Joshua Franklin Wiedeman

DM Funnel Scripts

DM funnel scripts are conversation outlines for qualifying leads in direct messages on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and Facebook Messenger. Instead of improvising each DM, you follow a short flow: confirm fit, build rapport, find the need, and present the right offer in 3 to 5 messages. Paired with a keyword trigger (someone comments a word and gets an automatic first DM), it turns one-to-one selling into a repeatable channel.

How it works

DMs are more personal than email and less formal than a sales call. That makes people more willing to share their real needs and objections. A DM script applies the steps of a sales conversation (open, qualify, diagnose, offer, close) to casual messaging. The script has to read like a person typing. Stiff, robotic messages fail.

How to do it

  1. Start from an inbound trigger, not cold outreach. Examples: “Comment GUIDE to get the checklist,” a story poll response, or a reply to a story call to action.
  2. Write the flow:
    • Message 1, deliver: “Hey [Name], here’s the guide [link]. Quick question: are you [persona A] or [persona B]?”
    • Message 2, qualify: “Are you currently [doing the thing your product helps with]?”
    • Message 3, diagnose: “Most [persona A] I talk to struggle with [pain]. Is that what you’re running into?”
    • Message 4, offer: “We have a [resource or product] for exactly that. Want the details?”
    • Message 5, close: send the link, booking page, or offer.
  3. Automate the trigger and first message with a tool such as ManyChat (Instagram, Facebook). Hand the conversation to a person from message 2 onward.
  4. Write 3 to 5 script variants for your main segments and entry points. A beginner-tips commenter needs a different conversation than an advanced one.
  5. Log every conversation. Track replies, qualified leads, and conversions per script.
  6. A/B test qualifying questions, message length, and calls to action.

What to measure

  • DM response rate: divide replies to message 1 by first messages sent.
  • Qualified-to-conversion rate: divide conversions (purchase, booked call, signup) by qualified leads.
  • Revenue per conversation: divide revenue from DM leads by conversations started.

Best practices

  • Keep each message to three sentences or fewer, with one question at a time.
  • Use the person’s name and mention the post they engaged with.
  • Deliver what you promised before asking any qualifying question.

Common pitfalls

  • Unsolicited DMs with no trigger. Cold DMs from brand accounts read as spam. Base every flow on something the person did.
  • Pitching too early. Jumping from “here’s the guide” to “buy now” in two messages feels like an ambush.
  • No human in the loop. Automation can’t handle odd replies or objections. Automate the trigger and first message, and let people handle the rest.