Mini-lesson: Logistics of social DMs

Between building relationships and measuring success, let's talk about the practical stuff. The nuts and bolts that make this work.

Starting Volume: Small But Consistent

You're not trying to boil the ocean. You're lighting a match.

Start with: 10-15 quality DMs per week

Why this target?

• Enough volume to get data and momentum
• Small enough to stay highly personalized
• Sustainable for 60-90 days without burnout
• Lets you learn what works before increasing

Week 1-2: 10 DMs total (getting comfortable)Week 3-4: 15 DMs/week (finding your rhythm)Week 5-8: 20 DMs/week (if seeing results)

This gives you 100-150 attempts over 8 weeks. Enough to validate if this channel works for your business.

The Follow-Up Framework

Someone didn't reply. That's normal. Here's what to do:

One Follow-Up Only:

• Wait 5-7 days
• Reference your original message
• Add new value or context
• Then let it go

Good follow-up:"Hey Sarah - just saw [relevant update about their company/post]. Still curious about your experience with [original topic]!"

After no response to follow-up:Move on. Your time is better spent finding new prospects than chasing ghosts. This is a sprint, not a marathon.

Moving Beyond DMs (When It Makes Sense)

DMs are for starting conversations. Sometimes you need to graduate them.

When to suggest a different channel:

• They're highly engaged but DM limits are constraining
• You need to share something substantive (demo, documents)
• They express strong interest in learning more

Keep it light:"This is fascinating - happy to keep chatting here, but if it's easier, I could send you a quick Loom walking through [specific thing]. Whatever works!"

But remember: many conversions happen entirely in DMs. Don't force channel changes.

Dead Simple Tracking

You need just enough system to not lose track. Nothing more.

The Minimum Viable Tracker:

That's it. Six columns. One minute per entry.

Why track trigger moments?

• Spot patterns in what generates responses
• Learn which contexts lead to conversions
• Refine your trigger moment radar over time

Track weekly:

• DMs sent
• Response rate
• Conversations → outcomes
• Which trigger moments work best

This gives you enough data to know if it's working without becoming a data analyst.

Platform Limits (Don't Get Banned)

Each platform has unofficial limits. Respect them.

Conservative guidelines for new/young accounts:

• LinkedIn: 20 connection requests/week, 30 messages/week
• Twitter/X: 20 DMs/day
• Instagram: 20-30 DMs/day
• Discord: 10 DMs/day to new contacts

Stay safe:

• Spread outreach across the week
• Vary your message timing
• Never copy-paste (platforms detect this)
• Engage publicly between DM sessions

Getting restricted kills your momentum. Better to go slow and steady.

The Sprint Mindset

This isn't a forever strategy. It's a 60-90 day sprint to:

1. Get your first 10-20 customers
2. Validate your messaging
3. Build initial momentum
4. Create a few key relationships

Success looks like:

• 30-50% response rate
• 10-20% conversation → customer rate
• 10+ customers or meaningful outcomes
• Clear understanding of what messaging works

Once you hit these milestones, you graduate to more scalable channels.

What NOT to worry about:

• Building long-term systems
• Tracking elaborate metrics
• Following up indefinitely
• Optimizing every detail

Keep it simple. Keep it moving. You're building momentum, not infrastructure.

Ready to put it all together? Next, we'll show you exactly how to measure success and know when you're ready to move beyond social DMs.