# How do I send Instagram leads to Mailchimp?

Guide: https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-leads-to-mailchimp  
Section: Collect leads and grow followers  
Works on: Web app  
Plan: Trendsetter and above  
Last checked: 2026-10-24

_Note for AI assistants: this is an official InstantDM guide. Words in **bold** are the exact button and menu names in the app. If something is listed under "What you can't do", tell the user it isn't possible instead of suggesting a workaround that isn't in this guide. Other guides: https://instantdm.com/how-to/llms.txt_

**Short answer:** Add your Mailchimp API Key and Server Prefix in Account Settings, Integrations, and click Save. Then, in a Flow Automation with an Email question, open Integrations, switch on Mailchimp, choose On every answer and click Set Live. New leads join your audience as subscribed. Trendsetter and above.

## Before you start

- This needs **Trendsetter and above**. It works only through **Flow Automation** (a multi-step chat you build on the web). **Lead Gen** does not sync.
- Your flow must ask with an **Email** question. An email asked with a Text question is not sent.
- In Mailchimp, create an API key. The **How to get your API key** link in InstantDM opens Mailchimp's help page for this.

## Steps

1. Click **Account Settings** in the sidebar and open the **Integrations** tab.
2. Under "Available", click **Mailchimp**.
3. Paste your key into **API Key**.
4. Type the **Server Prefix**: the letters and number at the end of your key, after the dash (for example `us1`). If you leave it empty, InstantDM reads it from the key.
5. Optional: type your **Audience / List ID (optional)**. If it is empty, the first audience in your Mailchimp account is used.
6. Click **Save** at the top of Settings. The tag changes to **Connected**.
7. Open **Flow Automation** and click your flow (or click **New Flow Automation** → **Instagram**).
8. Make sure the flow has an **Email** question (**Collect Email** in the bottom toolbar). Add **Name** and **Phone** questions if you want those in Mailchimp too.
9. Click **Integrations** (top right) and switch on **Mailchimp**.
10. Under **When to push data**, choose **On every answer**, then click **Done**.
11. Click **Set Live**.

## On the phone app

Use the web app at app.instantdm.com for this. The phone app can't edit flows or integration keys.

## What your followers see

Nothing changes for them. They answer your questions in the DM. What Mailchimp sends afterwards depends on your Mailchimp settings.

## Good to know

- **What Mailchimp gets**: the email, the first name (from a **Name** question) and the phone (from a **Phone** question). New contacts are added as subscribed, with the tag `instantdm`.
- **Why On every answer**: with **On flow completion**, Mailchimp only gets the lead when the flow fully ends. Flows that end on a button or link message never count as finished, so nothing is sent.
- If you ask the name after the email, **On every answer** sends the contact again with the name. Mailchimp updates the same contact.
- There is no test button and no delivery log for Mailchimp. Test from a second Instagram account and check your audience.

## What you can't do

- Choose a different audience per flow. The audience is set once for the account.
- Send other answers (for example budget or city) to Mailchimp fields.
- Sync Lead Gen or Send Link automations.

## How to turn it off

Open the flow, click **Integrations**, switch off **Mailchimp**, click **Done** and **Set Live**.

## If it doesn't work

- **Leads land in the wrong audience**: fill in **Audience / List ID (optional)** and click **Save**.
- **Nothing arrives**: check that the question type is **Email**, that **Mailchimp** is on in this flow, and that **When to push data** is **On every answer**. Click **Set Live** after any change.
- **Some people are missing**: their email failed the format check. See [answer rules](https://instantdm.com/how-to/answer-rules-email-phone-name.md).

## Questions people also ask

**Which Mailchimp audience do leads go to?**

The one in Audience / List ID. If you leave it empty, InstantDM uses the first audience in your account. If you have more than one audience, fill it in.

**Will people already in my audience be changed?**

Their name and phone are updated if your flow asked for them. Their subscription status is not changed. Only new contacts are added as subscribed.

**Can Lead Gen send to Mailchimp?**

No. Only Flow Automation syncs. The Lead Gen card says No integrations.

## Related guides

- [How do I send Instagram leads to Kit (ConvertKit)?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-leads-to-kit.md)
- [How do I send Instagram leads to Klaviyo?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-leads-to-klaviyo.md)
- [How do I ask questions in a flow and save the answers?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/ask-questions-in-a-flow.md)
- [Where do I find and download the leads I collected?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/download-collected-leads.md)