What is a nurture sequence?

A sequence starts with a trigger, such as downloading a guide, and then runs a fixed order of messages with gaps between them. Each message has one job: deliver what was promised, show a result, answer an objection, then make an offer. A short sequence of three to five messages is easier to write well than a long one.

1. Deliver: send what they asked for, with no pitch attached.
2. Help: share one tip or story that makes the guide easier to use.
3. Prove: show a customer’s result or a real example.
4. Answer: address the doubt that most often stops people buying.
5. Offer: ask for the sale or booking, plainly, once.

Meta’s developer guide for the Instagram messaging API says an app has a standard messaging window to send a message, and that for most user actions it lasts 24 hours. After a person’s first message from a Click-to-Direct ad, the window may last up to 7 days. The guide also describes a separate 7-day Human Agent window for replies from real people who need more time, which is for support, not for marketing sequences.

So a drip spread over two weeks cannot run inside a DM thread unless the person keeps writing back. The practical answer is to use the DM to deliver the first item and ask for an email address, then send the rest of the sequence by email, with that person’s agreement.

• Say at the start how many messages to expect and how often.
• Make every message useful if it is the only one they read.
• Stop the sequence when someone buys or replies, so they do not get a pitch for what they just bought.
• Give an easy way out in every email.

Tip: Write the sequence as five short notes to one person you know, not as a campaign. If a message would feel odd to say out loud to a customer, rewrite it.