64. Why No One Is DMing You (Even If Your Content Is Good)

[MUSIC PLAYING] Welcome to Social Content Made Easy, the podcast that helps you simplify content creation, grow your audience, and make sales on Instagram without spending hours glued to your phone. I'm your host, Nicole Iologio. And each week, I'll bring you bite-sized actionable strategies to help you confidently create scroll-stopping content that actually grows your business. So if you're sick of wasting hours creating content that no one sees and just want a simple proven way to show up while having some fun, you're in the right place. Let's go. Hi, and welcome back to episode 64 of Social Content Made Easy. Today, we're going to chat about getting people into your DMs. I know that this is a really hard thing for especially service-based businesses, but honestly, I think all businesses can get some good nuggets out of this. I know how it feels when you post something. And it actually does pretty well. It gets some saves. It gets a few comments. People are actually watching it. And you're like, OK, this is the one. It's finally time. Someone is going to DM me about this. And then nothing. You get crickets. No one books a call. No one DMs you. The wild thing is your content was actually good. So what's going on? Today, what we're going to do is we're going to talk about the real reason that people are not citing into your DMs. It's not about your content quality. It's actually three really specific things that are really, really easy to fix once you know what they are. Getting DMs is not something that just happens automatically when you post content that's good. And no one really talks about it enough. There is actually a big gap between someone consuming your content and someone actually reaching out to you. And most people have no idea that that gap even exists or how to close it. So if you were getting views and saves but no DMs, you are not doing anything wrong. You have the first piece of the puzzle. You are just missing a few key puzzle pieces that will turn a passive viewer into someone who actually reaches out to you. Let's get into it. There are three main reasons people are not DMing you and all three of them you can fix today. The first reason is that you are never actually asking somebody for the DM in the first place. Most people will end their content saying something like, let me know what you think in the comments. They'll say, maybe save this for later or just leave it with nothing. There's no direction for somebody to take. People on Instagram are passive by default, especially now, especially after COVID. People are just passively scrolling. They're not even liking. Most people aren't commenting. A lot of people aren't engaging. They're just watching and consuming. So they need to actively be told exactly what to do next. If you're not specifically saying, comment the word blank below and I'll DM you. DM me the word blank and I'm going to send you this thing or send me a DM and tell me the specific question that you have. Most people are just not going to reach out on their own. They're not being lazy. They just eat like an invitation or a clear next step. Reason number two is probably the most important out of all of these. And that problem is that your content is not making people feel connected enough to reach out to you. There is a big difference between content that people find useful and content that makes people feel like they actually know you. DMs come from connection, not just perceived value. So if your content is mostly tips and information, but does not have too much of your personality or your stories or the moments in your business where you're like blah or celebrating in your stories, people are going to consume it and probably appreciate it. But they're never going to feel close enough to actually slide into your DMs. I want you to think about why have you ever DMed a creator. It's usually because something they said made you feel like they were talking directly to you or they were sharing something that you relate to. That is the feeling your content needs to create. Reason number three is you're not giving people a specific reason to DM you. Even if you ask for the DM, if the reason is vague, people are not going to follow through. So DM me if you have questions, is to open under there and be like, huh? I don't know what questions I even have. But if you say something like DM me the word content and I'm going to send you my free content calendar to help you get out of XYZ, there's a reason for them to act right now. The more specific and low friction that you make asking, the more DMs you're going to get. Give them a keyword, tell them you're going to give them a freebie, give them a specific question to answer. Maybe a challenge to report back on. Something concrete that makes the DM feel super easy and worthwhile to give and receive. And you might be thinking right now, okay, cool Nicole, but how do I actually fix these things? I need help. That's what we're going to get into right now in the second half. These are the fixes you're going to do for each of these. For fix number one, what I want you to do is add a DM call to action on your next three posts. For these, I want you to try not doing a comment call to action, the comment the word blank below. I also don't want you to do like a save call to action, but a DM specifically, because what we're trying to do is trying to get more engagement on your account. And DMs in the messenger