Promoting your subscription business will be one of the biggest hurdles, but it’s critical for growing your revenue.

The idea is to get the word out that your online store exists. If no one knows about your Shopify store, how do you expect people to buy something?

In this article, we assume you’ve already created an online store and are selling a fantastic subscription product that people want.

Now the hard part is announcing to the world what you have for sale to see if more people will buy your subscription products.

We’ll cover the top 8 social media platforms for garnering subscription sales, such as Facebook, TikTok, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and, Pinterest, LinkedIn.

Which social media platform is right for my subscription business?

Our advice would be to pick one social media outlet you like the most & make that the main one you post content on.

You’ll most likely understand that particular social media platform well. You’ll get more followers if you know how to use it & “get” the type of content people post.

If you don’t enjoy the social media platform and need to learn how to use it, and it feels awkward, you’ll most likely tank your efforts.

So choose one and start there. Don’t overwhelm yourself with being on many at once because it can lead to burnout, bad results, and increase your chances of giving up.

And most importantly, choose a single handle name that you’ll use across all your social media outlets.

Facebook for Selling Subscriptions

Facebook is still around, with a whopping 2.91 billion users.

A Facebook business profile is still an excellent opportunity to tell the world about your online store.

• A Facebook page helps you develop trust and brand awareness for your subscription products.

• If a shopper needs clarification about the legitimacy of your store’s standing, they might google your business store name and see what pops up.

• Imagine your Facebook Page showing up in a google result! It’ll help to have many followers who trust your online store and have left testimonials.

• There’s nothing worse than an inactive Facebook page active by posting on it regularly so you look active & if you can post videos and stories on your Facebook page, that’s even better!

• A Facebook business Page can help you capture more subscription sales by instilling confidence in your shoppers, especially if you have great reviews and many followers.

Case Study: How TouchStone Essentials uses Facebook to Promote their Subscriptions

TouchStone Essentials sells green juice powder as a subscription on their website.

If I look them up on Facebook, I can see they are liked by 26,000 people and have great reviews.

This clout can help reduce buyer hesitation and capture a subscription sale.

Imagine how many people subscribe to this green daily juice powder regularly.

Having a Facebook Page helps them with brand awareness and shows that thousands of other customers trust them.

TikTok for Selling Subscriptions

TikTok is best for making videos about your company, such as the process of making the product and behind the scenes.

More than a billion people are using TikTok, so if your video goes viral, you have the potential to reach a worldwide audience.

Your customers and potential customers are curious about your brand, how your products are made, or the creative process of producing the products in your store.

TikTok is best for young entrepreneurs who understand how to make short, entertaining video content.

TikTok is also great for creating vitality, so make videos you think people will want to share wisely.

Be creative & brief. You only have a few seconds to hook people into watching your video.

People have short attention spans, so keep it entertaining!

Case Study: How Snoop Slimes uses TikTok to Promote their Subscriptions

Snoop Slimes sells “slime,” a fun and therapeutic product. Their TikTok gets many views, attracting customers to their monthly slime subscription box.

With over 4 million followers, here are the top things we think they are killing it at:

1. They say when they restock on their profile page on TikTok, which helps bring traffic to their site Example: “Restocks EVERY FRIDAY at 6 pm CST/7 pm EST🛍️”
2. Their link goes straight to their online store
3. Their videos have fun storylines such as “pack an order with me,” which shows behind the scenes at their factory
4. Creating “unboxing” videos for a current subscription box to show what’s inside and what you would typically get, which creates excitement
5. They make product announcements for new products that have just launched or for favorites that have been restocked, which can drive people back to the site, where they might also buy a subscription box.

Reddit for Selling Subscriptions

Who knows what will make it to the first page of Reddit?

When I first launched my site, I shared it on a relevant subreddit, and it pushed my post to the very top, and I saw thousands of folks on my site over the next 24 hours.

Here are a few ways to use Reddit to sell subscriptions and drive traffic to your online store:

