Instagram DM Script for Delivering a Free Guide
A free-guide DM should feel like a friend handing over a file, not a brochure. Confirm what they asked for, say what is inside in one sentence, and give the download. If you want an email in exchange, say so in the same breath. Viralyze lets you choose either route: attach the PDF directly or send a lead magnet page that collects the email before the download starts.
The free guide DM script
Automatic DM on keyword GUIDE:
"Hey, you commented GUIDE, so here it is. The Freelance Rate Card Guide is 9 pages: the formula I use to set my day rate, the three questions to ask before quoting, and a fill-in rate card template. Grab it here: [link]. If anything in it is unclear, reply and ask."
Email-first version:
"Hey, you commented GUIDE. The Freelance Rate Card Guide is 9 pages with my day-rate formula and a fill-in template. Drop your email here and it lands in your inbox in a minute: [lead magnet link]."
Both versions are under 60 words. The first delivers instantly; the second trades a small step for a contact you can reach later.
Should you ask for an email or just send the PDF?
Ask for the email when you have a plan for it, such as a launch sequence or a newsletter. Send the PDF directly when the guide is a trust-builder and the next step already lives on Instagram.
A middle path: send the PDF directly and put a link to your lead magnet on the last page. People who found it useful will sign up on their own.
How does the PDF get delivered without a landing page?
In Viralyze, if your DM text is long, it is turned into a downloadable PDF automatically, with open tracking so you can see who actually read it. You can also upload your designed guide as the file. Either way, the commenter gets the download inside the DM, no website needed.
Open tracking matters more than it sounds. If 200 people requested the guide and 40 opened it, the problem is the follow-up, not the hook.
Step-by-step: from reel to delivered guide
1. Upload the guide (or paste the text) in the Viralyze app and decide: direct PDF or lead magnet with email. 2. Create an Auto-DM automation on the reel, with keywords GUIDE, "guide bhejo" and "pdf". 3. Paste the script, attach the file or lead magnet, and set a public comment reply such as "Check your DMs!". 4. Optional: add a follow-gate if the reel is aimed at new viewers. 5. Test a sample comment, then go live.
What do you send after the guide?
One follow-up, a day or two later, asking a single question related to the guide. For the rate card example: "Did you end up raising your rate? Curious what number you landed on." It opens a real conversation and tells you who is close to buying.
Replies land in the Inbox with the original comment shown next to them, so you remember which reel brought each person in. Every one of them becomes a contact with a source tag, and you can export the list to CSV whenever you run a launch.
Frequently asked questions
**Does the guide link expire?** No. The link you attach stays live as long as the product or file exists in your account, so people can come back to it.
**Can I send the same guide from a story?** Yes. Set the trigger to story replies, on any story or a chosen one, and use the same keyword and DM.
**Will people know it is automated?** AI variations reword each DM slightly and the public reply rotates between versions, so the thread reads like you are replying by hand.
Start your 7-day free trial of Viralyze, no card needed, and have your guide delivering itself by tonight.