Hey Tom,
By 2026, ChatGPT will show sponsored ads. Instagram already decides who sees your posts (spoiler: not many). If you don't own your audience through email, you're building on rented land - and the rent just went up.
Here's the thing though: you don't need to abandon social media. You just need a bridge.
The Instagram post that changed everything
Career coach Erin McGoff posted about her career quiz on Instagram. One post. 140,000 email subscribers.
Not from a viral dance. Not from growth hacks. From a simple flow: Instagram post -> automated chat -> quiz on her own domain.
The secret? Her quiz wasn't "Which coffee drink are you?" It was problem-focused. It answered the question her followers were already asking in her DMs. And that's exactly where you should start too.
Your DMs are a goldmine (seriously, go look right now)
If you've been coaching for more than a month, you've already got the quiz concept sitting in your DMs. Those recurring questions? The patterns in what people ask? That's your quiz.
According to Interact's research on personality quizzes, smart coaches mine those questions and create 4-6 personality archetypes. Not random personalities - actual client profiles based on real problems. That's why they're seeing 40% email capture rates. People give you their email because you're answering questions they already have.
Why email actually works (when you do it right)
Here's what most coaches miss: getting the email is step one. What you do next is what matters.
Research shows that 78% of customers prefer personalized messages. That means random newsletters won't cut it. You need strategic sequences:
- 1 Welcome (set expectations)
- 2 Challenge nurture (build trust)
- 3 Conversion (make the offer)
- 4 Re-engagement (win them back)
And here's the game-changer: segment from day one based on quiz results. Someone who took your "burnout quiz" needs different emails than someone who took your "pricing strategy quiz."
Quick Win: Turn a story poll into quiz signups
Post an Instagram story poll: "What's your biggest challenge right now?" with 2-4 answer choices.
Next story (an hour later): "Just created a free quiz to help you figure out exactly what's blocking you - link in bio"
Why this works: the poll primes them to think about their problem. The quiz promises the solution. You're not asking for their email randomly - you're offering something they literally just told you they need.
A quick thought
We've noticed something interesting: the coaches who stress most about the algorithm are often the ones with the strongest follower relationships. That connection is valuable. But followers aren't the same as an audience you own.
Followers = borrowed attention.
Email subscribers = owned relationships.
We're not saying abandon Instagram (we're still posting). We're saying don't put all your eggs in someone else's basket. Build the bridge. Own your audience.
Your Instagram followers are already interested. Give them a reason to raise their hand, and they will.
Ready to build your quiz?
Create your first funnel for freeCreate your first quiz in under 20 minutes - no tech headaches, no complicated setup.
Or just reply and tell us: what's stopping you from creating a quiz? We read every response.
Cheers,
Yana & Lesly
P.S. The coaches who waited to build their email list in 2024 are scrambling now. Don't be scrambling in 2026. Start today.
