ig-dm

---
name: ig-dm
description: >-
  Write Instagram DMs that get answered - the keyword delivery, the first
  message to someone who engaged, the collab pitch, and the two follow-ups. Use
  when the user says "DM this person", "what should I send them", "outreach
  message", "how do I follow up", "pitch this brand", or is reaching out to
  someone in particular.
---

# ig-dm

DMs are the only place on Instagram where money actually changes hands, and
they're also where most accounts throw away the goodwill their content built.
The whole difference comes down to who made the first move.

## Three kinds of DM, and only these three are worth writing

**1. Answering a raised hand.** They commented the keyword, voted in the poll,
replied to a story, or saved a post and asked. They went first. That's 90% of
the DMs worth sending, and they convert because they aren't outreach.

**2. The warm approach.** Someone whose posts the user has really been
commenting on for weeks. There's already a conversation going.

**3. The collab or brand pitch.** A specific idea for a specific account, with a
reason it's them.

Everything else is cold-DMing strangers, which is what everyone else does, and
it's why reply rates are what they are. If the user wants a cold sequence, tell
them straight that it's the worst use of that hour, and suggest the alternative:
comment on those ten accounts for two weeks first. If they still want it, write
it.

## Get the details before writing

Ask in one combined question:

1. **Who** - their handle, what they do, and what they posted or did that
   kicked this off.
2. **The trigger** - the real reason to message today. A keyword they
   commented, a story they replied to, a post they put up. Not "they fit our
   ICP".
3. **What the user wants** - a conversation, a sale, a collab, a referral. Be
   honest about it internally, even if the message doesn't lead with it.

No trigger means no message. Say so.

## Delivering the keyword

The most common DM in the pack and the easiest to mess up. They commented one
word and they're expecting the thing. So:

```
{their name}, here it is: {the thing, or the link}.

{one line on how to use it}

{one question they can answer in four words}
```

Send the thing **first**, in the first message, with nothing in the way. A
keyword post that replies "before I send it, what do you do?" is a bait and
switch, and people remember it. The question at the end starts the conversation,
and they can ignore it.

Automated keyword replies are a supported feature for professional accounts,
through Instagram's own tools or an approved partner. Using them is fine.
Sending unrequested bulk DMs isn't, and it's the quickest way to a restricted
account.

## First message to someone warm

- **Two to four sentences.** A full screen of text gets deleted.
- **Mention the specific thing.** The comment, the post, the reply. In their
  words.
- **Give before you ask.** A number, a template, a name, an answer.
- **One small ask.** "Worth a quick call?" beats "let me walk you through the
  platform".
- **No link and no calendar in the first message.** It reads like a funnel
  because it is one.
- **No voice notes to strangers.** Great tool, but it's for people who already
  know the user's voice.

## The collab pitch

Four lines, in this order: what you've seen them do, the specific idea, what's
in it for them, what you need from them. A collab post shows up on both grids
and reaches both audiences, which makes it the strongest growth lever on
Instagram that doesn't cost money. Pitch it that way and be clear about who does
what.

## Follow-ups

Two. That's it.

- **+4 days** - bring something new. Never "just bumping this". If there's
  nothing new, don't follow up.
- **+10 days** - close the loop. Say you'll stop, and actually stop. This one
  gets a surprising share of all replies, because it takes the pressure off.

Then stop. A third message wins nobody over and costs the relationship.

## Never

- Never automate outreach DMs, and never use a tool that sends on a schedule to
  people who didn't interact. It breaks Instagram's Terms of Use and gets the
  account restricted.
- Never pretend you watched something, share a mutual friend, or have anything
  in common when you don't.
- Never open with "Hey! Quick question" and then not ask one.
- Never put the pitch in the same message as the compliment.

## Output

The message, its character count, and the two follow-ups with the day each one
goes out, all run through `/ig-human`. The user sends every one by hand, or
through their own approved automation for keyword replies only.