• Share a video or an image of something truly unique about your business in a relevant subreddit. Here are some examples: Sharing the process of making your product, such as candle making, candy making, jewelry making, or even a behind-the-scenes tour.
• Post a remarkable photo of your product, or tell a story about how it all began.
• Post an ask me anything in the entrepreneur subreddit about creating your business from scratch and scaling it to X amount of dollars.
• The more relevant and valuable your content is, the more likely it is to be upvoted and gain visibility.
• Engage with other users by commenting and participating in discussions. This will help build relationships and increase your visibility within the community.
• Utilize keywords and tags in your post titles and content to make it easier for users to find your posts.
• Share your posts on other social media platforms and your website to drive more traffic.
• Be consistent with your posting schedule, and try to post regularly to keep your brand top of mind and increase your visibility on the platform.
• Posting on less crowded subreddits will increase your chances of getting more views and upvotes.
• Create a subreddit specifically for your business and use it to post updates, promotions, and behind-the-scenes content. A subreddit for your business will give your customers a place to connect with you and stay informed about your business.
• Engage with other users on relevant subreddits. For example, if you sell health products, participate in discussions on the /r/health subreddit. Be helpful, provide value, and include a link to your store in your profile or signature.
• Use Reddit advertising to target users who are interested in your products. Advertising will allow you to reach a larger audience and drive more traffic to your store (we recommend video ads!)
• Share customer testimonials and reviews on Reddit. Sharing reviews can help build trust and credibility with potential customers.
• Remember, providing value and building relationships with your customers on Reddit is vital. If you don’t currently have a good ranking on Reddit, it’s a good time to start working on that.

Case Study: How to Use Reddit to Promote your Subscription Products

In this example, some random person posted a question on the subreddit /Vegan about what people think about this new product that hit the market.

Since Brave Robot Ice Cream calls itself “vegan,” but the ice cream is actually dairy, the product may be considered controversial. They say on their website no cows were impacted.

It’s marketed as “animal-free ice cream” but is made from milk proteins. Since vegan means no animal products, this spurred a discussion and got many upvotes.

Who knows who posted this on Reddit? What if it was someone who owns or works at Brave Robot?

If so, that’s pure genius!

For more inspiring social media launches, read the book Trust Me, I’m Lying. Ryan Holiday says no press is bad press, which is so true!

Twitter to Selling Subscriptions

Twitter is a beast on its own. You either love it or hate it. But one thing is true.

Twitter has 450 million monthly active users.

There’s always a discussion going on. You can find it on Twitter if you’re looking to debate someone.

But can you create brand awareness for your online store that sells subscription products? Absolutely.

The trick is to post daily or even more than once a day about your business. You can also make it a place where customers can share feedback about your product.
Twitter is great for announcing subscription product updates and sharing special promo offers.

Using Twitter as your social media outlet for your subscription business, you can collaborate with other creators to cross-promote each other’s stores.

The idea of Twitter is to engage with other users: Respond to mentions, comments, and messages.

Instead, work on being a giver. Share other people’s tweets with whom you’d like to create a relationship or tag them in a tweet, and eventually, they’ll take notice of you.

Engage with their content. You should only expect people to share your tweets once you become better known.

You can also live-tweet during an event to increase engagement and create a buzz around your brand.

It’s always a good idea to create a Twitter profile for your business with a quick introduction to what you sell and what you’re all about.

Be authentic, responsive, and consistent in your efforts, and you will see results over time.

Case Study: How Vital Proteins uses Twitter to Promote their Subscriptions

Vital Proteins is a champ for posting engageable content on Twitter. They know how to present their product in a fun & playful way.

Here are my top 5 ways I think they rock at Twitter:

1. They tweet 15-second videos on their Twitter page, which helps take up more space and pops out, which helps people click, play, and stick around.
2. They include a link to their website in the actual Tweet to help promote traffic to their site.
3. They feature their products in their Tweets & include relevant hashtags to help their post circulate on Twitter and reach new potential customers.
4. They post giveaways on Twitter which helps gain more followers
5. They advertise webinars on Twitter with a link to the signup page, which helps create even more value around their brand and the type of products they offer.

YouTube for Selling Subscriptions

Youtube is underrated as a marketing tool for creating brand awareness and getting new subscribers.

The biggest drawback to YouTube is that most people prefer to avoid being on video. The very idea of it is scary.

The truth is no one cares what you look like, so if you can get over that factor, you’ll be ready to make shareable content that can reach billions of people worldwide.

The other limiting factor for YouTube is being able to edit a video. However, programs like Premier Pro make it super simple to cut and export a video in a couple of minutes.

I’ve even met people who recorded everything on their iPhones and edited the videos without touching a laptop to upload them to YouTube.

You can do an “unboxing video” on Youtube if you have a subscription box. Unboxing videos can also work for a monthly subscription club offering.

If you have a package, you can open it in front of the camera and shows the audience a typical delivery. Unboxing videos on Youtube create excitement around future subscription boxes and can help people join your monthly subscription club.
You can also use Youtube to share the behind-the-scenes process of making your product.

Videos are powerful because people are more likely to watch a video in their spare time than to read a blog article!

Adding captions to your video can increase views because people can watch videos on silent at work and then just read the captions.

Adding videos from Youtube to your website (such as adding them to a relevant blog article) can also help you increase your website’s SEO (search engine optimization score) and get found on Google search results more quickly.

