DM templates · Instagram
Ask for an email in an Instagram DM
Ask once, in one short line, right after the person has said yes to something, and say what the address is for and how often you'll write. People give an email for a clear reason, like a file, a waitlist or a booking invite, and hold back for vague “updates”. The 14 messages below cover the ask and what comes back: typos, throwaway inboxes, “why?” and “no thanks”.
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.
The plain ask, with a reason
What's the best email to send it to? You'll have the {thing} there in a minute, and nothing else unless you ask for it.
“Nothing else unless you ask” is the line that gets the address. Only use it if that's really how your list works.
Weekly newsletter
Want our Sunday email? One message a week with {topic}, and every one has an unsubscribe link. Just reply with your email address and you're in.
Say how often and what's in it. “Updates” gets ignored; “one email a week with new recipes” gets replies.
Email course
Lesson 1 is ready, and lessons 2 to 5 arrive by email, one a day, so they reach you even after this chat goes quiet. Which address should they go to?
Saying why the rest comes by email turns a request into an explanation. It's also the honest reason: tools can't DM someone once 24 hours pass without a message from them.
Launch or waitlist
I'll email you the moment it opens, before it's announced here. Which address should I use?
A DM can't reach them on launch day unless they've written to you that day, so the list has to live in email.
Receipt for a DM sale
Thanks for your order! Which email should the receipt go to? Separately, would you like to hear about new stock by email too? A simple yes or no is fine.
A receipt is an easy yes. Ask about marketing emails as a separate question, so the answer to one isn't taken as the answer to both.
Asking after you've helped
Glad the template helped! If you'd like the next one when it's ready, send me your email and I'll put you down for it.
Asking after you've delivered something needs no trade at all. It's an invitation, and it reads like one.
Reading it back
Thanks! Just to check I've got it right: {email}. If that's correct, you're all set. If not, send it again and I'll update it.
Worth doing when you type by hand. A slip before the @ looks like a perfectly good address to any checker; only its owner can spot it.
Not an email address
That one didn't come through as an email address. Could you send it again, in the usual name@provider.com form?
DMFast handles this on its own: when a reply has no address in it, it asks again and waits for a proper one.
Throwaway inbox
That address looks like a temporary inbox that deletes mail after a while. Could you send one you'll still be checking next week?
DMFast turns away common throwaway providers, and domains that can't receive mail, by asking the person to check the address and send it again.
“Why do you need my email?”
Fair question! It's so I can send you the {thing}, and so I can still reach you after this chat goes quiet. We write twice a month at most, never share addresses, and every email has an unsubscribe link.
Promise only what's true of your list and your email tool. “Never share” has to be a rule you actually keep.
“I'd rather not”
No problem at all. Here's the {thing} anyway: {link}. If you ever change your mind about the emails, send your address here.
When DMFast's email step is on, the link waits for a valid address, so send this one by hand. Decide your rule before the post goes up and apply it to everyone.
Already have their address
Looks like we already have your email from last time, so it's on its way there too. Would you like it sent to a different address instead?
DMFast skips the question for anyone who gave an address in an earlier conversation. When asking by hand, check your list first so nobody is asked twice.
Confirming the sign-up
You're on the list. The first email comes from {sender} on {time}, so if it isn't in your inbox, check the promotions or spam folder and move it across.
Name the sender and the day. People who know what to look for find the email; people who don't sometimes mark it as spam.
Double opt-in step
One more step: we've just emailed you a link to confirm. Tap it and you're in. Until then, our list can't send you anything.
If your email tool uses double opt-in, say so in the DM. Otherwise people wonder why nothing ever arrived.
Set it up in DMFast
Comment LESSONS, start a free email course
Someone comments on your post
LESSONSPublic reply under their comment
Lesson 1 is waiting in your DMs ✉️First DM (plain text)
Thanks for commenting LESSONS! This DM is sent automatically. The free 5-day course is ready: lesson 1 comes here, and the rest by email, one a day. Shall we start? Reply YES.Yes pleaseLesson 1: start hereOpen lesson 1Their YES opens the chat. “Ask for their email first” then asks for the address and checks it before lesson 1 goes out: people whose reply has no address are asked again, and throwaway inboxes or domains that can't receive mail are refused. Lessons 2 to 5 must come by email: no tool can DM them once 24 hours pass without a message.
Pick a post
Connect your Instagram account, then choose the post or Reel it runs on, or every post.
