Templates
Templates: an Instagram cold DM first message
A good first Instagram message to a business reads like a person who looked at their account. Mention one specific thing, keep it to two or three short lines, ask one easy question and leave out links. Below are four versions: a post reaction, a shared niche, a collaboration idea and a simple question.
Published by Sellinger AI. Numbers and settings checked on 24 October 2026 against the fact register. Report an error.
The text
Hi [first name], I saw your post about [specific topic] and liked [one real detail]. We work with [type of business] on [outcome]. Would it be useful if I sent a two line idea?
Hi [first name], I follow a few [niche] accounts and yours stood out for [reason]. Quick question: how are you finding new [customers or clients] at the moment?
Hi [first name], I think our audiences overlap: you reach [group] and we help [group] with [topic]. Open to a short chat about whether something simple could work for both of us?
Hi [first name], one quick question about [their business]: do you handle [task] yourself, or does someone on your team? Asking because [one real reason].
Why each line is there
| Line | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| One specific detail | A direct message from a stranger is read in a second. A real detail shows it is not a mass copy. |
| Short, two or three lines | Instagram is a phone first, chat style place. Long messages look out of place. |
| One easy question | A question they can answer in a word is easier than a request for a call. |
| No link in the first message | A link in a first message from a stranger looks like spam. Add it after they reply. |
| Offer a clear reason | Say why you wrote to them in particular. |
What it measured
No data yet. Sellinger has not measured results for this exact text, so this page makes no claim about replies, meetings or revenue. Measured campaigns are in the case studies.
Instagram: the agent answers direct messages, comments and story mentions and works the inbox. It can also send first messages to leads you import, under a daily outbound limit set per account (code default 30 a day). We make no performance claim for Instagram first messages. For the wider picture of B2B use, read Instagram DMs for B2B.
Check the platform's own rules before any outreach: Meta sets the terms for messaging on Instagram, and they change. Sellinger makes no limit claim for Instagram on this page.
When not to use it
- When the account is personal and not a business. Pick another channel.
- When you cannot find one real thing to mention. Do not send a generic message.
- When they have not replied after a polite follow up. Stop.
- When you would be selling something regulated or sensitive that needs an explicit opt in. Check the rules for your market first.
How to use it in Sellinger
On Instagram the agent answers direct messages, comments and story mentions, and it can send first messages to leads you import. Leave it to the agent, which writes each message from the lead's own data and your persona, or paste this text into a step in Flow-Maker in the campaign's configuration drawer. The step's instruction box personalises a pasted message with the lead's data, so read the first sends before you widen the campaign. Start with a small import and read the first sends. See the Instagram agent.
Common questions
Is cold messaging on Instagram allowed?
Should the first message include a link?
How long should the first message be?
How many follow ups?
Sources and method
Wording is ours. Sellinger behaviour from the fact register, checked 25 October 2026. Instagram rules are Meta's and not cited on this page.
Related: Templates hub, Instagram DMs for B2B, Instagram agent, Instagram reply to a price question.
