Watch it run end-to-end.
From raw export to your private dashboard, the full Backline flow in one take. Click play with the sound on — the steps below break down each phase if you want the detail.
Sign in to Backline.
Three ways in : Google one-click, email + password, or a one-time magic link sent to your inbox. Pick the one that suits you — all three land in the same private dashboard.
Doing this first means we have your email before you wait on Meta to prep your export (next step). If you close the tab in the meantime, we'll ping you when it's time to come back. Your private dashboard at backline.so/dashboard is ready, tied to your email. Only you see it.
Go to the app →
Request your archive from Meta.
Instagram → Settings → Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Download your information. Format JSON (not HTML). Pick the date range that fits your need (last 1-2 years is usually plenty). Backline reads only the messages out of the full export, so you don't need to filter type — saves you a click.
Meta emails you the file within a few minutes to a few hours (up to 24h for very large archives). It's the only way — no scraping, no API, no hack. Your data, officially yours.
Open Meta's download page →- accountscenter.instagram.com
- Your information and permissions
- Download your information
- Messages · JSON · All time
Drop it on the app.
Don't unpack anything. Just drag-and-drop the file Meta sent you onto Backline's upload zone. Or click to browse.
The zip is uploaded over an encrypted connection and unpacked on our infrastructure. Only message text is processed — attachments, photos and voice notes are never extracted — and only the parsed text needed for AI summarization gets sent to Sonnet via our proxy. Prefer zero upload? Add ?engine=browser to the app URL and everything is parsed locally on your device.
Backline classifies every DM.
Each conversation is parsed and run through Claude Sonnet 4.6 to detect role (DJ, Producer, Booker, etc.) and conversation signal (Booking, Collab, Maybe, Visiting, Fan, Promo, Press, Radio, Spam) — multi-tag, so a contact can be both a "DJ" and a "Fan" with a "Visiting" signal. Plus geographic info and a short narrative summary. Spam and one-liners get auto-filtered.
~30 minutes for a typical archive. Grab a coffee. Leave the tab open. The browser does the work.
Open your dashboard.
Each contact is saved to your private Backline dashboard as the run progresses — no separate "push" step. When the run finishes, click Open dashboard →. Sortable, filterable, searchable, taggable. Filter by function (DJ, Producer, Booker, etc.), by signal (Booking, Collab, Maybe, Visiting, Fan, Promo, Press, Radio), by zone, by date.
Take notes, mark contacted, archive. Export to CSV anytime if you want to push it elsewhere. Re-run on a fresh export to merge new contacts (your edits and notes are preserved).
Real questions.
What exactly is Backline?
A one-shot tool that turns your Instagram DM export into a clean contact list in your private Backline dashboard — every person you've talked to, multi-tagged by role and conversation signal, with geographic info and AI-written summaries. Built for DJs, producers and indie artists who need to stop losing opportunities in their inbox.
Who is Backline for?
DJs, producers, indie artists, label managers — anyone whose Instagram inbox is a graveyard of bookers, promoters, fans and collaborators all mixed together. Validated on a real artist's multi-year archive : 774 conversations went in, 591 qualified contacts came out, 104 of them were forgotten threads that mattered.
Where does my contact list live?
In your private Backline dashboard at backline.so/dashboard. Tied to your email — three sign-in options : Google one-click, email + password, or a one-time magic link. Only you see it. Filter by function and signal, search, take notes, export to CSV anytime if you want to push it elsewhere.
Is my Instagram data safe?
Your DM export is uploaded over an encrypted connection and only message text is processed — attachments, photos and voice notes are never extracted. The text of qualified conversations is sent to Anthropic's Claude API via our proxy for summarization. Results are visible only to you, never sold, shared, or used to train anything. A browser-only mode is available if you want zero upload.
What exactly is a "DM export"?
It's the official archive Instagram gives you of your own account. You request it from accountscenter.instagram.com, select Messages, format JSON, and they send you a download link. Backline reads the file directly — no manual unpacking.
How long does it take?
Meta's export : usually a few minutes to a few hours, up to 24h for very large archives. Meta emails you when it's ready. Running Backline on it : about 10 to 30 minutes, hands-off — uploaded over an encrypted connection and parsed on our servers.
What if I have 50,000+ DMs?
Parsing scales — your archive is uploaded over an encrypted connection and processed on our servers, so there's no RAM ceiling on your end. The slower step is the AI summarization (one Claude call per qualified conversation, with rate-limit backoff). Plan for 30 to 60 minutes on a dense multi-year archive. The free tier is capped at 20 contacts regardless of archive size, so you can preview the output before committing.
What happens if I re-run on a fresher export later?
Existing contacts get updated, not duplicated. Backline matches on Thread ID — the unique identifier Instagram assigns each conversation — so an old thread that picked up new messages will refresh its summary and signals. Your edits, notes and tags are preserved. Brand-new conversations show up as new contacts.
Can I export my contacts to other tools?
Yes. Your private Backline dashboard exposes a CSV export of every qualified contact at any time. CSV imports cleanly into Notion, Airtable, Google Sheets, Hubspot, or any spreadsheet you already use — Backline doesn't lock the data inside its own UI.
Can I try before I buy?
Yes — drop your DM export right now. The free tier gives you 20 real contacts with full smart summaries. Same quality as the paid version, just capped. You see the output on your actual data before paying a cent.
How much does Backline cost?
Three paid tiers : 99€ One Run (full pass on your archive, every qualified conversation gets the AI summary), 79€ BYOK (unlimited runs with your own Anthropic API key), 29€ Update (top-up after a One Run purchase, when you want to refresh with a newer export). Full breakdown on /pricing.
Will Instagram flag my account for requesting an export?
No. The export is an official Meta feature mandated by GDPR and CCPA — requesting your own data is a privacy right, not a policy violation. Instagram does not penalize, restrict, or flag accounts for using it. You're downloading what's already yours.
Does it work with a creator account?
Yes. Creator accounts, personal accounts, and business accounts all produce the same JSON export format. If you can request the archive from accountscenter.instagram.com, Backline can read it.
Can I use it for multiple artists?
With BYOK (79€, bring your own Anthropic API key): yes, unlimited — one account, as many archives as you want, each gets its own dashboard. With One Run (99€): covers one archive; grab a 29€ Update add-on for each additional pass. Each artist's data stays in its own separate account.