DM templates · Instagram
Send affiliate links by DM the honest way
To send affiliate links by Instagram DM, ask people to comment a word, reply with a plain-text DM, and send the link once they answer, with a line saying you earn a commission. That line belongs in the DM itself, next to the link. Below are 14 templates, plus what Meta, Amazon's US Associates programme and the FTC expect from you.
Updated 6 October 2026 · 14 templates
14 messages to copy
Tap a card to copy the message. Swap anything in braces, like {name}, for your own words before you send it.
Caption line with the disclosure up top
Everything in my kitchen kit is linked. Comment KIT and I'll DM you the list. (Affiliate links: I earn a commission if you buy.)
The FTC's guide says disclosures are easy to miss when people have to tap “more” to see them. Keep yours in the first lines, not under a block of hashtags.
First DM after a comment
Hey, thanks for the comment! This message is automatic. The lamp from the video is on Amazon and I can send you the link. Heads-up: it's an affiliate link, so I'd earn a small commission if you buy. Want it? Reply YES.
Disclose before they ask for the link, not after they've tapped it. The link itself waits for their answer, because Instagram allows nothing but text until then.
The link, with the disclosure beside it
Here's the lamp: {link} That's an affiliate link, which means Amazon pays me a commission if you buy through it. You pay the same price either way.
Keep the last sentence only if it's true for your programme.
Several products in one link
Here's everything from the video in one list: {link} Some of the links on it are affiliate links and some aren't, and I've marked which is which.
For five or more products, one page beats five messages in a row. It's also easier to update when something sells out.
Product carousel intro
Here are the three pans from the video. Swipe through and tap the one you want. All three are affiliate links, so I earn a commission on anything you buy.
DMFast can send products as a carousel, one card per product. For Amazon items, put “Amazon” in each card's title or button: its US policy bars buttons that make it unclear the link goes to Amazon.
“Do you get paid for this?”
A little, yes: it's an affiliate link, so the shop pays me a commission if you buy through it. Nobody paid me to feature it, though. I bought it myself and I still use it every day.
If the brand sent it for free, say that instead. The FTC's guide counts free products as a connection you have to disclose, not only payments.
For people who'd rather not use your link
No problem at all. It's the {product} by {brand}, so you can search for it anywhere you like. Honestly, I'd rather you get the right one than use my link.
You lose the odd commission and gain a name for recommending things on their merits, which every later recommendation depends on.
Something you haven't tried
Honestly, I haven't used that one, so I can't tell you if it's any good. The one I use and can vouch for is this: {link} (affiliate link).
Never describe your experience of a product you haven't used. The FTC's influencer guide rules it out, and followers can usually tell.
Sold out
Sorry, that one's sold out right now. If you'd like something similar, this is what I'd buy instead: {link} It's an affiliate link too.
Only suggest a swap you'd use yourself. Pushing any alternative just to keep a commission is how a list of recommendations stops being trusted.
Link opens the wrong country's store
Sorry about that, my link goes to the {country} Amazon store. Search for “{product}” on your local Amazon instead. I won't earn anything from that, and that's completely fine.
Each Amazon store has its own Associates programme, so a link made for one country's store opens that store. If many followers live elsewhere, say which store your links go to.
A discount code instead of a link
If you'd rather shop on their site, my code {code} gives you {offer} at checkout. I earn a commission on orders that use it.
A code that pays you is an affiliate link in another form, so it needs the same plain disclosure.
Size and fit
I'm normally a {size} and went with that. It's roomy in the shoulders, so if you're between sizes I'd go down one. Here's the link again: {link} (it's an affiliate link)
This is the detail product pages can't give. A straight answer about fit saves them a return and keeps them trusting the next link.
Reply to a Story
Thanks for replying! This answer is automatic. Here's the {product} from today's Story: {link} It's an affiliate link, so I'd earn a little if you buy.
A Story reply is a message, so the link can go in the first answer. Amazon's US policy allows its links in DMs only when people opted in, so keep the word specific and the link for those who used it.
When someone says they bought it
Oh, thank you for telling me, that genuinely helps. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. If anything's off, let me know; I'd want to hear before I recommend it again.
Ask for the bad news as well as the good. Hearing about a fault early beats recommending it to a few thousand more people.
Set it up in DMFast
Comment DESK on a setup Reel, get the linked list
Someone comments on your post
DESKPublic reply under their comment
Sent 📩 Heads-up: some links in the list earn me a commission.First DM (plain text)
Hi! You commented DESK, so this DM is automatic. Everything from my desk setup is on one list, with links. Some are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you buy. Would you like the list? Reply YES.Yes pleaseMy desk setup, item by item (affiliate links)See the listThe disclosure arrives before the link and stays beside it, which is where the FTC's guide wants it. The first DM is plain text because Instagram allows nothing else until the person answers, and that answer also means the link only reaches someone who asked for it.
Pick a post
Connect your Instagram account, then choose the post or Reel it runs on, or every post.
Set the word: DESK
Anyone who comments DESK gets a reply under their comment and a DM. Capitals don't matter.
Paste the message
Add the public reply and the first DM shown here. Once they answer, your link follows as a card.
Free plan, no card. Instagram professional accounts and Facebook Pages.
