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Here are 19 no-brainer direct reply templates you can steal for your brand today!
When it first started, Instagram was all about who could upload the best photos of their lunch. Now the mammoth social media platform has over two billion monthly active users who are scrolling, uploading content, commenting on posts, and, most importantly, sliding into each other’s DM’s – also known as direct messages. With so many direct messages happening on the platform there’s huge potential for brands who want to get involved. To do so, however, it’s crucial that brands have the best Instagram direct message templates out there.
The Instagram DM function provides businesses with the chance to have an exclusive private conversation with users. At the same time, it gives users the chance to ask questions about the business itself or its products, policies, or services. When done well, your Instagram direct messaging feature can transform into a key customer service channel.
After all, social media is about starting conversations – and these conversations can ultimately break down barriers on the path to purchase.
Why is that so good? Well, these conversations can help you to alleviate any customer concerns so that users can convert straight into leads or sales! How good is that?! Do that enough times and you’ll be well on your way to smashing your social media marketing objectives and pulling in a continuous stream of revenue from Instagram.
But to get all of this in motion you need to understand why Instagram direct message templates are so helpful, learn how they work, and figure out which templates work the best for you. So, let’s dive straight into it!
What is an Instagram DM?
Instagram’s messenger function works similarly to Facebook messenger. Instagram direct messages are simply private messages between users on Instagram. These might be 1:1 messages or conversations in large groups. Either way, one user needs to initiate an Instagram DM, to begin with.
Within Instagram direct messaging, you can send text, photos, videos, and links. You can also link directly to other Instagram posts, start video calls, and send voice notes.
Businesses can use Instagram direct messages to start conversations, build relationships, share information, and generate leads and sales. They also allow for more personalized communication, which can be especially helpful for luxury brands or service-based businesses.
Any user or business can send Instagram DMs. You don’t need to have an Instagram business profile. That said, if your business doesn’t yet have one, we highly recommend getting an Instagram business profile – or converting your existing profile – as soon as possible!
If you have time to send and respond to Instagram direct messages yourself, that’s great. Otherwise, you could always delegate this task to someone in your customer service team, and use a social media tool to streamline the process, allowing for a seamless customer experience.
When you are just starting to grow your Instagram business account, you won’t be getting a huge number of DMs. Yet, as your page grows, so will the number of queries you receive. It’s that simple!
Why Are Instagram Direct Message Templates So Useful?
When Instagram first started there were plenty of opportunities to target new users organically. But, as the platform grew and became increasingly flooded with brands struggling to maintain a foothold on this trending social media platform, competition grew. And it kept growing.
Now there are more than 200 million Instagram business accounts and this number grows every day. Sure, not every business is related to your industry but that’s still a huge number of Instagram accounts to compete with.
Don’t get us wrong, there are plenty of opportunities to be had for businesses on Instagram – there are over 130 million users clicking on shopping posts every month, and 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business on the platform.
But if you want your business to stand out, you must think outside the box and get creative when it comes to Instagram marketing. You need to be constantly trying new ways of reaching Instagram users – like testing unique ad formats and using direct messaging!
How do Instagram DM Templates Work?
So, now you understand what an Instagram DM is. To send one, simply tap the message icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Then, in the direct message window, tap the pencil icon to write your message. Choose your recipient, write the message and send! Or, simply head directly to someone’s profile, tap the “message” button and begin your conversation.
Now that we all know how to send a DM, what is an Instagram DM template? Well, as a business, you can reach a large number of users organically by using Instagram direct messages. But, as you can imagine, this can take time. Instagram DM templates automate some of the thinking behind this task.
They are essentially a cut-and-paste direct message (that can be customized if needed) that you can send to multiple Instagram users. This process may be time-consuming, but it can be well worth it if the users are relevant or are already interested in your brand.
Of course, there are bots you can use to automate this process, but none of these are officially Instagram-approved. Besides, if you’re just starting out you want to ensure that any communication is authentic. It’s far better to send a message from a real person rather than set up a chatbot. That way you can see for yourself what people are asking about and quickly respond to them with relevant information.
As a bonus, you’ll also start to build relationships with your target market, and find out what they want, how they speak, and what they’re interested in.
