6 Brands That Mastered the Art of Turning Social Media Followers into Email Subscribers

As a marketer, you know that social media and email are two of the most powerful channels for connecting with your audience and driving business results. But did you know that integrating your social media and email strategies can skyrocket your success on both fronts?

By strategically using social media to grow your email list, you can turn casual followers into opted-in subscribers who are more likely to engage with your content, buy your products, and become loyal customers. In fact, research from Statista found that in 2023, email generated a median ROI of 41:1, while social media marketing earned 28:1. Imagine the results you could achieve by combining forces!

To give you some inspiration, we‘ve rounded up 6 brands that used creative social media tactics to boost their email subscribers in 2024. We‘ll dive into the specific strategies they used, the results they achieved, and the key takeaways you can apply to your own integrated marketing efforts.

1. Glossier‘s Gated Content Campaign

Glossier, the cult-favorite beauty brand, is known for its devoted social media following. But in 2024, they wanted to turn more of those followers into email subscribers so they could nurture them with personalized product recommendations and exclusive offers.

To do this, Glossier created a gated content campaign on Instagram and TikTok. They produced a series of "Beauty Secrets" videos featuring their popular products and influencers. But to access the full video series, viewers had to sign up for Glossier‘s email list.

The results were stunning:

• Glossier gained 100,000 new email subscribers in just 2 weeks
• The average email open rate for the "Beauty Secrets" series was 62% (2.5x their usual average)
• Glossier saw a 43% increase in revenue from email marketing in the quarter following the campaign

How did they do it? Glossier followed a few key best practices:

1. They chose a content topic that was highly relevant and valuable to their target audience
2. They promoted the gated videos heavily on their social media channels, both organic posts and paid ads
3. They made the email signup process quick and easy, with a clear value proposition
4. They delivered on their promise by providing subscribers with high-quality, exclusive content

2. Warby Parker‘s Social Media Contest

Warby Parker, the direct-to-consumer eyewear brand, has built a strong presence on social media with over 550,000 Instagram followers. In 2024, they decided to run a social media contest to collect more emails for their list.

The concept was "Warby Parker Wanderlust": customers could post a photo of themselves wearing Warby Parker glasses on vacation for a chance to win a $1,000 travel voucher. To enter, they had to submit their email address on a contest landing page.

Warby Parker promoted the contest heavily on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. They partnered with travel influencers to spread the word and created a branded hashtag, #WPWanderlust, for entrants to use.

The two-week contest generated impressive results:

• 37,000 new email subscribers (a 21% increase in their list size)
• 16,000 user-generated content posts using #WPWanderlust (which Warby Parker could repurpose in future email and social campaigns)
• A 62% increase in website traffic from social media during the contest period

The keys to their contest‘s success:

1. They chose a prize that aligned with their brand identity and target audience‘s interests
2. They made entry simple but valuable, requiring just an email address and a hashtag
3. They leveraged user-generated content to expand their reach and engage their community
4. They cross-promoted heavily on all their active social media channels

3. Calm‘s Social Media Video Series

Mindfulness app Calm has exploded in popularity, thanks in large part to their strong social media game. In 2024, they created a social media video series called "Calm in the Chaos" to attract new email subscribers.

Each short video featured a soothing nature scene, a calming soundscape, and a mindfulness tip from a Calm expert. At the end, viewers were prompted to sign up for Calm‘s email list to receive a free 7-day meditation series.

Calm posted teaser versions of the videos on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok. They used a combination of organic posts, paid ads, and influencer partnerships to maximize views and email signups.

The campaign was a hit:

• Calm collected 250,000 new email subscribers in 30 days
• The "Calm in the Chaos" videos received over 10 million views across platforms
• Email became Calm‘s top acquisition channel, outperforming paid search and paid social

What made this campaign work so well?

1. The video content was instantly engaging and shareable, perfectly suited for social media
2. The email signup CTA was relevant and valuable, offering a free 7-day series that complemented the videos
3. Calm used a multi-channel approach to reach the largest possible audience
4. They included a clear next step for viewers, rather than just asking them to "sign up for our newsletter"

4. Fenty Beauty‘s Influencer Squad

Rihanna‘s cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty has a massive social media presence, with over 11 million Instagram followers. To turn more of those followers into email subscribers, they launched the Fenty Beauty Influencer Squad in 2024.

The program invited 100 diverse beauty influencers to become brand ambassadors. Each influencer committed to creating a certain number of Fenty Beauty posts and stories per month, and encouraging their followers to sign up for Fenty Beauty‘s email list.