Rules to know
- A comment can get one private reply within 7 days, and it can't carry a link. The affiliate link goes out after the person answers, inside the 24 hours their answer opens.
- Meta's policy allows promotional content in messages sent within 24 hours of the person's last message, so a product link they asked for is fine. After that, automated messages can't be sent at all.
- Amazon's US Associates policy lets you include your links in direct messages from your social media sites only when the messages are solicited, meaning the person opted in to receive them.
- The same policy bars shorteners, buttons and other placements that make it unclear you're linking to Amazon, and redirecting links that obscure which site a click came from.
- The FTC's guide for US influencers says to disclose anything of value you get for mentioning a product, to place the disclosure with the endorsement, and not to rely on a platform's disclosure tool alone.
- Automated DMs must say they're automated at the start of the conversation, even when all they do is deliver a link.
Sources
Where the disclosure goes
A commission is something of value, and the FTC's guide for US audiences asks you to disclose that kind of connection wherever you recommend the product. In a comment-to-DM flow the recommendation shows up in more than one place, so the disclosure does too.
| Where | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Caption | Put “affiliate links” in the first lines | Anything behind “more” is easy to miss |
| Reel or video | Say it, or show it on screen | The guide wants it in the video, not only the description |
| Story | Write it over the image | The guide says to superimpose it, with time to read it |
| Live | Repeat it during the broadcast | The guide asks for repeats, since viewers arrive at different times |
| First DM | Mention affiliate links before asking | They know before they say yes |
| Link message or card | Label the link itself | It sits next to the thing that pays you |
Plain words work: “ad”, “affiliate link”, “I earn a commission if you buy”. The guide warns against vague labels such as “sp”, “spon” or “collab”, words like “thanks” or “ambassador” on their own, and disclosures mixed into a pile of hashtags.
Amazon links in DMs: what the US policy says
Amazon's Associates policy for its US store mentions direct messages by name. It lets you include your links in DMs from your social media sites if the messages are solicited, meaning opted into by the person receiving them. That's a strong reason to keep affiliate links inside flows people start themselves, such as a comment word or a Story reply, and never to send them to anyone who didn't ask. Each Amazon store runs its own programme, so if you're an Associate elsewhere, read that store's policy.
- Make the destination obvious. The policy bars buttons, links and shorteners that make it unclear you're linking to Amazon, so a button reading “View on Amazon” beats “Get it here”.
- Be careful with redirects. Tracked and shortened links work by sending the click through another address first, and the policy rules out redirecting links that obscure which site a click came from. For Amazon, the link Amazon's own tools create is the safe choice.
- Keep links out of printed material and ebooks. The policy's rule on offline promotion names both, which matters if your freebie is a downloadable guide.
- Check that your Instagram account is one of the sites listed in your Associates account, since the DM permission covers your social media sites.
Tip: Create a separate tracking ID for Instagram DMs in your Associates account. Your reports then show what the DMs earn, without wrapping the link in anything.
Mistakes that cost trust, and sometimes commissions
- Hiding the disclosure after “more” or among hashtags, then sending a DM that doesn't mention it at all.
- Sending links to people who never asked. Official tools can't message people for liking a post anyway, and Amazon's US policy wants DM links to be solicited.
- Button text that hides the shop. If it opens Amazon, say Amazon.
- Recommending products you haven't used because the commission is good.
- Leaving old lists live. When a product is discontinued or its price jumps, update the list or take it down.
- Sending five links in five messages. One list page is easier to read and to keep current.
Numbers to check each week
Per post, track three things: how many people commented the word, how many answered the first DM, and how many tapped through to the product or list. The programme's own reports show what happened after the tap, so use a separate tracking ID or sub-ID for Instagram DMs if your programme offers one.
If plenty of people answer the DM but few tap, the list probably doesn't match what the post showed. If they tap but don't buy, the product page may not be what they expected, which is worth knowing before you recommend it again.
Questions people ask
Are affiliate links allowed in Instagram DMs?
Meta's messaging policy allows promotional content in messages sent within 24 hours of the person's last message, so a link they asked for is fine there. Your affiliate programme has rules of its own, though. Amazon's US Associates policy, for example, allows its links in DMs only when the person opted in to receive them.
Do I need to disclose affiliate links in the DM itself?
The FTC's guide says a disclosure should sit with the endorsement and be hard to miss. In a comment-to-DM flow, the DM is where the recommendation and the link meet, so say it there in plain words, as well as in the caption.
Is Instagram's paid partnership label enough?
Not on its own, by the FTC's account: its guide says not to assume a platform's disclosure tool is good enough. The label is designed for posts made with a brand partner. For affiliate links, write your own disclosure in the caption and the DM, and use the label as well when a brand deal is involved.
I'm not in the US. Does the FTC's guide apply to me?
It can. The FTC says US law applies to posts from abroad when it's reasonably foreseeable they'll affect US consumers, so if a fair share of your audience is American, plan on it. Your own country's advertising rules apply as well, such as ASCI's influencer guidelines in India.
What if a product I linked turns out to be poor?
Take the link down and say why, in a Story or a pinned comment. Followers who bought it will remember whether you owned up, and your next recommendation depends on that. When people DM to say it broke, thank them and ask what happened, so your note is accurate.
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