If you've ever been told "send me a DM" or "we replied to you via DM" and you don't know what they mean, here we'll explain: What does DM mean on Instagram ?
What DM or Direct Message means in English, is Instagram's internal messaging method. What does this mean? That no one else except you and the person you send the message to will see what you have written, it is private messaging.
In private messages, or DMs on Instagram , we can expand, have longer conversations, you can resolve doubts or interact quickly.
If you are interested in learning all the details about what DM means on Instagram, keep reading this article.
Once we know what a DM on Instagram means, we will move on to answer How to send a DM on Instagram ?
How to send a DM on Instagram?
The first thing you need to know is where to locate your message inbox, it is located at the top right with a conversation bubble icon.
Once you have located your inbox, you have three methods to send a DM on Instagram :
✅ From the message inbox
From this section of the app you can type a user's name in the search engine and open a conversation from the DM on Instagram .
✅ From the user profile
Another option to start a conversation via DM on Instagram is to look for the user's profile and from the main page of their profile you have the Message button. Click on it and it will automatically take you to the private conversation.
✅ From a public history
If you want to start a conversation via private message with someone, but you don't know how to do it, you can break the ice by replying to that person's story. You just have to write at the bottom of the story that you want to reply or send a reaction and it will immediately arrive as a private message to the DM on Instagram.
What are the features of DM on Instagram?
Here we clarify the main characteristics that you should know about DMs on Instagram:
1. Notification of receipt
When you receive a message on Instagram, you will receive a notification in the form of a red number next to the message icon. You can see the number of messages you received and if you have notifications activated, it will also notify you on your cell phone screen.
However, if you receive a message from a user you don't know, it will be sent to your requests inbox, so that you can decide to accept the message and it will fall into your main inbox.
2. Share
You have the option to send gifs, stickers, photos, videos or interact with the message by reacting with an emoji. You even have the option of a camera, voice note and instantly sharing a post.
3. Automatic responses
The "auto-reply" option in DMs on Instagram allows you to save time answering questions you receive daily, but it is only available for business accounts. It helps you speed up your responses by saving messages using keywords. Create the response, assign a keyword, and it will allow you to add the message automatically once you write that word in the conversation.
4. Check who is online
If you've already established a conversation with a person, you can check in the inbox next to their username to see if they're available to chat via DM on Instagram .
5. Ephemeral mode
In DMs on Instagram, you can activate ephemeral mode, which means that the conversation will be deleted after a certain amount of time. This is activated by entering a conversation and swiping up.
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Some other options for business accounts in Instagram DMs:
✔ Unread
You have the option to mark the conversation as unread. This option is ideal if you cannot respond immediately, leaving the message in the inbox to respond later without it getting lost.
✔ Filter messages
You can filter messages by:
✅ Unread
✅ Not answered
✅ Marked
✅ Subscribers
This option makes it easier to find a user and you can also locate them by name in the search bar.
✔ Multimedia responses
You can also reply using the multimedia options, send photos, videos, voice messages or react to a message.
Now that you know what DM is on Instagram , how to send a DM on Instagram and the different options to interact.
We recommend that you always respond to your followers via private message. This will help you strengthen ties with your community, you will be providing a good service and, therefore, users will feel confident.
These features are always being updated to improve our experience, and some are only available in certain countries. Surely by the time you read this article, other updates will have already been released, because this is part of the constant work that Instagram does to improve the way we connect with our friends or clients.
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