Instagram Lead Generation Strategy

Want more leads from Instagram? Wondering which Instagram content types to use at each stage of the buyer journey? 

In this article, we'll explore Instagram lead generation strategy.

Why Should Marketers Use Instagram to Generate Leads?

With over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram presents a significant opportunity for businesses to connect with potential customers. However, many marketers struggle to leverage the platform effectively to drive leads compared to social platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. 

Instagram has evolved into a powerful lead-generation platform. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent, the value of community, connection, and creativity will increase since people prefer interacting with real people over robots.

The platform facilitates authentic relationship-building between creators and followers. It's not interruption marketing—Instagram users opt in by choosing to follow creators they like. Marketers and creators can then naturally promote products their followers want. 

Additionally, IG's algorithm shows your content to potential new followers who it predicts will like what you post. So, if you understand the algorithm and create compelling content, Instagram will actively promote it to your ideal audience for free. This makes the platform extremely powerful for organic reach and conversions, and it costs less than advertising, especially as Instagram ads get more expensive due to increased targeting.

Instagram Lead Generation: How to Convert Followers Into Leads 

Instagram is not just about entertaining your audience but guiding them through a customer journey with your content. Setting up a content strategy that moves people towards a purchase allows you to leverage your Instagram presence to build connections and generate valuable leads.

Social media marketing expert Michelle Gifford shares her proven Instagram lead generation strategy, including understanding IG’s algorithm, creating a content funnel, and automating lead capture. 

#1: Understand How Instagram’s Algorithm Works

The key to success on Instagram is understanding its algorithm and how it determines what content users see at the top of their feed. As Michelle explains, “We have to stop fighting the algorithm.”

Instagram's algorithm has evolved rapidly in recent years, and Michelle urges marketers and creators to adapt to it. The algorithm tracks what content users engage with and the content you post. When you consistently create niche-specific content correctly, Instagram learns about you. It can then match your content with users actively searching for that type of content.  

To leverage this, Michelle says you must first niche down and understand exactly who your ideal audience is. Then, create consistent content tailored toward their interests and needs. Aligning with Instagram's algorithm will connect the right people to your content.

For example, Michelle previously taught a variety of social media topics like email marketing and how to use Pinterest and Instagram for business. Around October 2022, she decided to narrow her focus on Instagram marketing efforts. In the year since she’s gone from 18,000 followers to over 180,000 followers. This exponential growth is because she niched down. 

Now, the platform understands Michelle as a creator and her content type. So it can accurately promote her content to people interested in learning about Instagram.

The next step in optimizing for IG’s algorithm is to post strategically. The platform’s algorithm does not operate uniformly across all areas of the platform. Each main section—Feed, Stories, Reels— has its own distinct algorithm analyzing user data and cues to determine relevance. This means you need to tailor content based on where it will appear.

For instance, Feed content (Reels, carousels, single-image posts, etc.) has the highest chance of reaching new, non-following users compared to Instagram Stories that appear exclusively to your current followers. While your Feed content needs to focus on your niche, establish you as an expert, and speak to your target audience, Michelle says your Stories content can be more personalized while being strategic. 

By optimizing your approach for IG’s algorithm, you can ensure your content systematically reaches your target audience and generates leads. 

#2: Craft an Effective Instagram Content Funnel

Once you grasp IG’s algorithm, developing an effective content funnel is next. Your funnel moves users through three stages of content on their journey to becoming customers:

1. Attract: Bring new people in.
2. Nurture: Build trust and relationships with followers. 
3. Sell: Convert followers into customers.

Attraction Stage 

To attract new followers, use entertainment, emotion, and curiosity to broaden your niche slightly and expand your audience. Utilize trending audios and Reels to capitalize on the algorithm’s tendency to showcase this highly engaging content format to new users. Michelle also recommends discussing controversial topics, showcasing before-and-afters, quick how-tos, and lists, or calling out common problems your audience relates to.  

For example, one of Michelle’s clients is a popular house plant influencer (Happy Happy Houseplant). She created an intro Reel that people really related to—admitting she, too, killed a lot of houseplants. This vulnerability and relatability made the content highly shareable and savable. The video went viral with 5.9 million views and about 80,000 new followers. 

