What Is a DM Message?
We’re sure that at some point you’ve come across the expression “I’ll DM you” or “send us a DM.” But what is a DM message, exactly?
Don’t panic! We’re here to answer what DM messaging is on social media, what DMs are for, and how they work on different social networks. Read below to answer questions about the meaning of DM across all popular social networks.
What is a DM on Social Media?
DM stands for “direct message”. It’s basically the standard private message we’ve been using since the dawn of social media, like on MySpace, for example.
Private messages are used to have a private conversation between two users of the same social network.
Brands will often encourage users inquiring about a specific product or price to reach out to them via private message.
In fact, many companies, such as UPS, reply to queries by private message. Here’s an example:
In this case, the courier company does so to protect users’ data, as they’ll usually need to ask for personal data to investigate shipping and parcel delivery queries.
The important thing to grasp is that DMs are a vital feature for brand and customer communication, not just for friends sharing private messages.
How to Send a DM
Almost all social networks let you contact other users via private message, although each one has its particularities and differences.
How to send a DM on Instagram
Sending a direct message on Instagram is super simple. You can do it from the mobile app or from your computer. Here are the several ways to do it:
- From the user’s profile, by clicking on the ‘Message’ button under the user’s name.
- From the Instagram messages folder, click on the top right button, shaped like a paper airplane. Look for the other person’s username to open the conversation and send the message.
- From the feed, when you reply to a story that a user has posted publicly, replies will be in the message folder.
Although you can reply both through the desktop version of Instagram and the app, there are some differences between them:
For example, with the app, you can respond by recording a video, taking a photo, or with voice messages. You can also mark a message as ‘Unread’ in the app to reply to it later.
How to send a DM on Twitter
Direct messages on Twitter are in the left-hand column section of your profile — the envelope icon.
- To start a conversation, you can click on this icon and search for the user you want to write to. However, they may not have their messages open to the public, meaning you won’t be able to contact them.
- Another option is from the user’s profile. If you see the envelope icon, this means their DMs are open.
⚠️ Don’t forget to check your message requests folder.
This is where you’ll find all your private messages from users you don’t follow, meaning you have to accept them before you can reply to them.
How to send a DM on Facebook
DMs aren’t as well-known on Facebook, they’re more like private messages or chats.
On your PC, for example, you have them in the messages folder of your Facebook page, but on mobile, both to chat personally and from your company account, you’ll need a separate app called Messenger (on iOS and Android).
- For personal Facebook: Open the app and search for the user you want to send a message to. If they’ve sent you a message before, their name will show up in your conversations.
- For Facebook Business: If you have a brand fan page, go to it from Facebook, click on inbox, and the social network takes you to the Messenger app. From there, you can reply to all your messages and resolve conversations.
Manage Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook messages thanks to the Inbox feature, Metricool’s DM manager.
Respond to all the private messages you receive, mark conversations as resolved, and manage your social media DMs from the one platform.
How to send a DM on TikTok
What is a DM message on TikTok? The short video-sharing app also lets you send private messages to other users.
Unlike other platforms, TikTok DMs are only available to users over the age of 16.
- To send a direct message on TikTok, click the inbox at the bottom right of your profile.
- Tap on the icon at the top right that looks like a notepad, find the user you want to message, and you’re all set.
Just like on Instagram, you can send TikTok videos to other users to share privately.
How to send a DM on LinkedIn
On LinkedIn, users communicate the same way they would in professional interactions through private messages, which are different depending on whether you send them from a personal account or from a business one.
- In the first case, these are traditional private messages between any user of the social network. You can either go to your chats and look for the user you want to message or go to their profile and click on ‘Send message’.
- In the second case, DMs are called InMail and you can only send one if you have a premium or business account. With these, the recipient doesn’t have to be in your network of contacts.
This second option is the closest thing to an email you can send from LinkedIn, without using an email account.
How to send a DM on Twitch
This social network is a little bit different because it’s a streaming platform, where you can also send direct messages.
What is a DM message on Twitch?
On Twitch, they’re not called private messages, direct messages, or anything similar, but “whispers”, and you can send them to any user, whether they’re a content creator or not.
- You can send one from the chat during a stream by clicking on the user’s name and clicking on send whisper.
- You can also click on the chat button located on the top right, next to the magnifying glass. Open the chat window to search for a user and send them a whisper.
How to send a DM on Pinterest
On this creative network, you have your own inbox with private messages from other users.
You can write to any other user, mark all conversations as read, and manage your messages.
- Send a DM on Pinterest by logging in, clicking on the chat icon in the top right and searching for the user in the search engine or opening the conversation you already have going.
Now that the question “what is a DM message” has been answered, you know what a direct message is on different social networks and how to send a private message on each one.
DM messaging is a key concept in social media and one of the most important strategies to succeed in social media marketing, which helps manage and organize all messages from customers or potential customers.
