Hi friend! Have you ever wanted to move a Twitter conversation into a private chat? Luckily sending direct messages (DMs) is easy.
In this step-by-step guide, I‘ll help you master Twitter‘s powerful yet underutilized DM system. You‘ll learn all about:
- DM History & Benefits👴
- Usage Tutorials📝
- Writing Tips➿
- Business Strategies💼
- Advanced Features⚙️
- Troubleshooting🛠️
Let‘s get started!
A History of Mobile Messaging – From IRC to DMs
Public internet forums have existed since the 1980s. But private messaging capabilities revolutionized digital communication.
The first mainstream messenger was Internet Relay Chat (IRC) in 1988. IRC enabled group and individual chats within channel rooms.
Fast forward to Web 2.0 and the rise of social media. In 2009 – just 3 years after launching – Twitter integrated direct messaging.
Originally DM length was restricted to 140 characters like tweets. But Twitter kept enhancing DMs over the years:
| Year | DM Improvement |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 10,000 character limit |
| 2018 | Group messaging up to 50 people |
| 2019 | Ability to share and view media |
| 2020 | Search, filters and advanced capabilities added |
Today over 500 million DMs are sent daily on Twitter. Usage continues growing exponentially:
So why has DM communication become so popular online?
Benefits of Messaging on Twitter vs Public Tweets
DMs unlock plenty of advantages compared to open tweets and posts:
Privacy – Direct messages aren‘t shown publicly on timelines or in search results. You control who sees conversations.
Relationships – DMing selected individuals enables you to build closer 1-on-1 rapport with connections.
Flexibility – 10,000 characters per messages means no tweet shorthand needed to communicate.
Now let‘s explore everything you can accomplish on Twitter through private messaging…
What Can You Actually Do on Twitter DM?
Here are some of the top use cases beyond casual chatting:
- Provide personalized customer support and handle issues privately
- Share exclusive discounts, coupons or gift codes only with messaged followers
- Get open and honest user feedback through direct surveys and polls
- Drive conversions with targeted sales outreach and promotions
- Network by establishing new professional contacts in your industry
- Collaborate with a team through 50-person group messaging
I‘ll cover examples and best practices for business marketing with DMs later on. 👍
First you need know the basics of sending Tweets directly…
How to DM on Desktop Twitter
Sending private notes is easy on Twitter‘s website:
Step 1 – Access Messages
Click the envelope icon to open your inbox:
Step 2 – Open New Message
In the top right click the compose pencil icon:
Step 3 – Enter Recipient
Type the exact @username of who you intend to message:
Step 4 – Type Your Note
In the main field, write out your message. Attach files if you want:
Step 5 – Send Message
Click the paper airplane icon to send your DM!
And you‘ve now got the basics of direct messaging on desktop Twitter! 🙌
DMing Twitter on Mobile
If you mainly use the Twitter app on an iPhone, Android or iPad, here are the steps:
Step 1 – Open App & Sign In
Launch the Twitter app and log into your account:
Step 2 – Select Messages
Tap the envelope icon on the bottom navigation bar to enter messages:
Step 3 – Compose New DM
Hit the pencil icon in the top right to start a new direct message.
Step 4 – Enter Recipient
Type the exact @username of who you intend to message.
Step 5 – Type Your Message
Craft your DM content. Embed any media if needed.
Step 6 – Send Your Message
Select the paper airplane icon to send it on its way!
And that covers DM-ing through Twitter‘s mobile app!
Next let‘s go over some pro techniques to get better results…
7 Pro Tips for Writing Effective DMs
When reaching out to new connections, you only have one chance at a first impression.
Apply these tips to craft high quality messages:
1. Personalize Each Message
Always tailor your text to the specific recipient if possible.
❌ Generic copy/pasted messages
✅ Use their name and handle
2. Introduce Yourself
Provide quick context on who you are and why you‘re messaging them.
3. Ask Good Questions
Give them natural prompts to continue conversations.
4. Be Concise
Get to your point within 1-2 sentences. Avoid giant blocks of text.
5. Include Media
Embed images, GIFs or short videos when relevant.
6. Proofread Carefully
Double check spelling, grammar and clarity.
7. Follow Up Politely
If no initial response, try sending a friendly reminder.