Set the word: LESSONS
Anyone who comments LESSONS 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, sent within 7 days of the comment, and it has to be plain text. Use it to get a yes; the email question comes after they answer.
- Their answer opens 24 hours in which you can ask for the address, check it and send what you promised. Each message they send restarts that clock.
- Once 24 hours pass without a message from them, no tool can DM them about your list or your offer. The human agent tag gives a person 7 days, but for support only, so email is how you reach them after that.
- Automated messages, the email question included, have to make clear that the person is dealing with an automated service.
- Comments made during an Instagram Live can only get a private reply while the Live is running, so a sign-up started from a Live comment has to happen before you end the broadcast.
Sources
When to ask, and when to wait
| Moment | Ask for the email? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The first DM after a comment | No | It's your one message until they answer. Use it to get a yes. |
| Straight after their yes | Yes | They've just agreed to something, so one more short step feels fair. |
| They opened with a question | Not yet | Answer the question first. An email request in its place feels like a toll. |
| After you've delivered something useful | Yes, as an invitation | There's nothing to trade, so nobody feels pushed. |
| They've given it before | No | Asking twice suggests nobody reads the answers. |
Ask for one thing at a time. A message that wants an email, a phone number and a birthday gets an answer to none of them, or to the first one only.
Wording that gets an address
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| “Drop your email 👇” | “What's the best email to send the checklist to?” |
| “Sign up for updates” | “One email a week with new recipes. Want it?” |
| “Email?” | “Which email should the calendar invite go to?” |
| “We respect your privacy” | “We never share addresses, and you can unsubscribe in one click” |
| “Join our VIP list” | “You'll hear about restocks a day before we post them” |
Be clear when an address is for marketing. Email rules differ by country, and in many places, including the EU and the UK, marketing emails need the person's clear agreement. A yes to “Want our weekly email?” is far clearer than quietly adding everyone who asked for a PDF. If you're unsure, check the rules where your audience lives.
What DMFast checks, and what it can't
With “Ask for their email first” switched on, the question goes out as soon as the chat is open: straight after a DM keyword or a Story reply, or once a commenter answers the first DM. If you also use “Only send to followers”, the follower check comes first. DMFast then reads the reply for an address, even one inside a sentence like “sure, it's name@gmail.com”.
- No address in the reply: it asks them to send it again, and keeps waiting.
- A throwaway provider, or a domain that can't receive mail, such as a mistyped gmail.con: it asks them to check the address and resend it.
- Someone who gave an address in an earlier conversation: the question is skipped.
- A valid address: it's saved as a lead, ready to download as a CSV file, and the link goes out.
- Someone who stops at the question: one reminder, on Pro and up, after a delay you choose and inside the 24 hours.
No checker can catch a typo before the @, because “jon@” and “john@” both look like real addresses. That's what double opt-in in your email tool, or a read-back when you type by hand, is for.
What to measure
Three numbers show what the email step costs and what it earns. Compare how many people answer your first DM with how many hand over an address: the gap is the price of asking. Then watch the first email you send. Lots of bounces mean typos or fake addresses, and lots of unsubscribes mean the ask promised something the email didn't deliver.
If the gap is wide, try a clearer reason before you drop the step. “So lessons 2 to 5 can reach you” tells people why the address matters in a way that “for updates” never does.
Questions people ask
Is it okay to ask for an email in Instagram DMs?
Yes, as long as you say what it's for and the person chooses to give it. Meta's rules decide when you can message, while email laws in many countries expect clear consent before you send marketing, so tell people what they'll get and how often.
Should the first DM after a comment ask for the email?
Better not. That first message is plain text and it's the only one you can send until they answer, so use it for a quick yes. Ask for the address in the next message, once the chat is open.
How many emails can DMFast collect?
On the Free plan, 10 in total; Pro, Growth and Business collect unlimited emails. When a Free account reaches 10, flows skip the email question and send the link anyway, so nobody is left waiting.
Can I export the addresses?
Yes. Every address DMFast collects is saved as a lead and can be downloaded as a CSV file, which most email tools can import. Keep a note of which post or keyword each batch came from, so you can see which offers bring in readers.
What if someone sends a phone number instead?
An auto-reply waiting for an email will ask again, because a number isn't an address. If you want phone numbers too, ask for them separately and say what you'll use them for. In India, lead magnets in DMFast's Store can ask for a phone number alongside the email.
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