---
title: Kulani Kinis Grows SMS List with 'Get Early Access' Instagram Ads
description: Learn how Kulani Kinis grew their SMS list with Instagram ads and Gatsby DM Automations, acquiring 236 new SMS subscribers in 4 days.
image: https://gatsby.ai/hubfs/Kulani%20Kinis%20Summer%20Souls%20Graphic.png
---

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# Kulani Kinis Grows SMS List with 'Get Early Access' Instagram Ads

by [Brett Bernstein](https://gatsby.ai/case-studies/author/brett-bernstein) on June 21, 2024

- 236
  
  
  
  
  
  ##### New SMS Subscribers
  
   SMS subscribers added directly from Instagram DMs in 4 day Meta Ads test.
- $3.39
  
  
  
  
  
  ##### Cost to Acquire
  
   $800 Meta ad budget spread over 4 days drove 236 new Klaviyo SMS subscribers

"So easy to scale this"

![220x160 Kulani Kinis](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/220x160%20Kulani%20Kinis.png?width=86&height=63&name=220x160%20Kulani%20Kinis.png)

Alexander Babich Co-Founder at Kulani Kinis

 

[Kulani Kinis](https://kulanikinis.com) is one of the fastest growing swimwear companies, known for fun and innovative designs, with a high attention to quality, detail, and customer service.

With creative marketing strategies like mystery products and frequent product collaborations, it’s no surprise Kulani Kinis just surpassed [1 million Instagram followers](https://instagram.com/kulanikinis).

The team excels at making all their swimwear customers and followers feel special, using integrations between Gatsby, Klaviyo, and Gorgias to [manage their growing customer community](https://gatsby.ai/case-studies/kulani-kinis-playbook).

So when we introduced our new [DMs for List Growth](https://gatsby.ai/klaviyo-list-growth) product, Kulani Kinis started thinking up creative ways to leverage the technology.

Given their high conversion rates with Klaviyo SMS, their first test with the DM automations focused on acquiring high-quality SMS subscribers from Instagram, and letting their Klaviyo Flows drive conversions.

By using Story and Reel ads, they targeted new customers with a CTA of: "DM us the phrase 'Summer Souls' to get first access to the new Kulani Kinis X Pura Vida collaborative designs."

As shown below:

![Kulani Kinis Story Reel Ads Gatsby](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/Kulani%20Kinis%20Story%20Reel%20Ads%20Gatsby.png?width=511&height=489&name=Kulani%20Kinis%20Story%20Reel%20Ads%20Gatsby.png)

#### What happens next?

When an Instagram User messages them the keyword of "Summer Souls" it kicked off a DM flow to subscribe them to SMS:

![Kulani Kinis Pura Vida Summer Souls Gatsby Campaign](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/Kulani%20Kinis%20Summer%20Souls%20Gatsby%20Campaign%20Pura%20Via.png?width=879&height=660&name=Kulani%20Kinis%20Summer%20Souls%20Gatsby%20Campaign%20Pura%20Via.png)

### Goal:

Acquire new SMS subscribers from Instagram by offering early access to new Kulani Kinis X Pura Vida Collaboration.

### Solution:

Use Meta Ads targeting potential customers, with a call-to-action to DM the key phrase. This initiates [Gatsby's DMs for List Growth](https://gatsby.ai/klaviyo-list-growth).

![Kulani Kinis Summer Souls Graphic](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/Kulani%20Kinis%20Summer%20Souls%20Graphic.png?width=1600&height=900&name=Kulani%20Kinis%20Summer%20Souls%20Graphic.png)

### Set up a campaign like this:

Kulani Kinis created 2 Instagram DM auto-replies in Gatsby (10 minute setup):

##### Step 1: DM Keyword "Summer Souls"

![Summer Souls keyword](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/Summer%20Souls%20keyword.png?width=2746&height=1532&name=Summer%20Souls%20keyword.png)

Kulani Kinis automatically replies back to that keyword with:

"Reply with your phone number to be the first to shop the Kulani Kinis x Pura Vida collab!"

##### Step 2: SMS List Capture

When an Instagram user chooses to reply to Step 1 with their phone number, they receive the following branded button in the DM to join their SMS list for early access:

![Kulani Kinis Summer Souls SMS Capture](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/Kulani%20Kinis%20Summer%20Souls%20SMS%20Capture.png?width=2740&height=1462&name=Kulani%20Kinis%20Summer%20Souls%20SMS%20Capture.png)

##### Step 3: Create Meta Ad

Target new customers with Stories and Reels which make it easy for Instagram Users to send you a Direct Message (DM) right from the ad.

![Kulani Kinis Story Reel Ads Gatsby](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/Kulani%20Kinis%20Story%20Reel%20Ads%20Gatsby.png?width=511&height=489&name=Kulani%20Kinis%20Story%20Reel%20Ads%20Gatsby.png)

 

"We generated a total of 236 SMS sign-ups with the campaign running for 4 days with a $200 per day budget. A promising test!"

![220x160 Kulani Kinis](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/220x160%20Kulani%20Kinis.png?width=86&height=63&name=220x160%20Kulani%20Kinis.png)

Jemma Digital Marketing Manager at Kulani Kinis

 

##### What's Next?

In addition to driving list growth, Gatsby is now keeping these new SMS subscribers in sync between Instagram and Klaviyo. That means when these subscribers follow Kulani Kinis or tag them in UGC, that engagement is being tracked in Gatsby and Klaviyo automatically.

![Gatsby homepage overview klaviyo sync](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/Gatsby%20homepage%20overview%20klaviyo%20sync.png?width=3000&height=1500&name=Gatsby%20homepage%20overview%20klaviyo%20sync.png)

This integration enables brands like Kulani Kinis to maximize the value of their Klaviyo subscribers and integrate social media with their email and SMS marketing.

![Klaviyo Email Subscriber Showing DM Keywords](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/Klaviyo%20Email%20Subscriber%20Showing%20DM%20Keywords.png?width=3016&height=1610&name=Klaviyo%20Email%20Subscriber%20Showing%20DM%20Keywords.png)

 

![segment doesnt follow on ig yet](https://gatsby.ai/hs-fs/hubfs/segment%20doesnt%20follow%20on%20ig%20yet.png?width=952&height=734&name=segment%20doesnt%20follow%20on%20ig%20yet.png)

 

Read More:

[Learn more about List Growth from DMs](https://gatsby.ai/klaviyo-list-growth)

[Learn more about our Klaviyo Integration](https://gatsby.ai/klaviyo)

[Schedule a call to see if this strategy works for you](https://gatsby.ai/meetings/brett-bernstein/listgrowth)

[Create your Gatsby account](https://next.gatsby.run/signup)

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