ReachleeThe people already DMing you
are your best ad audience.
Reachlee captures emails and phone numbers inside Instagram DMs, then exports them as a CSV pre-formatted for Meta Ads Manager. Upload it, build a custom audience from people who already engaged with you, and spin up a lookalike to find more of them.
What is a Meta Ads custom audience from Instagram DMs?
A customer list custom audience is Meta's way of letting you target ads at people you already know — you upload a file of emails and phone numbers, Meta matches them against its user database, and you can then show ads to exactly those people (or exclude them, or build a lookalike from them). Most brands build these lists from purchase data or email signups. Reachlee gives you a different, warmer source: the people who commented on your Reels, replied to your automations, and typed their email or phone number into an Instagram DM. That's not a cold list. It's a list of people who raised their hand on the exact channel where your content lives. Reachlee exports that list as a CSV with Meta's expected column headers already in place, so Ads Manager recognises every field on upload with zero manual mapping.
- Source: leads your Reachlee automations captured in Instagram DMs — emails and phone numbers people typed themselves.
- Format: a CSV with Meta's expected headers (email, phone, first and last name split), so Ads Manager auto-maps the columns.
- Result: a retargeting audience, an exclusion list, or a lookalike seed — built from real engagers, not scraped data.
From DM to ad audience in three steps.
Capture leads with your automations
Run comment-to-DM, story-reply, or any Reachlee automation with a lead-capture step. When someone replies with an email or phone number, Reachlee parses it and stores it as a contact. Every automation feeds the same Contacts list, so one export covers your whole account.
Export the Meta-formatted CSV
In Contacts, choose the Meta Ads export. Reachlee generates a CSV with the exact column headers Meta's uploader expects — email, phone, first name and last name in separate columns. Contacts who opted out are excluded automatically. A general CRM-format CSV is also available for any other tool.
Upload in Ads Manager and build a lookalike
In Meta Ads Manager, go to Audiences → Create custom audience → Customer list, and upload the file. Ads Manager maps the columns automatically and hashes the values in your browser. From that audience, create a lookalike to reach new people who resemble your engaged leads.
An export built for Ads Manager, not a generic dump.
Most tools give you a raw contact dump you have to reshape by hand. Reachlee's export is shaped for Meta's uploader from the first byte.
Meta-ready column format
The CSV uses the column headers Meta's customer list uploader recognises out of the box — email, phone, and first/last name split into separate columns. No renaming headers in a spreadsheet, no manual field mapping in Ads Manager. Upload and go.
Email + phone match keys
Meta matches customer lists on email and phone number. Reachlee captures both inside DMs, so each contact can carry two match keys instead of one — giving Meta more signals to find that person across Facebook and Instagram.
Opt-outs excluded automatically
Contacts who opted out are filtered from every export automatically. You never have to remember to clean the list before uploading — people who asked not to be contacted simply aren't in the file.
One lead list from all automations
Every comment-to-DM flow, story reply, and lead-capture automation writes into the same Contacts list. Your export reflects everything your account has captured — not one campaign's silo.
CRM CSV variant
Not everything goes to Meta. Reachlee also exports a general CRM-format CSV you can drop into any email tool, CRM, or spreadsheet — same contacts, generic headers, same automatic opt-out filtering.
Lookalike-ready seed lists
Because every contact in the export actively engaged with you — commented, DM'd, and shared contact info — the list is a high-signal seed for a lookalike audience. Meta finds new people who behave like your warmest leads, not like random followers.
Three ways brands use DM leads in Meta Ads.
D2C brand retargeting engaged commenters
A skincare brand's Reels pull hundreds of "LINK" comments, but the commenters who don't buy that day disappear. The only retargeting option is a broad engagement audience that mixes tyre-kickers with real intent.
Comment-to-DM captures emails in the DM. The brand exports the Meta-formatted CSV, uploads it as a customer list, and runs a retargeting campaign aimed only at people who cared enough to hand over their email. Same ad budget, far warmer audience.
Course creator building lookalikes from the lead list
A course creator wants to scale beyond her audience but has no pixel data worth seeding a lookalike with — just a follower count Meta can't use.
