How To Use Instagram for Blogging to Skyrocket Your Blog Growth

To use Instagram for blogging to its full potential, you need to connect with your followers. And you do that by communicating with them.

It’s great to get new Instagram followers. But don’t let them go to waste. You need to make the most of those new followers by turning them into your blog audience.

It starts by opening up a line of communication with them. Let them know you’re a real person. Tell them why they should follow you and how you can help them.

But what’s the best way to do that? There’s a specific communication feature with Instagram that, when used properly, will skyrocket your blog growth.

Wanna know what it is???

Saved Replies! Have you heard of this incredibly helpful (and probably underutilized) Instagram feature? And more importantly, have you been using them?

I’m going to tell you exactly how to use Saved Replies to your blogging advantage. This blog growth strategy will easily drive traffic to your blog and multiply your email subscribers.

There are lots of ways you can use Instagram for blogging. But you need to be using this secret strategy for the best way to grow your blog with Instagram! #Instagram #Instagramtips #blogtraffictips #bloggingtips #bloggrowth Click To Tweet

What Are Instagram Saved Replies

Before we get into how to use Instagram’s Saved Replies for blogging, let’s start with the basics. What are Saved Replies?

Rather than re-typing the same messages over and over (because who wants to do that?), Saved Replies allow you to easily reuse your most used Direct Messages (DMs).

I am obsessed with this super handy Instagram feature! Because I’m all about working smarter, not harder. Are you with me? 🙋‍♀️

Saved Replies save a ton of time and make it a breeze to DM your new followers. Now let’s get into why you should be DMing your new followers.

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Why You Need to Use Instagram Saved Replies

Like I said, you need to connect with your Instagram followers by communicating with them. And a great way to do that is by sending them a Direct Message (DM). 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to downplay the importance of commenting. Comments are key for engagement. You should be commenting on other people’s posts as well as replying to their comments on your posts. 

But… comments are NOT going to drive traffic to your blog or get you new email subscribers.

That’s where DMs with Saved Replies come in. With Saved Replies, it’s super easy to reach out to your new followers with a DM. And unlike post comments, you can actually include a link in your DMs! 

By including a link in your messages, you’ll make it effortless for your followers to visit your blog and sign up for your email list.

That’s where Instagram for blogging is at! And that’s how your blog growth with Instagram is going to happen.

How To Set Up Your Saved Replies

To be able to use Instagram’s Saved Replies, you’ll first need to set up your Instagram Account for Business. 

Saved Replies are an Instagram feature that’s only available for Business Accounts. Luckily, Business Accounts are free, and Saved Replies are the best part about them (IMO).

 Here’s how to set up your own Saved Replies to start sending DMs to your new followers:

1. From your Instagram profile, click on the 3 lines in the top right corner to open the menu

2. Click on Settings

3. Go to Business

4. Click on Saved Replies

5. Tap on the + in the top right corner to add a new Saved Reply

6. For the Shortcut, give the Saved Reply a one-word name to use as a keyboard Shortcut (for example, I use “intro” for the first message I send to my new followers)

7. For the Message, type the full Message you want to send new followers with the Saved Reply

8. Click on Save when you’re done

Wondering what type of messages you should send and what you should say in them? 

Grab this free Instagram Saved Replies Swipe File with the exact messages I send when I get new Instagram followers. It also includes templates to customize the messages for your blog!

You may also like: How To Easily Set Up Your Instagram Account for Business to Succeed

How To Access Your Saved Replies to Send Them to Followers

There are a few different ways you can access your Saved Replies when sending a DM to your new Instagram followers:

Option #1

1.Click on the + sign in the bottom right corner

2. Click on the message bubble with 3 dots

3. Choose the Saved Reply you want to use (it will be inserted into the message)

Option #2

1. Type the keyboard shortcut for the Saved Reply you want to use (for example, if you used “intro” as the Shortcut for your first message, type “intro”)

2. The message bubble with 3 dots will turn blue showing that it recognizes the shortcut

3. Click on the blue message bubble with 3 dots to insert the Saved Reply into the message

How To Use Your Saved Replies to DM New Instagram Followers

Now that you have an Instagram Account for Business and created your Saved Replies, it’s time to start using them. This is the Instagram for blogging strategy you need to be using!

1. Send an Introduction Message

The first message you send to your new Instagram followers should be to introduce yourself and thank them for following you. 

You can give a little background on yourself as well as your blog to let them know what it’s about. Be sure to include a link to your blog and ask them to check it out.

You can also ask them to let you know what they think of your blog. By asking them for feedback, you’re encouraging them to write you back. This creates engagement!

When I send my intro message, I get quite a few replies. Sometimes people thank me for reaching out and introduce themselves as well. It’s a great way to open up a line of communication with new followers!

How To Send Your Introduction Message

1. From your Instagram feed, click on the ♡ in the top right corner to access your notifications

2. Look for people who have followed you recently, and click on their image to go to their profile (do NOT click on “Follow” for them, just go to their profile)

3. When you’re on their profile, click on “Message” to send them a DM

4. Insert your “Intro” Saved Reply and hit Send

2. Send a Follow Up Message

Like I said, sometimes people will respond to my intro message. But they usually don’t. So then I send them a follow up message. 

