25 best Instagram DM examples for sales, outreach, and engagement

Social media marketers, freelancers, influencers, and small-business owners all need to form personal connections with their customers to build trust and loyalty. Among the ways to offer personalized content encouraging user interaction and driving conversions are Instagram DMs.

While DMs aren’t a marketing strategy in and of themselves, they do play an important part in your overall social media content marketing. By offering viewers a chance to start private conversations with you through DMs, you can reach new followers and identify potential leads. DMs also let you handle customer questions and provide the proactive support you need to retain customers.  

If you want to build a personal brand of meaningful connections and collaboration, DM marketing can become an important way to build and maintain your customer base and professional network. You can create the most effective Instagram DMs by using the best Instagram DM templates to boost your outreach and scale your business.

Why Instagram DMs are crucial for engagement and outreach

Did you know Instagram DM open rates can reach 80-100 percent with automation, especially for companies that use targeted messaging, keyword filtering, and personalized openers? That makes DMs a potential gold mine for marketing, with Instagram DM sales conversion rates going from 7 percent to 20 percent in 2025, depending on targeting precision and audience size.

Users tend to interact much more with friends and brands on Instagram, which makes the platform a great place to send users exclusive offers or personalized recommendations — which will build better customer relationships. You can also gather honest feedback and answer inquiries, informing how to refine your products to fit customer needs.

For instance, 7 Man, an Indian direct-to-consumer (D2C) men’s fashion brand, offered users a chance to get a discount code or product link if they commented, “Buy.” Within three months, the brand gained 150,000 followers and a 20 percent increase in order conversions.

What makes a good Instagram DM?

Forming solid personal connections with customers through Instagram DMs hinges on your message feeling sincere and relevant — not automated.

Keep your DMs short and personal. Like the customer’s post or comment and mention it in your opening. Provide something helpful like a resource or suggestion related to their content.

End your DM with a clear, low-pressure call to action (CTA), which can be phrased as a question asking the customer to share their thoughts on your resource or suggestion. Users then have incentive to respond and keep the conversation moving.

Avoid spammy language. Don’t offer a generic copy-and-paste message like “DM for promotions” or “Check out my page!” Instead, add personality that matches your brand’s tone, something you can achieve with emojis or voice notes.

Be aware of the differences between cold DMs and warm outreach. Cold DMs are for users who haven’t interacted with your brand yet. This can lead to low trust and response rates. Warm outreach, by contrast, connects with users who have already shown interest by engaging with your posts or following your content. Personalized DMs can lead to better response rates and smoother conversions.

25 best Instagram DM template examples by use case

Reaching out to potential customers, influencers, fellow professionals, new followers, or dissatisfied clients requires different approaches for each. The following sections provide Instagram DM template examples for how to structure your DMs for sales outreach, influencer collaboration, and more.

DM templates for sales outreach

When sliding into your followers’ DMs to offer promotions, it’s important to be friendly, polite, and offer something of value. Don’t go for the hard pitch — instead, focus on building a good relationship.

Build your DMs around these Instagram message templates:

1. Hi [Name]! Thank you for joining our community. As a thank you, we’d like to give you a $15 discount on your first purchase. Just visit us at [link to products] and enter the code 15WELCOMEGIFT to claim!

2. Thank you! We noticed you tagged us in your recent posts! Please accept this XX% discount on our new line of [products]. Here’s your discount code: [discount code]. Do you have any ideas for additional products you’d like to see? Please let us know! : )

3. Hi there [Name]! We noticed you’ve been a long-time supporter of our brand. To say thank you, we’d like to offer you XX% off your next purchase. Click here to start shopping: [link to products]  

4. Thanks for following us! As a token of appreciation, we’d like to give you a XX% discount voucher on your next purchase. Just type [promo code] at checkout to redeem. Thanks again!

DM templates for influencer collaboration

Want to collaborate with influencers to expand your reach? You’ll need to send a personalized message that influencers will want to respond to. Start by researching the influencer’s style and audience demographics to see if they’re a good fit for your brand and focus on mutual benefits when reaching out for a collaboration.