When crafting attraction content, ask yourself, “Would someone share this with a friend?” Does it make them stop scrolling and watch? Instagram's algorithm favors content with high view duration and engagement. 

Attraction content should make your audience feel seen and understood, not just educate them. Focus on creating human connection, Michelle says. People feel part of a community if you admit, “I also kill plants!” They realize they aren't alone in their struggles. So, nail that attraction content that connects with people emotionally. When you address a common pain point or are vulnerably relatable, your content can take off.

Nurture Stage 

Next, establish your expertise and strengthen connections with existing followers using value-driven content. Sharing lesser-known tips and tactics, walking through step-by-step guides, and responding to frequently asked questions are great ways to nurture followers.   

Michelle says that educational Lives and carousel posts are effective at this stage. Treat carousels like mini blog posts—include valuable information and optimize with SEO keywords since Instagram is now a search platform. For example, Happy Happy Houseplant created a carousel post about how often you should water your indoor plants. Another example is how she took followers on a journey to save a Fiddle-leaf Fig tree by creating a carousel showing how she revived it, saying, “Swipe to save this fiddle.”

Attraction content tends to be better suited for Reels since those can reach non-followers via IG’s Explore page. But carousels can gain thousands of followers if people see their value and save and share them. For example, Michelle has gained 2,000–3,000 followers on one carousel post. 

Potential followers may see one of your specific posts, like it, and then visit your profile to learn more about you as the creator. They evaluate whether your other content is valuable and aligns with the initial post that attracted them. If you have diversity—attractive Reels plus substantive nurturing content—it gives people more reason to follow you.

So, craft content that resonates with your target audience and provides value, and the algorithm will promote it to interested audiences. Saving, sharing, and engagement signal to Instagram that people find your content valuable. In the Happy Happy Houseplant example, the last slide of the carousel on watering your plants asks followers to share and save the post. The key is to give people value before asking them to buy from you. Nurture them first so they know and trust you.

Selling Stage

Finally, create selling content that directly promotes your products and services to warm leads primed to purchase. Once followers know, like, and trust you, they become primed for your product and service offerings. 

Michelle mainly uses Stories for selling content and Reels and carousels to drive email list sign-ups.  Stories enable longer-form selling to your most engaged followers. Selling content includes product unveils and features, before and afters, and user reviews.   

Some examples:

• Limited-time specials like “My product X is on sale this week only!” 
• Testimonials and user-generated content (UGC) showing real people using your physical product to create something
• Sharing your business wins as social proof like “My client increased sales by 300% using my 3 tips…”

Sometimes, attraction and selling content can overlap. For instance, the last example builds authority while promoting your offering. Michelle says it’s essential to incorporate all stages of content when building your strategy. This “cohesive strategy” maximizes conversion rates by systematically nurturing users down the funnel, converting IG traffic into sales. 

“You have to have that healthy balance of all of them so that you can take people down the funnel of finding you, trusting you, and then buying from you,” she says.  

Asking followers to share, save, or comment a specific trigger word and then sending them to your product or email list is utilizing both nurture and selling stages. With the Happy Happy Houseplant example of saving the Fiddle-leaf Fig tree, the caption ends with a call to action (CTA) asking followers to get her plant food and to comment on the post. Then, she'll direct message (DM) them a link to her plant guide. 

Regularly posting selling content is important. Michelle recommends pining a selling post to the top of your Instagram profile so it's prominently visible. This lets visitors instantly see where to purchase your products or services when they land on your page. 

For example, Happy Happy Houseplant has a “Plant Food: Science That Feels Like Magic” pinned carousel post that directly describes her plant food product, how to use it, reviews, and a “Tap now” slide prompting people to buy her product and share their experience in the comments. Followers can even tap “View collection” on the post to see her shop page’s list of available plant products.

As followers scroll through your Instagram content, they should encounter clear CTAs at some point, guiding them on how to take the next step with you. Whether visiting your shop, signing up for a webinar, downloading a guide, etc., make sure people understand how to continue engaging with your Instagram business account at critical touchpoints.

#3: Develop the Customer Journey and Automate Lead Generation 

Finally, map out the customer journey you want your Instagram followers to take. Instagram shouldn't be the endpoint. Where do you want followers to go after they find you on IG? What’s the next step?  

