studies: how brands across industries turn followers into subscribers
📰 Media and News Companies
The Daily Aus is an Australian news outlet targeting younger audiences (18–35) with bite-sized, easy-to-digest news.
How they attracted attention:
Started by posting quick headlines with “read more” links — but it didn’t work.
Realized young people (their ICP) want news inside the platform, not a link out.
The founders decided to meet audiences where they are, and not ask them to change behavior.
Switched to posting full updates directly on Instagram (single-image static posts, multi-image carousels, Reels).
Posted daily (or even multiple times a day) to stay relevant in the news cycle.
How they converted followers into subscribers:
Used Instagram to build trust first, then ran interactive activities like polls, games (e.g., Picture This), giveaways to get users onto their newsletter list. Also promoted newsletter launches and actively asked for sign-ups.
Framed the newsletter as the next step for more tailored, valuable content.
Created different newsletters targeting different interests:
News
Sports
The Good News
Results:
Grew their newsletter list to 250K+ subscribers in under a year.
Now reach nearly 2 million Australians monthly across platforms.
Magasin - by Laura Reilly
Laura Reilly, a former commerce editor, started Magasin to offer personal, trusted shopping recommendations outside of social media algorithms.
How she attracts attention:
Treats her Instagram like a personal shopping diary — real finds, personal opinions, no hard-selling.
Shared honest takes, outfits, and shopping tips with casual captions like “I love this jacket because...” instead of polished ads.
Made Instagram posts feel like talking to a friend, not a marketing feed.
How she converts followers into subscribers:
Saves her full product lists, deeper recommendations, and special deals for her Substack newsletter.
Built an active Substack community with group chats where readers share shopping tips and vintage finds.
Shares exclusive, crowdsourced Google Sheets (like Black Friday deal trackers) available only to subscribers.
Always prioritizes reader trust over affiliate money — never recommending things just because they pay commissions.
Results:
Grew to 40,000+ Substack subscribers.
Newsletter income makes up 80% of her total revenue.
Quit her day job to go full-time on Substack within a year.
The Cereal Aisle by Leandra Medine Cohen
Leandra Medine Cohen launched The Cereal Aisle to create a more personal, no-pressure space to talk about fashion and life.
How she attracts attention:
Uses her 1.2M Instagram followers to share outfit teases, shopping habits, and casual styling tips.
Makes her Instagram feel like a casual conversation about clothes and feelings, not a fashion ad campaign.
Introduces a more vulnerable, personal tone that connected with both old fans and completely new audiences.
How she converts followers into subscribers:
Teases that deeper outfit breakdowns, full product recommendations, and real opinions were only available inside her Substack newsletter.
Mentions her newsletter casually in posts — never aggressive or pushy.
Hosts real-world events (like consignment shopping meetups) for her subscribers, deepening loyalty and creating offline connections.
Results:
Her newsletter became a place for new and old fans to bond over fashion, personal style, and real conversations — unaffected by Instagram's algorithm.
Allows her to monetize newsletter through subscription, affiliates and ads / sponsorships.
Received attention from a new audience and acquired over 160,000 newsletter subscribers.
🛍 eCommerce
Coconut Bowls is an eco-friendly eCommerce brand that specializes in eco-friendly and sustainable products, primarily made from coconut shells and bamboo.
How they attract attention:
Built a community around eco-friendly living and sustainable products.
Regularly posts lifestyle content — recipes, bowls, smoothies — featuring their products naturally.
Runs viral giveaways with clear, simple rules that encourage followers to tag friends and share.
Focuses on products people loved showing off, which made shares feel natural, not forced.
How they convert followers into subscribers:
They run giveaways and contests pretty often.
Use a clean, fast-loading landing page.
Create a viral loop by encouraging people to tag multiple friends for extra entries.
Keep the giveaway prize aligned with their brand so they attract the right audience.
Results:
Their June 30, 2020 giveaway results exploded.
Gained 41,820 new email subscribers.
Picked up 37,703 new Instagram followers and 15,536 social shares.
Landing page conversion rate of 18%, all with less than $1,000 budget.
Growing a newsletter on Instagram requires posting with purpose.
The brands we discussed in this article all did the same thing -
understood their audience
picked the right content strategy
earned their trust, built a relationship
then introduced them to their newsletter and asked to subscribe.
Focus on building relationships with your followers first. When you do that well, your newsletter will grow faster than you expected.