Base your messaging on these influencer DM examples:

1. Hey [Name], we loved your recent post featuring [specific details]. We’re a [company type] that specializes in [your brand]. Your content’s focus on [topic] aligns great with our upcoming campaign. If you’re interested, we’d love to partner up for a collaboration. Feel free to reach out to us for more information by DMing us. Can’t wait to hear from you, [Brand]

2. Hi [Name], we love your product reviews on [product name]. We’re a [company type] that produces [products] like the ones on your Insta feed. We’d love to send you a [sample, product, freebie] to try if you like. Please send us your best postal address and we’ll send it right over! Hope to hear from you soon! [Brand]

3. Hey [Name], we love following your Insta feed and reading your posts on [topic]. Your recent posts on [product or service] make us feel you’d be a great fit for our ambassador program. This program lets you [earn money, get discounts, collect points] for product mentions and posts. If you’re interested, please reach out to us for more information, or you can apply directly here [link to application]. Hope to hear from you soon! [Brand] 

4. Hi [Name]! I’m the social media manager for [Business Name] and I’ve been following your content. I particularly enjoyed your recent post about [post details]. We’re looking for talented content creators to work with our brand. Are you interested in discussing a potential collaboration? Please let me know!

DM templates for networking

When you’re interested in expanding your support or professional network, you can use Instagram DMs to request help or collaborations with other peers in the industry.

Before sending a DM, polish your profile and bring it up to date. Have links to your work ready so users can see what you have to offer. Study each user’s own content and see where your interests align.

When approaching a fellow professional, let them know how you discovered their work. Compliment them on a content piece you found informative. And keep your initial requests low-effort — ask if they could chat with you briefly or exchange insights.

Here are some templates for effective Instagram outreach messages:

1. Hi [Name], I’ve been following your Instagram for a while now and thought your recent post on [topic] was insightful. I especially liked what you had to say about [post details]. As a fellow [business/position title] in the industry, I’d love to connect. Would you be open to a brief chat next week?

2. Hi there! I’ve been following your content and really admire how to connect with your followers by [insert the strategies/tactics they use]. As a fellow [your field], I’m always looking to connect with other professionals in the industry. Let me know if you’d be interested in a brief chat. I’d love to learn more about your strategies and have some [tips/resources] I can share as well.

3. Hi [Name], I’m [Your name] from [Brand]. I saw your thread on [topic] the other day and found it very helpful in my own research on [related topic]. Thanks! Would you be interested in talking to me more about this topic? I have some ideas of my own on [related topic] that I can share with you. Please contact me and let me know!

DM templates for customer support

Build a brand of quick responsiveness by using your Instagram messenger function to answer customer questions and concerns. You can also send DMs to expand on existing conversations from your customer support department. This lets customers know you have a professional social media team capable of handling all their queries.

As always, adopt a polite and helpful tone when starting an Instagram conversation. Add human touches, like emojis, in your messaging to let customers know they’re dealing with a genuine person.

1. Hi there! We saw your question about our products in one of our posts. Can we help? Please let us know of anything you need. Thanks, [Brand]

2. Hello, [Name]. Thank you so much for contacting us with your concerns. We apologize for your dissatisfaction with our [product name] and would like to offer you a full refund. Please let us know if this is acceptable to you and we’ll start making the necessary arrangements.

3. Apologies for the inconvenience, but the [product] you requested is currently out of stock and won’t be available until [restocking date]. We’d be happy to offer you a full refund, or if you like, we can wait for a restock. Please let us know what you’d prefer. Apologies again for any problems this has caused. 

4. Thank you for your questions about shipping. We offer free standard shipping on every order over $XX. Orders under $XX require a shipping fee of $X. If you need your order right away, we provide expedited shipping for an additional fee. Please let us know what you’d prefer!

DM templates for following up after no response

While you do want to be patient when contacting potential clients or collaborators, it can be helpful to send a follow-up DM when you don’t hear back after several days.

For cold leads, wait three to five days before following up. On the other hand, warm leads can be approached sooner (say about 48 hours), since they’ve already shown interest. After that, wait a week or two before following up again. If you don’t get a response after your subsequent follow-ups, stop DMing — you don’t want to look pushy.

Here are some sales DM scripts to vary your follow-up messages so they don’t all look the same:

1. Hey [Name], just wanted to see if you received my last message about [topic]? I’m always happy to answer any questions!

2. Hello [Name], just wanted to give a heads-up that the offer for the [product/service] I mentioned in my last DM will expire by [deadline]. Let me know if you’d like to still take advantage of it! 

3. Hi [Name], it’s been a while since I last heard from you. I saw your recent update on [reference to user’s content] and would love to hear what you’ve been up to. Are you interested in a quick chat this week? 

DM templates for engaging with new followers

New followers want to feel valued and heard by brands. Engage with them by referencing their posts and activities, or by offering exclusive content and creating open dialogues that encourage them to share feedback.