Identify a specific pain point your audience is experiencing right now. Offer them an immediate solution to make their day better. For example, Michelle has an opt-in guide for IG hooks, giving followers 131 free hooks. Her audience wanted helpful hooks they could instantly apply instead of a vague promise like a 10-day course.

Whether it's an email opt-in, a freebie, or a masterclass, deliver value upfront by addressing your audience's current needs. When you make people's lives easier in a tangible way, they will love and thank you. And they'll be more inclined to engage with your business further.

Listen to the direct feedback your Instagram audience gives you. What questions are they asking in your DMs or comments? Identify their struggles. For example, if followers say, “I don't know how to make good Reel covers,” you have an immediate content idea—make templates or tutorials to solve that pain point.

Actively research what your audience needs:

• Join their communities on Facebook groups
• Search related terms on Pinterest
• Use tools like AnswerThePublic to see common questions

Your goal as a marketer is to understand what your audience wants and needs. Pay attention to the direct and indirect feedback they provide across social platforms. Then, create content that solves those problems or answers those questions—listening leads to truly helpful content.

Automate Instagram Lead Generation

Next, automate your Instagram lead generation. Use tools like ManyChat to set up workflows and automate sending links via DMs/comments when people engage with your content. For instance, when a user comments specific “trigger” keywords on your post like “info please!”, they receive a personalized DM with a link to capture their email or direct them to a product landing page. You can set up multiple personalized responses in ManyChat and have it reply to comments. 

Instagram's algorithm favors accounts that DM each other. It assumes that if people message, they have an engaged connection and want to see more of each other's content. So, if someone DMs you, always reply. Have real conversations that provide value—don't just spam links. Building relationships through DMs trains the algorithm that you create content your engaged followers enjoy.  

Michelle also advises to avoid saying “Link in bio.” It disrupts how people naturally use IG. You want to meet people where they are in the buyer journey. Making followers stop scrolling, click your profile, find your Instagram bio link, and tap is too much friction. You'll lose them along the way. That's why comment-triggered automations are key. Tell followers to comment a keyword like “Info”. They keep scrolling, and then the link conveniently appears in their DMs to click when they’re ready. 

Michelle uses comment-triggered automation as often as possible, though not on every post. It depends on each post’s goal. For example, if she shares 11 hook ideas in a Reel, she’s providing some value upfront. People can comment “Hooks” and instantly get 131 more hooks delivered via DM. This nurtures and attracts followers simultaneously. She mainly uses automation for selling content, like limited-time offers.

The IG hooks guide is a good example. Either:

• Agitate the problem: “Struggling with good hooks? Get my full guide instantly by commenting on ‘hooks.'” OR
• Provide a partial solution that requires the guide to unlock the total value: “Here are 3 hook formulas; get 100+ more in my FREE guide by commenting ‘hooks.'”

Automation provides users value by anticipating your follower’s needs and seamlessly guiding them to desired destinations. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to set up once set up an account and connect your info to Meta. For Michelle, implementing automation has doubled her email subscriber list and accelerated lead generation for her social media clients. 

Her comment-triggered workflows deliver an opt-in link directly to the commenter's DMs. For her hooks guide, for example, they enter their email on her opt-in page to access the download. She mainly leverages automation to capture emails rather than deliver content within Instagram. However, you could DM content directly, too.

The goal is to keep people in the Instagram experience. Instagram limits external links, but DMs allow internal clicks. So, people comment, get a relevant DM, and click the link without leaving the app.

Generating leads on Instagram requires a multi-pronged strategy encompassing algorithm optimization, funnel development, and automation. You can transform Instagram from a social channel into a lead generation ecosystem by niching down, incorporating all funnel content types, and leveraging automation.  

Rather than viewing it as an isolated platform, integrate Instagram into your broader sales process. Map out your customer journey from discovery to purchase, using Instagram as an entry point to capture contacts. With the right approach, Instagram offers unmatched opportunities to engage potential customers and grow your business.

Other Notes From This Episode

• Connect with Michael Stelzner @Stelzner on Instagram and @Mike_Stelzner on Twitter.
• Watch this interview and other exclusive content from Social Media Examiner on YouTube.

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