In exchange, the influencers received free products, early access to new launches, and an affiliate commission on any email signups or purchases they generated. Fenty Beauty promoted the squad heavily on their own channels and created a dedicated Instagram Story Highlight and landing page for the program.

The results were impressive:

• Fenty Beauty gained 500,000 new email subscribers in 6 months
• Squad influencers‘ posts generated over 2 million engagements and 10 million impressions
• Email subscribers referred by influencers had a 35% higher conversion rate and 22% higher average order value

Why was this program so successful?

1. Fenty Beauty partnered with influencers who had highly engaged, on-brand audiences
2. They treated the influencers as valued members of their team and compensated them fairly
3. They made email capture a key goal for the influencer squad and tracked their performance
4. They gave influencers creative freedom to promote the email signup in their own authentic style

5. Lush‘s Social Media Safe Space

Lush, the ethical cosmetics brand, has always been outspoken about social and environmental issues. In 2024, they took a stand against social media toxicity by shutting down their Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat accounts in the UK.

Instead, they invited their 1.2 million followers to join them in a new "safe space": their email community. They positioned email as a positive alternative to the negativity and mental health impact of social media.

Lush announced the bold move with a final post on each UK channel, linking to a landing page with more information and an email signup form. They reached out to press contacts to secure media coverage of the decision.

The campaign had a big impact:

• Lush gained 150,000 new email subscribers in the UK within a week of the announcement
• Open rates for their first "social media detox" email series averaged 57%
• Lush‘s UK e-commerce sales increased by 23% year-over-year in the following quarter

Keys to their stand-out campaign:

1. Lush took a strong stance on an issue their target audience cared about
2. They framed email as a mental health-positive alternative to social media
3. They generated press coverage and buzz with their surprising move
4. They welcomed new subscribers with a relevant email series that delivered on their promise

6. MasterClass‘s Social Media Course Teasers

MasterClass, the online learning platform, has a knack for creating buzz on social media with their all-star instructors. In 2024, they used that expertise to drive email signups by promoting a new course: "Mastering Social Media" taught by entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk.

MasterClass posted clips and quotes from the course on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter. Each post ended with a CTA to sign up for MasterClass‘s email list to be the first to know when the course dropped and get an exclusive discount code.

They also ran social media ads targeting users interested in Gary Vaynerchuk, social media marketing, and entrepreneurship. The ads clicked through to a landing page with a trailer for the course and an email signup form.

The results were stellar:

• MasterClass collected 200,000 new email subscribers in the 3 weeks leading up to the course launch
• The first email announcing the course release had a 76% open rate and a 43% click-through rate
• "Mastering Social Media" became MasterClass‘s most popular course of 2024, with 58% of students coming from email

What were the winning elements?

1. MasterClass leveraged the star power and subject matter expertise of Gary Vaynerchuk
2. They chose an email incentive (early access and a discount) that perfectly fit the course topic
3. They built anticipation with a 3-week pre-launch email and social media campaign
4. They segmented their email list to deliver personalized course recommendations to the new subscribers

Key Takeaways for Marketers

Based on these examples, here are the top strategies you can use to turn social media followers into email subscribers:

1. Create valuable gated content that requires an email to access, like Glossier‘s "Beauty Secrets" videos
2. Run social media contests that collect email addresses as entries, like Warby Parker‘s "Wanderlust" campaign
3. Develop an email-focused influencer program that compensates partners for email signups, like Fenty Beauty‘s squad
4. Launch an email-gated video series that‘s promoted heavily on social, like Calm‘s "Calm in the Chaos"
5. Take a bold stance that drives press coverage and social followers to your email list, like Lush‘s social media shutdown
6. Tease an upcoming launch to your social audience and offer an email-exclusive perk, like MasterClass‘s course promo

Of course, these strategies only work if you‘re also following email marketing best practices like segmenting your list, crafting compelling subject lines, designing mobile-friendly emails, and delivering valuable content that keeps subscribers engaged.

But when you combine a smart social media to email conversion strategy with strong email execution, you‘ll be unstoppable. You‘ll extend the lifespan and value of your social media efforts, strengthen your owned audience, and generate more leads, conversions, and revenue.

So analyze what‘s working for other brands, choose one or two tactics that fit your goals, and start testing. With the right approach, you can become the next brand that turns a like, follow, or DM into a loyal email subscriber and customer.

Ready to level up your email and social media strategy? Check our step-by-step playbook for integrating the two channels to grow your list in 2024 and beyond.