Her DM automations have quietly built a list of leads who requested her free guide. She uploads the export, creates a custom audience, then a lookalike from it. Meta now prospects for people who resemble her actual leads — the ones who take action, not just watch.
Local business excluding existing leads from prospecting ads
A local studio runs prospecting ads and keeps paying to show them to people who already DM'd, already got the offer, and are already in the funnel.
They upload the Reachlee export as a custom audience and set it as an exclusion on their prospecting campaigns. Ad spend stops leaking onto people who are already leads, and every impression goes to someone genuinely new.
Capture on Pro. Export on Business.
Lead capture (emails and phone numbers in DMs) is on the Pro plan at $9/mo. The Meta Ads CSV export lives on the Business plan at $29/mo — alongside Google Sheets piping, 10 Instagram accounts, and 5 team seats. Start free, upgrade when your lead list is worth advertising to.
Start freeInstagram leads to Meta Ads, answered.
Can I export my Instagram followers to a custom audience?
No — and no tool can, honestly. Instagram doesn't expose follower email addresses or phone numbers through any API, so a "follower export" isn't technically possible without scraping, which violates Meta's terms. What you can export is the audience your automations captured: people who commented, DM'd you, and voluntarily shared an email or phone number. That's actually a better list than your followers. Followers include inactive accounts and passive scrollers; your captured leads all took an action and handed over contact info. Meta can match them, retarget them, and build lookalikes from them.
What format does Meta Ads Manager need for a customer list?
Meta's customer list uploader expects a CSV with recognised column headers — email, phone, and name fields, with first and last name in separate columns. If the headers match, Ads Manager maps every column automatically; if they don't, you're stuck manually assigning fields and fixing formatting errors. Reachlee's Meta Ads export ships with the correct headers already in place, emails and phones in their own columns, and names split into first and last. You download the file and upload it to Ads Manager without opening a spreadsheet in between.
How do I upload the file in Ads Manager?
In Meta Ads Manager, open Audiences, click Create audience → Custom audience, and choose Customer list as the source. Upload the CSV Reachlee generated, confirm the column mapping — which happens automatically because the headers match — and give the audience a name. Meta processes the list and shows it as ready in your Audiences library, where you can target it directly, exclude it from campaigns, or use it as the seed for a lookalike audience.
Is uploading DM leads to Meta Ads privacy-compliant?
Meta designed the customer list flow with privacy in mind: the values in your file are hashed by Meta in your browser during upload, so plaintext emails and phone numbers are never transmitted to Meta's servers. Reachlee exports a plaintext CSV because that's exactly what Meta's uploader expects — the hashing happens on Meta's side. On your side, you should have consent to market to the people on your list; Reachlee helps by automatically excluding anyone who opted out. This is general guidance, not legal advice — check the rules that apply in your region.
How big does my list need to be for a good match rate?
Meta recommends larger lists for better match rates — the more rows you upload, the more usable the audience. But you don't need thousands of contacts to start. The standard play with a modest list is a lookalike audience: upload your leads as a customer list, then let Meta expand it to millions of similar people. Because every contact in a Reachlee export actively engaged with your content and shared real contact info, even a small seed carries strong signal. Keep your automations running and re-export as the list grows.
Can I exclude people who already bought or already became leads?
Yes — exclusion is one of the most cost-effective uses of a customer list. Upload your Reachlee export as a custom audience, then add it as an exclusion on your prospecting campaigns in Ads Manager. Meta stops showing those ads to people who are already in your funnel, so your acquisition budget only reaches genuinely new people. Many businesses save more from exclusions than they gain from retargeting, because paying to re-acquire an existing lead is pure waste.
What if I want the leads in my CRM or email tool instead?
Reachlee also exports a general CRM-format CSV — the same contacts with generic headers that import cleanly into email tools, CRMs, or plain spreadsheets. Opted-out contacts are excluded from this export too. And if you're on the Business plan, the Google Sheets integration pipes new leads into a connected sheet automatically as they're captured, so your CSV export becomes a snapshot tool rather than your only way out. Use the Meta variant for Ads Manager, the CRM variant for everything else.
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