And even if they do respond to my first message, I still send the follow up message. That’s because I want to take it a step further by offering something of value to my new followers. 

This is how you grow your email list!

Offer them an opt-in freebie or access to your free resource library. Make sure you include a link to the landing page on your blog. This gives them a quick way to sign up for your email list while also giving them a goodie.

*PRO TIP: Do NOT use the landing pages offered by your email service provider. That’s just driving traffic to their website instead of your blog (boo!). Instead, create landing pages for your freebies on your blog to drive traffic straight to your site and capitalize on those visitors.

By giving them a specific reason to visit your blog, this follow up message will drive traffic to your site. And at the same time, it also makes it easy for your followers to sign up for your email list! #winwin

Let me tell you… Offering free resources in a follow up message has been a huge hit with my followers!

Even if my followers don’t respond to my initial introduction message, most of them do respond to my follow up message.

And so many people have replied to my follow up freebie offer with excitement and a heartfelt thank you. How rewarding is that?!

Here are some replies I’ve received to my follow up message from people who didn’t respond to my first intro message…

I love giving my Instagram followers something that will be helpful to them. And in return, it’s given my email list an amazing boost in subscribers!

How To Send Your Follow Up Message

1. Before you start sending your intro message to your new followers, start each day on Instagram by first going into your Messages

2. Look for the intro messages you previously sent the day before, and click to open them one by one

3. Send those people another message as a follow up offering them a freebie 

I’ve found that this is the easiest way to send follow up messages to people I’ve already sent my intro message to. 

Rather than sending a bunch of intro messages to new followers and then trying to figure out who I need to send a follow up message to, I can just get the follow up messages out of the way first. 

It’s much more simple to track messages this way. And I can make sure I don’t miss anyone. When you’re using Instagram for blogging, every follower counts!

You may also like: How to Get Free Instagram Followers: Gain 500+ New Instagram Followers in 1 Week

3. Reply to Message Responses

I always reply to people who respond to my messages. And I highly recommend that you do the same. This is how you connect with your followers and build a relationship with them.

If they take the time to reply, return the favor. Make the effort to DM them back. By acknowledging their message, you’re showing them that you actually took the time to read their message and respond.

This goes a long way! And they’ll remember you for it. They’ll also be more inclined to take the time to engage with your posts going forward. This will be a huge factor in your organic Instagram growth!

As far as the response itself, I have a generic Saved Reply I typically use to respond. But if they tell me something personal about themselves (like their name or details about their situation), I try to use that information in my response to personalize it.

I also tell them to let me know if there’s anything I don’t have yet in the way of a freebie that they’d find helpful. By asking for feedback, I’m keeping the line of communication open. It’s also a good way to potentially get helpful ideas of new opt-in freebies to create.

I’ve had incredible success with this Instagram for blogging strategy and the messages I use! In fact, here are some of the responses I’ve received from my followers after messaging them…

But feel free to mix things up and create your own messages. Just make sure you follow my 3-step Instagram for blogging strategy with DMing:

1. Reach out to your new followers to introduce yourself and thank them for following you
2. Offer them something of value
3. Always reply to them if they message you back

You may also like: 10 Easy Tips for How To Grow Instagram Followers Organically

BONUS TIP: Another Crucial Way To Use Instagram for Blogging

Besides just new followers, everyone else who visits your Instagram profile and checks out your posts also needs to be converted into blog visitors and email subscribers!

But how do you convert them? With the one link you’re allowed to include in your Instagram bio.

You need to make that link count and promote your blog on Instagram!

Instead of just sending your Instagram audience to one link, you should direct them to a landing page featuring multiple links. Include a Call-to-Action (CTA) in your Instagram bio giving folks a reason to click on your link.

Also, use your post captions as a CTA by telling your audience to click on the link in your bio. That way you can reference blog posts, freebies, products, or more in your Instagram posts. 

So where do you get one of these landing pages? There are Instagram bio link tool landing pages you could use like Tailwind’s Smart.bio, Later’s Linkin.bio, or Linktr.ee. But with those services, you’re sending your blog traffic from Instagram to another website rather than your blog. Boo for stolen traffic!

You should be sending your Instagram audience directly to your blog! And the way you do that is by creating a landing page on your website for all the links you want your Instagram audience to have easy access to.

I’ve actually made a template for an Instagram Links Landing Page that you can fully customize with your branding and links! Grab yours here!

You may also like: 5 Creative Ways to Promote Your Blog on Instagram For Free

Wrapping Up How To Use Instagram for Blogging to Skyrocket Your Blog Growth

Now that you know what Saved Replies are all about and how to integrate them into your blogging game, you should be ready to start DMing your new Instagram followers with them.

This underutilized and easy to implement Instagram for blogging strategy will take your blog to the next level by growing both your blog traffic and your email list!

And on top of that, it will also boost your engagement on Instagram to grow your Instagram followers! It’s a win-Win-WIN! What’s not to love?!

Grab the FREE Instagram Saved Replies Swipe File for the exact messages I use that you can customize to your liking. Then get started with Saved Replies today and watch Instagram skyrocket your blog!

And while you’re at it, get your Instagram Links Landing Page Template too! Use it to grow your traffic by driving your Instagram audience directly to your blog or website.

Leave a question or comment here!