Now let‘s apply messaging best practices specifically for brands…
DM Marketing – Best Practices for Businesses
Alongside one-on-one outreach, companies should also leverage Twitter DMs for:
Customer Support 💬
-
Quickly handle product issues, questions and complaints privately
-
Share troubleshooting advice and technical documentation
Exclusive Promotions 🎁
-
Provide special discount codes or gifts only to DM recipients
-
Drive more conversions versus public coupon tweets
Market Research 📊
-
Survey customers directly about product feedback, experiences etc.
-
Get open-ended responses beyond constrained poll options
Product Updates 🚀
-
Notify passionate followers of new releases, restocks etc
-
Create FOMO urgency with exclusive sneak peaks
FAQ Bots 🤖
-
Set up AI chatbots linked to DMs to instantly answer repetitive customer queries
-
Programmatically scale omni-channel support
The takeaway is providing high-value and personalized info to customers directly instead of constant spammy pitches.
Building authentic relationships this way grows your brand and revenue. ✌️
Now let‘s cover some DM limits and restrictions…
Twitter DM Limits, Blocks and Restrictions
While flexible, some key limitations exist:
1,000 Daily Sent Limit
Be efficient with group outreach. This threshold gets hit quickly when messaging hundreds of users per day.
10,000 Character Limit
Longer than a tweet – but not unlimited space for your novel 📖
Can‘t DM Blocked Accounts
If someone blocked you, DMs won‘t reach them anymore. Avoid spamming strangers.
Additionally, any banned words or suspcious links will also prevent message delivery.
Moderation with both quality AND quantity will ensure your DM success.
Next let‘s explore some convenient advanced features…
Beyond Text – Advanced Twitter DM Capabilities
Beyond basic messaging, some nice direct mail enhancements exist:
📌Pinned Conversations
Keep up to 6 favored message threads neatly pinned at the top of your inbox for easy access
✔️Read receipts
See when your DMs have been opened by recipients so you know messages were received
🔁 Share Tweet Links in DMs
Directly forward viral tweets or breaking news updates into your active conversations
👥Group Messages
Chat simultaneously with up to 50 people – perfect for teams and communities
📨Accept Message Requests
Choose to receive DMs from followers AND non-followers who don‘t have permissions to DM you normally
There are also some slick third party apps that connect with Twitter messaging:
Social Oomph helps you schedule DMs in bulk and analyze performance.
Followerwonk delivers detailed Twitter analytics – including DM history.
And TweetHunter enables automated DM outreach flows at scale.
Now let‘s cover troubleshooting when things go wrong…
Fixing Common Twitter DM Issues
Frustratingly, you may occasionally run into problems sending or receiving messages.
Here is how to troubleshoot the main DM errors:
Daily message limit hit → Wait 24 hours for your quota to reset
Character content max passed → Shorten your DM length
Unable see message history → Likely got blocked
DMs fail to send → Probably got blocked or recipient has DM privacy on
Can‘t find user → Check you entered the exact @handle correctly
If problems continue, directly contact Twitter support in-app.
Lastly I want to share my outlook on where things are heading next…
The Future of Twitter DMs
I predict some potential upcoming evolutions based on Twitter‘s announced plans:
📱 Tighter SMS text integration for unified mobile conversations
👥 Increased group size limits beyond 50 participants
🎥 Enhanced media support – short-form audio and video messaging
🔗 Deeper connections with external tools like customer support and marketing automation systems
I also expect more third-party Twitter DM apps that provide automation, compliance and analytics.
Twitter will likely keep refining messaging as a key growth driver for the platform.
Overall we can look forward to even more ways brands and users can engage privately through DMs!
Let‘s Wrap Up…
We covered A LOT about Twitter‘s underutilized yet super helpful direct messaging capabilities.
Here are the key lessons:
-
DM history dates back decades to early chat protocols 👴
-
Private conversations build stronger social + business relationships 🤝
-
DMs work similarly across Twitter‘s desktop & mobile apps 💻📱
-
Personalized, valuable messages drive engagement ✉️
-
Keep limits and compliance in mind for optimal delivery ⚠️
-
Advanced features like groups and pinned chats add convenience ⚙️
Hopefully you now feel empowered to use Twitter DMs effectively for any use case – from casual chatter to closing business deals!
The next steps are to:
1️⃣ Start meaningful DM conversations
2️⃣ Refine your outreach strategy over time
3️⃣ Share this guide if you found it helpful!
So what are you waiting for? Stop limiting yourself to public tweets. The direct line is open for commerce and connections! 😊