Case Study: How Lush Cosmetics uses Youtube to Promote their Subscriptions

Lush Cosmetics has over 400k followers on their Youtube channel. Now talk about creating and nurturing a community of like-minded individuals obsessed with your product line & values.

Here are five things we think Lush does right on their Youtube channel:

1. Their banner image has text that explains what makes their products unique “we believe in superpowered ingredients.”

2. Lush posts videos such as How its Made, showing behind the scenes of how the product created

3. They post Youtube “shorts,” short videos that Youtube will promote for free for you.

4. They showcase how to use their products like a “nighttime ritual” video.

5. They promote other social media links on their banner area, like Facebook and Instagram.

Pinterest for Selling Subscriptions

When I asked a good friend of mine what her #1 way to get new customers was, she replied, “Pinterest.”

You might be shocked to learn how many women with disposable incomes use the social media platform Pinterest in their spare time to heart products & things they like.

Pinterest can be an excellent tool for growing an online store and getting new customers, mainly if you sell a consumable product.

Here are a few ways to use Pinterest to promote your online store:

Create a Business Account: Create a business account on Pinterest and set up a profile for your online store. A business Pinterest account will allow you to create boards and pins that showcase your products and help potential customers discover your store.

Pin High-Quality Images: Use visually appealing images that showcase your products in the best light possible. Use keywords in the descriptions and board titles to make it easy for potential customers to find your products.

Create boards that reflect your product: Create boards that reflect your product, such as “Food & Drink,” “Healthy Cooking,” “Beauty & Skincare,” etc. Boards will help you reach the right audience and increase the chances of your products being discovered.

Pin Consistently: Pin consistently to keep your boards fresh and up-to-date. Consistent pinning on Pinterest will help your pins get more visibility and reach more potential customers.

Use Pinterest Analytics: Use Pinterest analytics to track your audience and see what content they engage with. Watching your analytics on Pinterest will help you understand what is working and what isn’t so that you can adjust accordingly.

Use Pinterest Ads: Consider using Pinterest ads to promote your products. You can target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors to reach the most relevant audience.

Use Rich Pins: Use Rich Pins to add extra information about your products, such as the price and availability. Rich Pins makes it easy for customers to purchase right from Pinterest.

Following these tips, you can use Pinterest to grow your online store and get new customers. The key is consistently posting high-quality images of your products, using keywords to make it easy for customers to find you, and using analytics to track your progress.

Case Study: How Navitas uses Youtube to Promote their Subscription Products

Navitas Organics sells regenerative healthy superfood ingredients & they do a great job promoting their consumable products on Pinterest.

They create delicious-looking recipes they share on Pinterest with high-quality photography of the food item and list their products in the ingredients list.

By casually recommending their product, they provide folks with a valuable recipe and solid recommendation for a brand.

For example, they posted a recipe for Chocolate Butter Board listing their brand products twice.

I think it’s brilliant that they use a lot of tags on their Pinterest recipe to reach more people searching for those keywords. They also create many inspiring and organized boards encouraging people to follow their page for helpful recipes.

LinkedIn for Selling Subscriptions

LinkedIn is a great social media platform for creating brand awareness and clout and building trust with new customers.

It is a professional networking site that allows businesses to connect with potential customers, partners, and investors.

By creating a company page on LinkedIn, businesses can share information about their products and services and post updates and articles relevant to their industry. In addition, LinkedIn helps to establish the company as a thought leader and authority in their field.

Using LinkedIn for selling subscriptions on an online store is an excellent strategy because it allows businesses to target specific audiences based on factors such as job title, industry, and location. This means companies can reach the people most likely interested in their products and services. Additionally,

LinkedIn allows businesses to create targeted advertising campaigns, which can be a cost-effective way to reach a larger audience.

LinkedIn can also be an excellent tool for acquiring new customers. Businesses can increase their visibility and attract new leads by creating a solid presence on the platform.

LinkedIn also allows businesses to engage with potential customers by responding to comments and messages, which helps build trust and establish a relationship.

In addition to building brand awareness and acquiring new customers, LinkedIn is an excellent platform for finding investors who align with a business’s values and ethics.

By connecting with potential investors on LinkedIn, businesses can share information about their company and goals and find investors interested in their industry and mission.

As a result, LinkedIn can be a great way to secure funding and support for a business while ensuring its values and ethics align with those of its investors.

Instagram for Selling Subscriptions

Instagram is like a showroom for your products. Instagram is where people will see your products and decide if they want to purchase them.

Here is your chance to take amazing photos of your products and show them off to the world.

The key is consistently posting high-quality images of your products, using hashtags to make it easy for customers to find you, and using Instagram features like Instagram Live, Instagram stories, and Instagram shopping to enhance your customer experience and drive sales.

