Text Message Template

The simplest and most common DM type — send plain text messages with links, emoji, and optional link tracking.

What Is the Text/Link Template?

The Text/Link template is the default DM reply type in InstantDM. When someone triggers your automation (by commenting a keyword, replying to a story, etc.), they receive a plain text DM. If your message contains a URL, Instagram automatically renders a link preview inside the conversation.

This is the go-to template for most automations: sending links, discount codes, short messages, or any text-based content.

When to Use Text/Link

• Sending a link to a landing page, product, or resource
• Sharing a discount code or coupon
• Sending a short thank-you or welcome message
• Delivering text-based content (tips, quotes, instructions)
• Any automation where you just need a simple message

How to Set Up a Text Message

1. Open your post automation panel (click Automate on any post).
2. In the DM Reply section, select Text/Link as the reply type (this is the default).
3. Type your message in the text area. You can include:
   • Plain text with emoji
   • Line breaks (press Enter)
   • URLs — Instagram will auto-generate a link preview
4. Click Save to activate.

Message Randomization (Coming Soon)

Message randomization for DM text — adding multiple variations so InstantDM picks one at random for each user — is coming soon to the Text/Link template.

Today, randomization is already available for comment replies: add several reply texts and InstantDM rotates through them at random so your public replies don't look repetitive.

Link Tracking

When you enable link tracking, InstantDM automatically:

1. Shortens all URLs in your message to tracked short links
2. Records every click with timestamp, user, and source
3. Shows click analytics in your dashboard

This lets you measure how many people actually opened the link you sent. You can also use this data to trigger follow-up messages for users who didn't click.

Link Preview in DMs

When your text message contains a URL, Instagram automatically fetches and displays a link preview card below your message. This includes the page title, description, and thumbnail image from the destination URL.

Character Limit

InstantDM text messages support up to 700 characters. The editor shows a live character counter in the text area so you can see how much space you have left.

If you need to send longer content, consider:

• Using a DM Sequence to split content across multiple messages
• Sending a PDF attachment with the full content
• Linking to a full article or page

Best Practices

• Keep it short. DMs that are 1–3 sentences perform best. Get to the point quickly.
• Use emoji sparingly. One or two emoji add personality. A wall of emoji looks spammy.
• Vary your comment replies. Add 2–3 comment reply variations so your public replies look natural.
• Include a clear CTA. Tell the user what to do: "Click the link", "Reply YES", "Check your email".
• Enable link tracking. Always track links so you can measure performance and trigger follow-ups.

Plan Requirements

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