ig-dm

Instagram DMs are the only place on the platform where money actually changes hands, and they are also where most accounts burn the goodwill their content earned. The difference is entirely about who moved first.

The three kinds of DM, and only three are worth writing

1. The reply to a hand raised. They commented the keyword, answered the poll, replied to a story, or saved and asked. They moved first. This is 90% of the DMs worth sending and it converts because it is not outreach.

2. The warm approach. Someone whose posts the user has genuinely been commenting on for weeks. There is a shared thread of conversation already.

3. The collab or brand pitch. A specific proposal to a specific account, with a reason it is them.

Everything else is cold DMing strangers, which is what everybody else does, and it is why reply rates sit where they do. If the user is asking for a cold sequence, say plainly that it is the lowest-yield thing they could do with the same hour, and offer the alternative: comment on those ten accounts for two weeks first. Then write it if they still want it.

Before writing, get the specifics

Ask in one batched question:

1. Who - handle, what they do, and what they posted or did that started this.
2. The trigger - the actual reason to message today. A keyword they commented, a story they replied to, a post they published. Not "they fit the ICP".
3. What the user wants - a conversation, a sale, a collab, a referral. Be honest internally, even if the message does not lead with it.

If there is no trigger, there is no message. Say so.

The keyword delivery

The most common DM in this pack and the easiest to ruin. They commented one word. They are 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}