ReachleeCapture email leads
inside Instagram DMs.
Skip the landing page, skip the form. Ask for an email in the DM, Reachlee parses the reply, saves the lead, and (on Business) pipes it into your Google Sheet. Free to start.
What is Instagram lead capture in DMs?
Instagram lead capture is the workflow where you collect email addresses (and other contact info) directly inside a DM conversation, instead of sending the user to a landing page with a form. A follower comments "GUIDE" on your Reel, Reachlee DMs them asking for their email, they reply with it, you've captured the lead — and they get the resource instantly. No URL bounce, no third-party form, no SaaS sprawl.
- Trigger: someone comments a keyword, replies to a story, or DMs you a keyword.
- Reachlee DMs them with a friendly prompt: "Drop your email and I'll send the PDF".
- They reply with their email. Reachlee parses it, validates the format, saves it as a lead.
- Optional: pipe to Google Sheets, send to your email tool, or export as CSV later.
Three steps from comment to captured lead.
Trigger the conversation
Pick a trigger — comment-to-DM on a Reel, story reply, or a keyword DM. Reachlee starts the DM thread when the trigger fires.
Ask for the email
Configure a lead-capture step in your automation. Reachlee sends a friendly prompt asking for the email, optionally with a follow-up button or quick reply.
Capture, store, send the resource
When they reply with an email, Reachlee parses it, saves it as a lead, fires the resource DM (your PDF, course link, calendar, etc.), and on Business pipes it into Google Sheets.
Built for serious list-building.
Lead capture in DMs converts 3-5× higher than a landing page form because there's no URL bounce and no "abandoned cart" moment.
Email parsing that works
Reachlee parses common email formats from a free-text reply — handles trailing punctuation, mid-sentence emails, typos like missing @ signs. Returns a clean address every time.
Lead source attribution
Every captured lead is tagged with the automation that captured it — so you know whether the lead came from your viral Reel, your story flow, or your DM keyword trigger.
Google Sheets piping (Business)
Connect a Sheet once in Settings. Every new lead lands in the next blank row within seconds — handle, email, source automation, timestamp. No Zapier middleware needed.
Resource delivery in the same flow
After the email is captured, Reachlee fires the resource DM automatically — your PDF link, your course access page, your calendar booking link. Single continuous flow.
Lifetime analytics on Pro+
See every lead you've ever captured, by source, by week, by post. Build a real picture of which content drives your list, not just last week's data.
Export anytime
Download your full lead list as CSV from the Contacts tab. Your leads are yours — Reachlee doesn't gate exports behind higher tiers.
How creators and brands actually capture leads.
Lead magnet from a viral Reel
Reel says "comment GUIDE for the PDF". You DM them "sending now!" — they ghost. Email capture rate: 0%.
Comment GUIDE → auto-DM asks for email → they reply → Reachlee captures the address, fires the PDF, logs the lead in your Sheet. Conversion: ~40-50%.
Newsletter signups from story replies
Story says "reply YES for the newsletter". 50 replies; you copy-paste a Typeform link; 6 sign up.
Story reply triggers a DM asking for the email directly. 50 replies → 30+ leads in your list before you've finished your coffee.
Booking pre-qualification (coaches)
Someone DMs you "interested in coaching". You send a Calendly link. They never book. You don't have their email.
DM keyword "COACHING" fires a flow that asks for their email and a one-line goal first. By the time they get the Calendly link, you've captured the lead and qualified them.
Lead capture in action.
I used to send Reel commenters to a Typeform. Conversion was ~8%. With Reachlee asking in the DM, it's closer to 40%.
The Sheets piping is the killer feature. Our email tool reads from the Sheet — every new IG lead is in our nurture sequence within minutes.
Switched from Beehiiv embed forms. The DM flow ships emails into my list 5x faster than the landing page ever did.
Start free. Pipe to Sheets on Business.
Free plan: 10 leads captured per month, perfect for testing the flow. Pro ($9/mo): unlimited leads, lifetime analytics, 3 Instagram accounts. Business ($29/mo): unlimited leads + Google Sheets piping + 5 team seats.
Start freeLead capture, answered.
Why is in-DM lead capture better than a landing page form?
Two reasons. First, there's no URL bounce — Instagram users don't have to leave the app, which kills 40-60% of conversions on every page redirect. Second, it feels conversational, not transactional. You're already in their DMs; asking for an email is one extra message, not a context switch to a Typeform.
Does Reachlee verify the email is real?
We do basic format validation (looks like an email, has an @, has a valid TLD). For deeper deliverability checks (bounce risk, role accounts, etc.), pipe the lead into your email tool — most ESPs do this on their end before adding to your list.
What happens if someone types something other than an email?
Reachlee detects the mismatch and sends a friendly retry prompt: "That doesn't look like an email — try again?". After 2 failed attempts, the lead is saved as a partial (handle only) and you can follow up manually.
Can I capture other info besides email — like phone or business name?
Yes, but email is the primary field today. Phone, business name, and other custom fields are on the roadmap for early 2026. Right now you can ask additional questions in the DM thread and capture the responses as conversation metadata.
How does Sheets piping work?
On Business, connect a Google Sheet once via OAuth in Settings → Integrations. Pick the sheet and the tab. From then on, every captured lead lands in the next empty row, with columns for handle, email, source automation, and timestamp. Set up takes about 60 seconds.
Are the leads exportable to my email tool (Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Beehiiv)?
Yes. Two paths: (1) Export as CSV from the Contacts tab and upload to your tool. (2) Set up Sheets piping (Business) and use your email tool's native Sheets integration — Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and Beehiiv all support it.
Is in-DM email capture allowed by Instagram's terms?
Yes — Instagram's terms allow you to ask users for contact info as part of a 1:1 conversation, as long as the user is replying willingly. Reachlee never pre-fills, never scrapes, and only acts on user-initiated triggers (a comment, story reply, or keyword DM).
Instagram