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Key Takeaways
Klaviyo now connects to Instagram
Grow your e-mail marketing list through social interactions
Step-by-step guide
What you can do with this new connection to grow your base
Starting today, Klaviyo e-mail marketing customers can now set up Instagram campaigns that grow your email and text message lists directly from Instagram messages. That’s right, turn social interactions into subscriber growth with Social Auto-replies!
This all started when Klaviyo acquired Gatsby, a social automation product that helps brands convert engagement over social channels into owned customer relationships.
You might have already experienced Gatsby at play in Instagram posts. Examples like – “Reply with the word RECIPE to receive the full recipe” or “DM taxhelp and I’ll send you my 2026 small biz tax tips checklist.” These interactive posts are using auto-reply workflows to take a teaser post and provide users with full-blown deeper dive content and in the process, growing their engagement and follower opportunities.
How Does This Benefit Our Brand?
This new “bridge” between the two platforms allows brands to capture email and SMS subscribers directly from high-intent social interactions like DMs, tags, mentions, and follows without the customer ever needing to visit a website.
Brands can capture interest the moment it happens on Instagram and respond instantly with personalized offers and automations. This turns real-time engagement into rich, usable data and building high-value relationships from the very first interaction.
This is also a huge new tool for webinar, seminar and event sign-ups/registrations!
Grow Your List & Provide Value
When You Make The Connection
Once you get your Klaviyo account connected (link to instructions below), you’ll be able to create content that now triggers e-mail marketing flows right from your Klaviyo account. This is where the real magic happens.
Provide Value
An automated e-mail marketing flow allows you to provide the user with real value; a promotion, a discount, an educational video, a tips & tricks checklist, etc. It also allows to automatically onboard this new user into your brand with more in-depth information in a richer way. You can strategically showcase what you have to offer in a non-overwhelming, well timed process.
You Got Them From Instagram Into Your Whole World
The Instgram post was just the invite. Now that they’ve shown interest and are in your new automation process you can engage in a direct and personal manner, in real time, by setting up your e-mail flows to coincide with your IG post message.
Set the initial interaction for immediate, but then set subsequent interactions on deliberate intervals (hours, days or weeks after initial messaging) as well as setup conditional logic so the follow-up flows are based on the new users engagement behavior with each step of the flow.
Make The Connection
Step-By-Step
If you’re an existing Klaviyo user, you can follow this official guide on getting started.
Please note that:
- If you don’t see the feature in the left nav under “Social”, please reach out to Klaviyo Support.
- You’ll need Admin access to your Instagram Business Account to set up this feature.
- For now, Instagram ↔ Klaviyo connections are one-to-one. You can only connect one Instagram account to your Klaviyo account, and that Instagram account can’t be linked to any other Klaviyo accounts.
- As this is a beta release, you may encounter some bugs; they appreciate your patience and feedback as we continue to improve.
Get Creative
Obeserve How It’s Done
First, keep an eye out for brands that are harnessing similar automation engagement posts. Try them out, get a recipe or secret map of hidden Mickey’s. Experience the real time automation of receiving more in-depth, desired content from a quick social media post. Most of these “automated” interactions you’ll experience currently are still “in channel” meaning they are Instagram posts to Instagram automated direct messages.
List Growth Is Hard, This Helps
Even if you don’t experience this magic first hand, you can now see how the pieces fit. You post, they engage, they are now on your e-mail list or SMS list (or both) and your preset automated campaign(s) has fired off giving them content they wanted. Keep going. This isn’t a set it and leave it campaign. This is a new opportunity to come with multiple campaigns a month, a week or daily.
Specific IG Post, Specific Automation Flow
Automated e-mail flows can be single e-mails or a never ending ongoing campaign (three is good though). When you create a new engagement IG post, create a new automated flow. Stay “on post” so what follows is on point with what was requested initially. Use conditional logic in the e-mails to help guide the new user deeper into your brand, don’t blindly force it.
As an example, if you got the user for a how-to guide, make sure the first automated flow is a deeper dive into that how-to guide. But in that initial e-mail, include links to other guides you may offer. Then setup conditional logic to say “if they clicked on X or Y other guide, send them X or Y follow-up message.” This conditional logic keeps the personalization going and keeps it all automated on your end. That’s high value brand engagement.
In Conclusion
This is one of the first things in 2026 I’m really excited about. It’s compliant, it’s automated, it harnesses one of the strongest marketing tools in your mix (e-mail) and it gives you a whole new angle to Instagram posting.
List growth or acquiring “first party data” is a primary struggle for many brands and this just opened the door to a whole new world of opportunity.
With some creative strategy, planning and execution, you should be able to set realistically high goals for 2026 e-mail list growth, engagement and brand awareness.
Key Questions
I’m a Klaviyo user, where is this?
In the left hand navigation under Social
Is this CAN-SPAM compliant?
Yes. The user is providing opt-in providing consent through this process. You can set your Klaviyo list that is connected to Instagram to be double opt-in as well.
How often should we create engagement posts?
Ebb and flow with your follower reaction and engagement. If you have valuable content to share then don’t limit yourself.
Can this be used for event registrations and sign-ups?
Yes. This is a fantastic way to acquire new attendee registrations. Use Instagram’s short content platform to drive interest, use your e-mail flows to close the deal.
Can I use this connection if I don’t use Klaviyo for e-mail marketing?
No. Klaviyo acquired Gatsby for exclusive use to connect to Instagram. Other e-mail marketing service providers may have similar services or services like this coming soon.