Instagram DM templates are short messages you write once and reuse: a comment reply, a link delivery, a follow ask, an email ask, a story reply, a price answer, a welcome and a collab reply. Each one below is ready to copy, fits Instagram's 1,000 byte text limit, and only goes to people who contacted you first.

Square brackets mark what you fill in before you save. Everything here fits the rules Instagram applies to automated messages: a private reply to a comment goes out once, within 7 days of the comment, and anything after it can go out only if the person writes back, within 24 hours of their reply. Those rules and the text limit come from Meta's developer pages, read on 12 October 2026.

What makes a DM template work?

A DM template works when it does one job, says what the person gets, and sounds like you. Four habits do most of the work:

  • One ask per message. A message that asks for a follow, an email and a tap at once tends to get none of them.
  • Name the thing. "Here is the eight week plan" tells the person more than "here is the link."
  • Write it the way you talk. Read it aloud. If you would not say it to a friend, change it.
  • Keep it short. Instagram counts text in bytes, 1,000 per message, and emoji and non-Latin letters use more than one byte each.

A comment reply is one friendly line under the comment, and the link delivery is the private message that carries what the person asked for. Write three versions of the public reply so the thread does not read like a loop.

Public reply under the comment

Sent! Check your DMs 📩

On its way. Take a look at your messages.

Sent it your way. If it's not in your inbox, check message requests.

The third version earns its place because Meta's documentation says a private reply lands in the person's Requests folder, not their inbox, when they do not follow you.

Link delivery, sent as the private reply

Here's the [name of the thing], as promised. It covers [one line on what's inside]. Tap the button to open it, and reply here if anything looks off.

Give the button a label of 20 characters or fewer, such as "Open the guide." A message carries at most three link buttons, so lead with the one you most want tapped.

Follow-up message, 30 minutes to 20 hours later

In case this got buried: [the thing] is right here. Tell me which part you want to try first and I'll point you to it.

Growth adds a follow-up message that goes out 30 minutes to 20 hours after the first. That range stays inside the 24 hour window on purpose.

Which Instagram direct message templates ask for a follow or an email?

The follow ask and the email ask both put a request before the link, so they need a plain tone and a reason. Both gates are on Free. Growth adds writing the follow and email asks in your own words, which is where these two templates go.

Follow ask

Almost there. If you'd like [the thing], follow [@yourhandle] and tap the button below. I'll send it the moment you're in.

Two button labels go with it, for example "Visit profile" and "I'm following."

Email ask

One step to go. Reply with your email and I'll drop the link right here. I'll only use your address for [what you'll send], and you can ask me to stop any time.

Promise only what you will do with the address. Do you need consent to send automated Instagram DMs covers the rest.

What do automated DM templates look like for story replies?

Story reply templates thank the person, answer what they said, and offer the next step in one message. A story reply counts as a message to you, which opens the 24 hour window for replying.

When your story asks a question

Thanks for replying to my story! [One line that answers or acknowledges what they said]. If you'd like [the thing], tap the button below.

When your story asks people to reply with a word

You're in! Here's [the code or link]. It works until [date]. Reply here if you have a question.

What should you say when someone asks the price?

Say the price in the first line and the next step in the second. A person who types "price" wants the number before anything else.

Hi! [Product] is [price] and includes [what's included]. The page below has every option. If you'd like to talk it through first, reply with your question and I'll answer.

Label the button "See all options" or the name of the plan you want people to open.

What should a welcome message say?

A welcome message greets someone who is messaging you for the first time, says when a person will reply, and points to the thing most people want.

Hi, thanks for messaging [your name or brand]! This is an automatic reply so you get something right away. I'll write back personally by [day or time]. The thing most people ask for is below.

The second sentence covers Meta's advice on automated chats. Meta's rules require a disclosure where the law does, and name California and Germany as places to watch. A link that opens a conversation with you gets people to message first, and the free chat link generator builds one. Instagram's ice breakers can also show up to four tappable questions in a new thread.

How do you answer a collab message?

Answer a collab message with what you need to decide, in one place, so the first reply moves things forward.

Thanks for thinking of me! To look at a collaboration I need three things: what you'd like me to make, your timeline, and your budget or offer. Email them to [your email] and I'll reply by [day].

If you are the one writing the first message, how to write collab messages covers that side.

How do you save a DM template on Instagram?

Instagram's professional inbox has saved replies: hold a message you have sent, tap More, tap Save, and give it a keyboard shortcut. Instagram's Help Center describes this for business and creator accounts in the mobile app. To reuse one, type the shortcut and tap the chat icon that appears.

A saved reply is manual. You open the chat and send it, so a comment that arrives at 2 am waits for you. The saved replies entry compares the two approaches.

For automation, paste the template into the builder instead. In inDM's builder, as of 12 October 2026, a message that carries a link button holds up to 640 characters, a plain message up to 1,000, and a button label up to 20, and the live preview shows what the person will see before anything sends. DM campaign examples pair finished recipes with the keyword to use, and choosing a keyword covers the word itself.

Planning a seasonal offer? Valentine's Day Instagram campaign ideas has a dated plan for February 2027.

Where this stops working

  • A template cannot start a conversation. Automated messages go to people who commented, replied to your story or messaged you. Instagram's Help Center says a message to someone who does not follow you is sent as a message request, with text only, until they accept.
  • Follow-ups must land inside 24 hours of the person's last message. Nothing can be sent after the window closes until they write again.
  • One question is still open. Meta's Spam Community Standard lists requiring a like, share or follow before someone can reach specific exclusive content among its examples of deceptive links. We found no Meta page that says how that applies to a follow ask inside a DM, so keep the ask an invitation, keep what sits behind it real, and leave the gate off where a follow is not what you want.
  • Rules change. Meta can change any of these limits without notice, so read 12 October 2026 as the date they were checked.

Start with the one you type most often this week, and the next time that question arrives your answer is already written.

Sources

All read on 12 October 2026.