This Recipe Creator Gained 3K New Email Subscribers In 1 Month By Switching From Manychat to Grocers List
"I should've done this months ago."
That's what Dinner in 321’s Laura Ashley Johnson realized after finally making the switch from Manychat to Grocers List.
The results were immediate. She gained 3,000 email subscribers in a single month. Her click-through rate jumped from below 50% to over 70%.
And that’s just the beginning.
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at her exact playbook, what was holding her back, and the results she’s seen with Grocers List.
The Challenge: ManyChat Limitations Were Holding Her Back
Before Grocers List, Laura Ashley's workflow with Manychat was full of unnecessary steps and constant maintenance.
This included:
Remembering weekly/biweekly to go into her account to delete her contacts (to keep her bill under control)
Setting up triggers for each Instagram post immediately after they went live
But the worst part? Even with all the manual hoops she had to jump through, many of her followers still reported never receiving their links. Less than ideal for both sides.
Switching to Grocers List
Even though Laura Ashley’s existing experience with Manychat was painful, she wasn’t looking to make a jump anywhere else.
Because switching platforms can be a major pain. And it would mean going back and changing the hundreds of captions she had already set up.
But when she learned that the Grocers List team would go back and import them for her, she was sold:
“Making the switch from Manychat to Grocers List was easy. Ben walked me through setting up a trigger and he and his team went above and beyond and imported 313 old post DMs!”
Laura Ashley’s Exact Grocers List Playbook
To boost engagement on Instagram, grow her email list, and drive more traffic to her site, Laura Ashley is currently using Comment for Recipe and Save to Email.
For every reel she posts (typically ~1/day, excluding her ads), she includes a keyword her audience can comment to get the recipe sent straight to their DMs.
Here are a handful of examples (head over to her Instagram profile for way more!):
And this is what it looks like for her followers in their DMs when they comment one of her keywords:
From there, they have the option to view the recipe link on her site or use the Save to Email feature to have it sent straight to their inbox. Here’s what it looks like in action:
This means she can grow her email list directly within Instagram without having to send her followers to a separate landing page. Unsurprisingly, this converts much better because there are less touchpoints for drop off.
From there, they’ll receive an email like this:
Not only does this drive traffic back to her site, it also makes the recipe easy to find in the inbox. A win-win.
So what kind of results has Laura Ashley seen from this playbook?
The Results: Dramatic Improvements Across The Board
On top of saving her tons of time, switching to Grocers List had an immediate impact on Laura Ashley's business. She has:
Added 3,000 email subscribers in just 1 month (compared to 0 with Manychat)
Increased click-through rate from below 50% to 70%+ thanks to the easily accessible recipes with clear visuals in her audience’s DMs
Driven 30,000 clicks to her site
Had zero issues with followers not receiving links
Seen 10% of her traffic come directly from Grocers List
And to top it all off, she’s able to use Grocers List on both Instagram and Facebook. Something she absolutely loves.
Looking Forward: More Growth Opportunities
Outside of her current playbook, Laura Ashley is already planning new ways to use Grocers List to grow her business:
"I'm not utilizing this feature yet, but in the future, I will link my recipe cards for sale with the triggers that are sent. I also like that setting up affiliate links in the trigger is an option for growth in the future."
Grocers List makes this possible with Shop the Recipe and Amazon App Links.
More importantly, her advice to other creators considering making a change?
"DO IT! Make the switch! If there are any hesitations, reach out to Grocers List! They listen to all concerns and explain the process with ease. The actual switch is so easy, and it will set your blog up for success in more ways than you can imagine!"
Ready to change your own business overnight? Try Grocers List today.