part of it is actually really, really important to build relationships and to let Instagram know that people are valuing your content because they're actually engaging with you in the DMs. So you can try something like DM me this specific keyword, like DM me the word growth. And I'm going to send you this thing or send me a DM and tell me this very specific thing. I read every single one or ask me a question about this specific thing and let them know. I read every single one. I will respond to every single one. So again, you're going to try that on your next three posts and see if you get DMs. Fix number two, this is big. I want you to audit your stories and your last 10 posts. You're going to audit them for your personality. Just think to yourself, if I were somebody, if I were my ideal client looking at my Instagram, would I feel connected to this person? Would I feel called to reach out or to connect with them? So look at these things. Look at your previous stories. Go into your archive, look at your stories. Go to your past 10 posts. And I want you to think to yourself how many of them actually include a personal story, a moment that's happening in your day or something that just sounds so much like you that maybe AI couldn't write it at all. If most of the things that you're sharing are tips and information with no personality, that's your gap right there. All I want you to do for this is add one personal line or story element to your next few posts and stories and see what happens from there. It's going to be a big shift. Fix number three for the third problem is I need you to give them a reason to DM you that feels easy and super specific. If wish you could see me right now, I'm like clapping my hands underneath the microphone. Pick one piece of free value that you can offer them in the DMs, maybe like a resource, an extra tip, a template, a recommendation. And I want you to build a call to action around that specific thing. Lower the bar as much as possible, even give it to them without having them enter an email address. The easier and more specific it is, the more people will actually do it. And then you can follow up with them in the DMs, hey, how did you like my product? Was it helpful for you? Was the freebie helpful? Do you have any follow up questions? I'd love to help you. This is how we build momentum and build people trusting us in our DMs. This is what I really want you to hear. People not DMing you does not mean they don't like you. It just means your content isn't resonating enough. It also means the bridge between their brain and your DMs, it has not been built yet, and you have to reach out, help them build it. Let them know that you're here for them. DMs aren't gonna happen by accident. Every creator you have ever watched and thought, wow, she gets so much engagement. She probably has DMs all the time, or she's sharing all the questions that she got asked in her question box. How does she get asked these all the time? She's specifically asking for it. They're being specific, they're being consistent, and they always attach a real reason. You can do that too, starting with your very next post. As with all these episodes, I love ending with a recap and an action challenge for you. This is one of the shorter episodes, but honestly, it's so important, and if you can just take everything that I taught you here and try it this coming week, you're gonna do so well. So here's the recap. Recap. Three reasons why no one is DMing you is when you're not asking for the DM. Two, your content is not building enough connection for people to feel comfortable reaching out yet, and you're not giving people a specific enough reason to actually DM you. Your three fixes. One, add a DM call to action to your next three posts. Two, audit your content and your stories for personality and real moments. And three, create one specific low friction reason for people to actually slide into the DMs. Your action challenge, your challenge this week is to add a DM call to action on your very next post. Pick a keyword, attach something specific to it. Give them a resource, give them an extra tip, ask them a question, and tell people exactly what to do. Then come DM me @NacoleIallegio and tell me that you did it. I really wanna know if you did it how it went, maybe we can even brainstorm ways to make it better next time. And if you are like this is great, but I need somebody to actually tell me what to do every single week, that's exactly what plug-in posts is for. If you want, call us to actions, captions, hooks, audios, already planned out and written for you every single week, that's exactly what plug-in post is. Everything is done for you every single week. You get your content for the following week. It is based on what is currently working right now. So you don't have to sit there and scroll for hours or guessing what's trending or guessing what's working. All you have to do is open it up, look at it, plug it in and post it. There's a link below if you're interested in that. I hope you have a fantastic rest of your week and I will see you next time. Thanks for hanging out with me today. I hope you're walking away with at least one actionable [BLANK_AUDIO] to make creating content easier. If you love today's episode, it would mean the world if you could take 10 seconds, labor review, or screenshot this episode, and tag me on Instagram @insta.amplified. I'd love to connect and see your new content. Always cheering for you. See you next time.