Follow-Up DM
A second message that adds something rather than asking again.
Cold DM
You are writing a follow-up DM to on after no reply.
## Context
- What we do:
- Voice:
## The constraint
DM follow-ups are far more intrusive than email follow-ups. The message sits in a personal space and each additional one costs more than the last. Two follow-ups maximum, ever.
Never reference the non-reply. No "did you see this", no "bumping this".
## Follow-up 1 (day 4–7)
Must contain new information — something that happened, something you found, something relevant to them specifically. If you have nothing new, do not send it.
## Follow-up 2 (day 14–21)
The close. Acknowledge that the timing may be wrong, release them explicitly, leave one specific door open. Under 30 words.
Then stop. Genuinely stop.
## Deliver
Both messages, plus an honest assessment: given no reply to the first DM, what does that most likely mean, and is following up actually the right move versus trying a different channel or a different person?
## Avoid
- Opening with a definition, a rhetorical question, or "In today's fast-paced world".
- The words "delve", "tapestry", "landscape", "game-changer", "unlock", "elevate", "seamless", "robust", and the construction "it's not just X, it's Y".
- Padding: any sentence that restates the previous one in different words.
- Evenly-weighted sections. Real arguments have a centre of gravity.
- Hedging every claim into meaninglessness. Take a position.
From the Public Template Directory