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Before You Start Direct Messaging
Direct messaging on Instagram can be a time-consuming process. Before you get started, make sure that your Instagram profile is set up correctly. There’s no point spending hours on outreach if your Instagram profile doesn’t look professional or you haven’t added your business details
Here we have Sked Social’s Insta profile which looks clean, easy-to-understand, and professional. It has a bio link, display picture, and it’s easy to understand what the business does at a glance.
The Best Instagram DM Templates for Your Business
The first thing to remember when it comes to Instagram DM templates is that they are templates. This means they should be treated purely as guidelines, and, as you see, they vary in terms of topics, tone, and formality.
Your business has its own unique tone of voice that will depend on what industry you’re operating in and your audience, as well as your unique brand values.
It’s best to use these DM templates as a starting point, and tweak them using your brand voice. Instagram DMs can be no longer than 2000 characters, but we recommend keeping it fairly short and sweet for maximum impact.
Take advantage of the fact that you can send links, images, or videos. Just remember that you also need a compelling message if you actually want people to click your links or watch the videos you send.
1. Welcome Message Templates
First and foremost, it’s nice to send a welcome message to any new followers you’ve gained. With this message, you can thank new followers for joining your community and ask them if there’s anything they need. If they’re a new customer you could even send them a discount code to encourage trial purchases.
Here are some examples of welcome message templates to use:
- Hey newbie! We’re so glad you joined our Instagram community! We wanted to welcome you and we hope that our profile will be useful to you. Please let us know if you need anything or click here for more information: [Link to FAQs page or blog]
- Hi! Thanks for supporting our small business. We’re offering a 10% discount for any new customers. Just use discount code [XX] at checkout. Hurry, expires soon J
- Hello! Thank you for following our account. We are distributors of high-quality [XX]. Discover our full catalog of products here: [Link to products]
- Hello, fellow animal lover! Thank you for joining our community, which supports initiatives for the protection of animals. Together we can change animals’ lives for the better all over the world. Find out more about how you can get involved here: [Link to landing page]
- Hey, stranger! Thanks for supporting my photography journey. Shout out if you have any questions or drop me a line to discuss a collab. Peace.
Your welcome message might be even more simple than that, like this simple thank you message from Australian jewellery designer, By Ferne.
2. Customer Service Templates
Instagram DM templates can act as an extension of your customer service model. These days, most customers (or potential customers) expect brands to have a responsive social media team ready and waiting to answer their queries. Not only that but responding promptly looks professional and can mean that your followers head down the path to purchase much more quickly.
You can utilize the Instagram messenger function to answer questions or expand on conversations you’re already having with users in the comment section on your posts.
Here are some Instagram direct message templates to kick off the conversation:
- Hi there! We noticed that you had some questions about our products. Can we help? Please feel free to let us know if there’s anything you need. Thanks, [brand name].
- Hi [name], We notice that you’re having issues with our product. We would love to help you out if you’d like. Please send us more details when you have a moment and we’ll help you resolve this as soon as we can.
- Hi, lovely! You recently asked us a question in a comment on one of our posts. We just wanted to let you know that there is more information about this on our FAQ page. Click here for more details:
3. Discount Templates
There’s nothing your Instagram followers love more than a cheeky discount. In following you, your fans are showing you they’re already interested in your product. Voila – you’ve got a warm audience who might be ready to buy. But how do you push them that one step further? Simple – just offer a discount or an offer.
The following Instagram DM templates use enticing offers to reel new followers in – and turn them into customers.
- Hi, there! Thanks for supporting our page. To say thank you, we’d love to offer you a $10 discount on your first purchase. Just enter code: 10OFFNEWBIE to claim! Follow this link to start shopping: [Link to products]
- Hi [Add name], we notice that you’ve been a long-time supporter of our brand. We’d love to offer you XX% off our new range to say thank you. Click here to start shopping: [Link to products]
- Hi there, lovely! Did you know we’ve just released a brand-new range of [Add product]? To celebrate, we’re offering our existing fans XX% off to reward their loyalty. Here’s your discount code: [Add code]. Enjoy!