Here are some DM examples that help you interact with new followers:

1. Welcome aboard, [Name]! Thanks for the follow. We’re constantly working on creating new content our followers enjoy and would love to hear your opinion. What type of [products, topics etc.] are you looking to see covered here? Thanks! 

2. Hey, [Name]! We loved all the photos you posted of [place]. We just published a guide for some of the best places to visit in that region. Would you be interested in checking it out? Let us know!

3. Hey! Thanks for tagging us in your post. We love seeing how our customers use our products. Would it be okay if we reposted your content? We’ll make sure to tag you in our post. Let us know! Thanks!

4. Hi, [Name]! Thanks so much for your follow! We’re always interested to learn what content our followers like. Is there a topic in [your niche industry] or a product that you’d like to see us cover? Please let us know! 

DM templates for event invites or product launches

Instagram DMs are perfect for announcing new product launches or inviting followers to an upcoming event. To make sure your invites get noticed, provide all event details in a clear, concise DM and end with a specific CTA (such as “RSVP” or “Buy a ticket”). Product launches can include exclusive behind-the-scenes content to generate interest. It also helps to have an eye-catching visual to accompany your text.

You can build your product launch announcements and event invites around these templates:

1. Hi [Name]! Thanks for the mention of our [brand/product] in your post! As a thank you, we’d like to give you an early access link to the launch of our new [product] before it goes live for everyone else. Access your exclusive deal and special discount code through this private link: [link to product]

2. Hi [Name]! I’m [Your name] from [Brand]. We’ve been following your work on [mention specific posts and content related to your product] and love your [brand voice/storytelling/connection with followers]. We’re hosting a networking event on [date] at [venue name] at [time] for professionals in the [industry] to connect over [topic]. We’d love for you to join and share your insights. Let me know if you’d like to attend!

3. Hey [Name], I’m [Your name] from [Brand]. I’ve been enjoying your content, especially your last post on [post topic]. We’re hosting an exclusive launch party of our new [product] for content creators and would love for you to be there and discuss your brand. We think your audience would be very interested in hearing about our [event highlights]. Feel free to DM us this week to discuss attending!  

Tools to automate and manage Instagram DMs efficiently

Because there are over 3 billion Instagram users active today, handling your Instagram DMs manually gets too labor-intensive, so smart marketers use third-party social media automation tools to scale their DM outreach. 

By setting up triggers to activate your automated messages, you can send a DM whenever a user types a keyword or phrase on a post or Reel, replies to your story, or follows you. This way, you reach a larger audience of potential customers and provide instant 24-7 responses, improving your engagement and customer satisfaction.

Instagram message automation tools like Jotform’s Instagram Agent let you schedule outbound DMs in advance to provide customers with instant 24-7 responses, improving engagement and ensuring your customers are satisfied. You can arrange automated responses to frequently asked questions in your DMs, story replies, and comments.

Meanwhile, integrating your Instagram interaction data with your CRM helps you better track and nurture leads with the right type of DM messaging. You can use the information on customer preferences and interactions in your database to personalize the messaging — because when messages are personalized, users have a better experience and are more satisfied as customers. 

Knowing when to contact your customers and what types of DMs they respond to best is crucial to optimizing your Instagram campaigns. Analytics tools can analyze data to track campaign performance and offer insights on where you can improve your strategies to enhance ROI on your campaign.

Leveraging automation also helps you stay compliant with Instagram’s DM rules. For instance, automated instant replies let businesses reply to a user’s message within Instagram’s 24-hour messaging window. Automation tools can even keep companies from sending too many DMs too quickly or from sending unsolicited messages, which prevents spam and mass messaging.

Building real relationships through DMs

While automation tools can scale your DM outreach, building good relationships with your customers still requires a personal touch. Thus, you need to spend time refining any DM templates you use. Make sure they carry a human tone and reflect your branding so customers feel acknowledged when they receive your messages. 

Use analytics tools to monitor response rates to your Instagram DMs. Conduct A/B testing with different templates to see which DMs customers engage with more. Over time, you’ll develop templates with a consistent core structure reflecting your brand voice and offering genuine value that builds trust with customers. 

If you’re ready to get started implementing the best DM templates today, Jotform’s Instagram Agent can help. This AI Agent analyzes your brand’s unique voice based on your Instagram bio and past DMs, allowing it to generate personalized, context-aware, and instant replies to user messages. Save time and automate your workflows by using our Instagram Agent today.