Justin Saunders built a social growth funnel so sticky, even Spider-Man would be jealous.
His Instagram funnel (or “social growth funnel” as he calls it) does it all: captures leads, pre-qualifies them, nurtures them, and closes the sale.
And it pulls in a 5- to 6-fold return on ad spend while doing it.
The secret is simple: a “sticky spider web”.
No wonder Meta (and Manychat) showed up at his house to film this real-life superhero story.
The Challenge
Justin helps businesses scale faster than a radioactive spider bite. We’re talking zero-to-a-million-bucks-in-under-a-year fast.
Most folks are burning ad spend because they don’t know how to capture and convert cold leads from Instagram.
“We’re in the middle of an attention crisis,” Justin explains. “Getting attention and keeping attention is the hardest it’s ever been.”
Turning that attention into revenue is where most creators and coaches get stuck.
“Having the ability to flip that attention into money is one of the single greatest money-making skills you can ever acquire.”
The Goal
Justin’s mission was clear: build a funnel with Spidey sense. One that:
- Captures leads instantly (no chasing people down)
- Qualifies folks so you only talk to the ones who matter
- Nurtures them with automated follow-ups
- Retargets them for pennies if they don’t buy right away
And turns those conversations into high-ticket sales, on repeat.
How it Works
The key? Focus on just one sales tactic, not a million.
Step 1: Optimize your IG for cold traffic
Before you run a single ad, your Instagram needs to be conversion-friendly and packed with strategic, consistent content aimed at your “North Star” dream client.
You have to pick:
- One crystal-clear offer (no “we do it all” nonsense)
- One North Star client (the kind you’d work with every single day)
- One bold promise (with a time frame and strategy baked in)
For example: “I’ll add $50K to your e-commerce business using TikTok ads in the next 30 days, guaranteed.”
“I see a lot of times people try selling 10 different things. I’m not a big believer in that. I used to do it,” says Justin. “The biggest growth I’ve had in my business is by just simplifying everything.”
Next, tighten up your profile:
- One killer bio line that says what you do, who you do it for, and the outcome you deliver
- One clear link (yup, that means you ditch the cluttered link in bio)
- Three pinned posts that prove you’re the real deal
- Three story highlights that show who you are, what you do, and the results you’ve achieved
Step 2: Run ads that hook them faster than a web shooter
Ditch the overcomplicated campaigns. Justin’s winning click-to-Instagram ads follow the ABC formula.
In the ad copy, include:
- Attention: Call out your ideal client (His favorite? “Hey coaches and consultants…”)
- Baseline: Give them the quick win they want (“I’ll show you how to scale with IG DM ads…”)
- Call to action: Tell them exactly what to do (“Message me AIA to get the free case study”)
Boom! They click. They DM. You win.
Step 3: Automate everything with Manychat
The second someone DMs your keyword, Manychat kicks in:
- Instantly replies (because speed = sales)
- Captures their email and zaps it to your CRM
- Sends the freebie they came for
- Starts a follow-up sequence designed to nurture and convert
“We use Manychat to get back to leads within the first 15 seconds,” Justin says. “If you take longer than 5 minutes, you might as well forget it.”
Step 4: Qualify folks and hand ‘em off to a human
After Manychat handles the basics, a real human steps in to have a personalized conversation, qualify the lead, and either sell directly in the DMs or book a sales call.
Step 5: Catch ‘em all in your “sticky spider web”
With great Instagram power comes great retargeting responsibility.
Every time someone:
- Watches 3 seconds of a video
- Visits your profile
- Messages you
- Clicks your ad
They’re caught in your web. Retargeted over and over — until they buy or block you.
And it’s dirt cheap.
“We can actually do this for pennies on the dollar,” adds Justin. “The cool thing is you can retarget them for 365 days. The only way they get out is if they just completely block you or they just don’t engage with you at all.”
The Results
Here’s what Justin’s funnel spun gold (well, kinda):
- $205,000 cash collected in a month
- $238,000 total revenue
- 5.73x return on ad spend
In fact, one of his clients (an ecommerce coach) spent $2,500 on ads and made $217,000 in revenue — a 6.9x return.
Why This Works (and Why You Need it, Too)
The old way
Run some ads. Hope someone clicks. Cross your fingers that they buy. If they don’t, they vanish faster than a Stan Lee cameo.
The new way
Every ad starts a conversation. Every lead gets followed up automatically. Hot leads go to your sales team. Cold ones get retargeted until they’re ready to buy.
Swipe this Strategy
- Optimize your Instagram for your “North Star”. Have a clear offer, clean bio, conversion-focused content
- Run simple DM ads with the ABC formula. Nothin’ fancy.
- Use Manychat to capture leads, qualify them, and send follow-ups automatically
- Move real leads to SMS or calls for higher conversion rates
- Catch everyone else in your “sticky spider web” and follow up and retarget them with ads until they’re ready to buy
Now you can spin your own web of leads with Manychat.
| Step 1: Sign up for Manychat (oh, did we mention it’s free?!) Join 1 million+ smart brands and sign up for a risk-free trial. No lock-in contracts here. | Step 2: Build your first automation (with a lil help)Choose from one of our ready-to-go templates and get it up and running faster than Spider-Man can web up a runaway villain. | Step 3: Secure the bag! 💅No, really. Get more sales from Instagram every time you post. |
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