How to Grow Your Email List with InstaFreebie
I’ve been doing some new things to grow my reader email list recently, and together they’ve been adding between 30 – 50 new emails per day. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share what I’m doing.
For today’s post, let’s start with the simplest to set-up: A Giveaway through InstaFreebie.com.
The last I’d heard of InstaFreebie, it was a site where you could upload an epub file of a book you wanted to give to readers, then share the InstaFreebie link with the person you wanted to receive the free book. They could retrieve the file from InstaFreebie and sideload it onto their eReader. I have a different service I use to share ereader files for giveaways (I use BookFunnel and LOVE them, mostly because of their high level of customer support for my readers), so InstaFreebie hasn’t been on my radar for a while.
But I received a tip from a Facebook friend that InstaFreebie has a great little program to help authors grow their reader email list. That sounded like something to check out!
I have to say I’m impressed! To use the mailing list sign-up (including automatic integration with your Mailchimp list), you have to use the $20/month Pro plan, but it seems to be worth the cost. I uploaded one of my books that’s already permafree on Amazon and other retailers, and created what they call an “Advanced Giveaway.” That allowed me to select the “Mailing List Opt-in Required” so readers subscribe to my mailing list in order to receive the free book.
The site was easy to use, and here’s a peek at the book set-up page:
The message potential readers see is:
InstaFreebie delivers the free book to the subscriber and adds the reader email address directly to your Mailchimp mailing. Nice!
I tweeted once about the book giveaway when I first set it up, but haven’t promoted it in any way since then. I’m averaging about five sign-ups today, and most of them come through InstaFreebie’s promotions. Here’s a nice chart they provide to show the results in graph form:
PRO TIP #1: I didn’t learn this until after I sent my first tweet, but InstaFreebie’s system is set up so the more you promote your giveaway, the more they promote it, too. For them to know about your promotions, you have to tag InstaFreebie in your social media posts, or blind copy support@instafreebie.com on your promotion email.
For me, uploading a permafree book was a great fit, but you could also give away any other book, as long as it’s not in Amazon’s KDP Select Program. A great opportunity!
It’s no secret that growing your email list is a powerful marketing tool, but what do you do with those new subscribers? How do you help them get to know you and want to buy your books?
You set up an easy, but effective, Welcome Email Sequence.
Want real email examples and pro tips to set up your Welcome Email Sequence? Get these and more in my new course!
The Ambitious Author 
August 30, 2016 at 8:17 am
Thanks for the wonderful ideas!
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August 30, 2016 at 10:34 am
Glad they’re helpful, Janet!
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September 9, 2016 at 4:59 pm
Okay, Misty, I tried it. Loaded my book, Finding Amanda, onto InstaFreebie on Sunday, and then, because of your recommendation, promoted it a lot this week. And guess what? Today, it is featured on their Freebie Friday blog post and will be emailed (along with a bunch of other books) to their mailing list. And I’ve been getting a lot of new folks on my mailings list, too. Thanks for the great tip!
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September 10, 2016 at 1:55 pm
Oh that’s fantastic, Robin! Getting in their newsletter sounds like a fantastic way to meet new readers. So glad your book was selected!
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October 11, 2016 at 10:08 am
So, Misty, I want to give away my newest Novella that is releasing around thanksgiving, primarily to my readers already on my elist. Can I do this through Instafreebie even though the book hasn’t officially launched? It’s an upload, not a buy-link, right? So that should work??? Or should I just stick with sending a mobi file through Mailchimp? Thanks for the help! 🙂
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October 11, 2016 at 12:30 pm
Hi, Jen. Yes! InstaFreebie will let you set up a private giveaway where you upload your book files and send the download link to anyone you choose. You can choose how many total giveaways are allowed with the link, or how long the link is valid. It has a lot of great options for what you’re planning. Congrats on the new release!
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January 5, 2017 at 7:18 am
[…] tell, it looks the open and click rates were approx. 33% and 11% respectively. I blogged about the Instafreebie giveaway here. I was a little skeptical about how high the open and click rates would be, but I’ve been […]
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January 2, 2018 at 12:56 pm
[…] giveaway for either Book 1 or Book 2 in my Mountain Dreams Series: 1312 emails I blogged about the Instafreebie giveaway here. I was initially skeptical about how high the open and click rates would be, but I’ve been […]
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April 5, 2018 at 6:42 am
[…] Ongoing Giveaway on Instafreebie: This is separate from group giveaways. Instafreebie has their own reader base who regularly look for new authors on the Instafreebie site. You can post a book that readers download in exchange for signing up for your email list. […]
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February 14, 2021 at 9:35 am
[…] How to Grow Your Email List with InstaFreebie « The … […]
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