- Surprise! We’ve noticed that you have tagged us in your recent posts and to say thank you, we’d love to offer you a XX% discount on our new range. Here’s your discount code: [Add code]. Enjoy and let us know if you have any feedback J
- Hi there! It’s your lucky day! We’re giving away a [XX] gift with purchase for this week only when you spend $50 at more at checkout. Start shopping here and use code: FREEGIFT to claim: [Link to products]
With these DM templates, you can test different discounts and offers and see which one works the best. You can also offer free shipping or reduce the pricing for sales over a certain cart amount, or play around with different minimum spends to see which offer combination works the best.
4. Influencer or Collaborator Templates
After you’ve gotten the hang of posting your own content, you might want to think about expanding your reach. You can do this by collaborating with influencers, bloggers, or even other brands. But influencer marketing can be a tricky beast, so how do you find the right influencers for your brand?
To start with, try the following:
Once you’ve identified which influencers or Instagram users you’d like to reach out to, start contacting them! Use Instagram DM templates for speed but also make sure you send personalized messages to anyone you’d really like to work with. It’s important that they understand why you think they would be a great fit. If you sound even a little bit spammy most influencers will switch off and may not even respond to you. Here are a few of our favorite Instagram DM templates for contacting influencers.
- Hi [Add name here], we adore your unique style and we think you would love our new product [add product name]. We’d love to send you a [sample, product, freebie, coupon] to try if you like. Please send us your best postal address and we’ll get this delivered straight to your door! Can’t wait to hear from you, [Brand]
- Hey there, we’ve been loving your content lately and we so admire how you connect with and inspire your followers to [Insert personalization here]. If you’re interested, we would love the opportunity to partner up for a collaboration. Please let us know so we can get the ball rolling. Hope to hear from you soon!
- Hi [Add name here], we just wanted to say that we love your killer Insta feed, especially your recent posts on [Topic]. We think you’d love your [product or service] and we’d love to invite you to join our ambassador program. This program lets you [earn money, collect points, get discounts] just for product mentions and posts! Feel free to reach out to us for more information, or apply directly here: [Add link]. Hope to hear from you soon J
Once you’ve identified which influencers or Instagram users you’d like to reach out to, start contacting them! Use Instagram DM templates for speed but also make sure you send personalized messages to anyone you’d really like to work with. It’s important that they understand why you think they would be a great fit. If you sound even a little bit spammy most influencers will switch off and may not even respond to you. Here are a few of our favorite Instagram DM templates for contacting influencers.
In the future, you can streamline this process even further and create an affiliate program or an influencer program to easily onboard brand partners and influencers much more quickly.
As you can see below, many fashion and accessories retailers have created their own influencer program, like Daniel Wellington, and mastered influencer marketing. The widely-known watch retailer works with influencers all around the world using a carefully coordinated ambassador program.
5. UGC Templates
Not every brand can afford to engage influencers. If you fall under that category (at least for now!), then user-generated content, or UGC, could be a more affordable alternative for you to explore.
User-generated content is just that; content generated by users. It could be a photo posted on Instagram, a review posted on Twitter, or an Instagram Story with a testimonial.
Sometimes users will post this content organically, especially if they’re in, say, the beauty industry, as they are trying to establish themselves as an authority in their field. But other times, you can encourage UGC using incentives like giveaways or just by giving Instagram users recognition.
UGC not only means that you can engage more strategically with your fans, but it also means that you have a steady stream of content that you can repurpose.
Here are our top Instagram direct message templates you can use to help encourage UGC for your business. If you spot someone posting about your brand or tagging you, send them the below messages:
- Hey! Thanks for tagging us in your post. We love to see how our happy customers use our products. Would you mind if we reposted your content? We would, of course, tag you in our post. Let us know. Thanks!
- Hi there! Thanks for the tag, and we love your awesome post. To say thank you, we’d like to offer you $10 off your next order with the code [Add code here]. Would you mind if we reposted your content? Can’t wait to hear from you. Thanks, [brand].
- Hi [Add customer name]. Thank you for posting about our brand. We really appreciate your support. Would you mind if we used your content in an upcoming repost? We would, of course, tag your account in our post. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks [Brand name] team.
Want a quicker way to message and engage with your followers?
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PLUS you can set as many Quick Replies - aka Instagram message Templates - as you like!
You can try it completely free for 7 days.
More good news: As soon as you connect your account, it'll automatically bring in a bunch of your last messages, so you won't be working from a blank page.