Opener Message: Get a Tap Before You Send the Link

An opener message is a short greeting with a button, sent before the message that actually carries your link.

It looks like a wasted step. It isn’t — it’s the step that gets your link opened.

Why it works

A first DM to someone who doesn’t follow you often lands in message requests, where it sits unread. The moment that person taps anything — including a button in your message — they’ve interacted, and the thread behaves like a normal conversation from then on.

So the opener trades one tap for a delivered link. It also filters: someone who taps Get the link is actually interested, which makes every number downstream mean something.

Setting it up

Click Opener message in the row of step buttons at the bottom of the DM section. It’s added above your main message.

A greeting, a button, and a tap that unlocks the rest of the sequence

Fill in:

• Message — up to 640 characters. Use {{username}} for the recipient’s handle.
• Button label — up to 20 characters.
• When tapped — Continue to next step, which runs the rest of your DM sequence.

The preview beside the fields shows the message as it will arrive, and the live preview on the right shows it in the thread.

Writing one

Keep it to one or two lines. The opener’s whole job is earning a tap, so anything that isn’t working towards the tap is in the way.

• Greet them by name. Hey {{username}}! — it’s their handle, and it proves a human set this up.
• Say what the button does. “Get the link”, “Send me the guide”, “Show me the code”. Never “Click here” — the label is the promise.
• Don’t explain the offer yet. That’s the next message’s job.

A working opener:

Hey {{username}}! So glad you commented 😊 Tap below and I’ll send that link straight over.

Pro Tip

Put a delay of five to ten seconds before the opener. An instant greeting the moment someone comments is the tell-tale sign of automation; a few seconds reads as you noticing.

Opener, or ask to follow?

They’re different asks and they stack in this order:

1. Opener message — get a tap, warm up the thread
2. Ask to follow — require a follow before the DM goes out
3. Collect email — ask for contact details
4. Message — deliver what you promised

Each one adds friction. Adding all four to a giveaway will cost you entrants — pick the ones whose value you’d defend out loud.