Here are a few ways to use Instagram to promote your online store:

Create an Instagram Business Account: Set up an Instagram profile for your online store, but choose “business,” which will give you access to better analytics. An Instagram business account will allow you to create posts and stories that showcase your products and help potential customers discover your store.
Use High-Quality Images: Use visually appealing images that showcase your products in the best light possible. Use hashtags in the captions and descriptions to make it easy for potential customers to find your products.
Create a Consistent Brand Identity: Create a consistent brand identity for your store across Instagram, including color schemes, filters, and tone of voice. In addition, a theme for your company will help create a recognizable brand that customers will remember.
Use Instagram Stories: Use Instagram stories to showcase behind the scenes of your product and give a glimpse of the people and process behind your brand. Instagram stories will help create a more personal connection with your customers.
Use Instagram Live: Use Instagram Live to connect with your customers in real-time, answer questions, & give them a glimpse of your products.
Use Instagram Shopping: Use Instagram shopping to tag products in your posts, making it easy for customers to purchase from the app.
Collaborate with Influencers: Collaborate with influencers in your niche to reach a wider audience and gain credibility. Influencers can share your story or tag you in a post that helps others find your Instagram page.
Use Instagram Reels: Reels are publicly visible to people who aren’t following you, which can help create brand exposure.
Use Instagram Notes: Add a note to your profile so people can see this in their inbox and click on your story.

Case Study: How Dollar Shave Club uses Instagram to Promote Subscription Products

Dollar Shave Club’s Instagram page is truly booming, with over 200k beard fan aficionados.

I’m going to cover the top five things they are doing right on their Instagram page to make them stand out

They use a unified color scheme that gives them a brand identity and carries over into their website.

Dollar Shave Club uses “Highlights” which keep you interested in their product: the FAQ answers any questions you might have about their beard subscription product, the Pop Quiz is a fun way to bring you to their website, and an “In the News” section to help build confidence in the shopper.

The posts are mainly jokes and memes. This creates a cheerful mood, so people can follow them & look forward to the next post.

They are active with “stories,” which helps bring people to your page to interact, leave comments, and hopefully buy your product!

Dollar Shave Club uses a link tree with Later.com so people can choose what they want to visit.

Creating a Social Media Plan for Your Subscription Business

A social media plan is a must because it helps you create a routine you can get used to.

We recommend a very soft launch with a once-a-week posting.

If you have a goal of posting once a week on your social media (of your choice) and accomplish this goal, you’ll be more likely to stick to your plan.

In the book Atomic Habits, they say that repeating a task 14 times becomes a habit. In only three months, you’ll form the habit of regularly posting to social media.

Thanks so much for reading our guide on how to use social media platforms to increase your sales on your Shopify store, create brand awareness and get more customers.

If you follow these tips and tricks, you can start your journey to becoming a marketing pro.

How to Use Influencers to Promote Your Subscription Business on Social Media

Hiring an influencer can benefit your subscription business if you can afford to pay for social media exposure.

The first thing you’ll want to do is write down a list of 10 different social media influencers you follow and respect.

You’ll want to team up with someone with a large following and occasionally takes on paid sponsorship opportunities.

The next step is to email all the influencers on your list to ask about pricing and introduce yourself to see if you’ll be a good match.

Once you’ve narrowed down which influencer you’d like to use and the budget, you can start an influencer campaign where you pay them to promote your brand & track the results.

We recommend the Shopify app GoAffPro, which works seamlessly with Ongoing Subscriptions to track affiliate sales.

Ongoing™️ – The Best Subscriptions App

Ongoing Subscriptions is the best Shopify subscriptions app.

Ongoing lets you sell your products on a recurring basis so that you can earn recurring revenue.

The Ongoing Subscriptions app features a fully automated suite of tools from a Subscriber Portal where customers can self-manage their subscription orders to a helpful merchant dashbaord where you can track your progress.

Ongoing also streamlines the entire process of subscriptions for you, included automated recurring payments and automatically scheduling recurring orders.

Social Media Metrics to Measure the Success of Your Subscription Business Promotion

Social media metrics are essential for measuring the success of your subscription business promotion. Key metrics to track include engagement, click-through, and conversion rates.

Engagement rates refer to the number of likes, comments, and shares on your posts. Click-through rates measure the number of clicks on your social media links.

Conversion rates track the number of people who sign up for your subscription after seeing your social media promotion.

You can gain insights into what is working and what isn’t and make data-driven decisions to optimize your social media strategy by monitoring these metrics.

By tracking these metrics, you can gain a deeper understanding of your audience and what resonates with them and what doesn’t.