A rebranded space from Rise to Alignment.
We are talking messaging, sales and how to create a messaging that sales and a strategy that needs to be tailored to YOUR life.
The Do’s and Don’ts of DM Selling: Why Your Instagram DMs Are Silent
Are your DMs dead? Silent inboxes and ghosted conversations usually aren't a sign that DM selling doesn't work. They're a sign that you're doing a few specific things wrong. In this episode, Lisbeth Graham breaks down the do's and don'ts of selling in Instagram and Threads DMs and explains how to shift from pitching strangers to building real conversations.
Lisbeth starts with the don'ts, because naming what isn't working makes the fixes obvious. She explains the difference between a truly cold DM and one that follows a genuine engagement, and why pitching someone who never asked for help is the fastest way to get blocked. She also covers why basic emoji replies go nowhere, how to find something relatable before you engage, and why long monologues and essay-length messages get ignored. Her own story of cold DMing 100 people a day and getting almost no replies makes the case clear.
From there, she walks through the do's: follow up with a reason (a new offer, a real deadline, or a promotion), engage with stories before you message, ask followers what content they want to see, ask where new followers found you, treat every connection as a client, connector, or collab, and track every person you talk to. She also shares that it can take roughly eight weeks for a connection to convert.
This week's homework: pick five recent DMs where you made one of these mistakes, re-engage with those people using the do's, and see how your results change.
Get Your Hidden Leads Workshop
If you're ready to find leads already sitting in your followers, sign up for Lisbeth's free workshop on selling in the DMs and finding hidden leads. You'll learn how to start conversations, nurture people, and create your own follow-up method.
Join today for FREE (https://lisbethgrahamco.myflodesk.com/lapuertareplay) and watch the replay
26 Oct 2026
How to Start DM Conversations on Instagram and Threads (Without a Script)
Staring at a blank DM box? In this episode of Inside La Sala, Lisbeth Graham explains why starting DM conversations feels so hard and why the mindset shift matters more than any script or template. DM selling is just a conversation. The fear of sounding salesy is what keeps most people silent.
Lisbeth shares three ways to start a conversation on Instagram: engage with a post that genuinely speaks to you and ask a real question, reply to someone's stories with an intentional message, and reach out to new followers to ask what content they want to see. On Threads, she explains why the platform is low lift for DM selling. Engage with people's posts, check the replies tab to find people sharing their struggles, and offer genuine help. She also covers the numbers game mindset (some will buy, some won't, and that's okay) and why nurturing people on Instagram builds trust over time.
Key takeaways:
DMs are conversations. Ask real questions and stay curious.
Story replies are one of the softest, most intimate ways to open a conversation.
Threads' replies tab reveals people's struggles, which makes it a goldmine for starting conversations.
It's a numbers game. Move on from people who aren't a fit.
If you're eagerly friendly with a hidden agenda, people can feel it quickly.
Homework: Pick one person you've been wanting to connect with and start a DM this week using one of these approaches.
Next episode: the do's and don'ts of DMs, which can make or break your sales.
Join the conversation: Click the link (https://lisbethgrahamco.myflodesk.com/lapuertareplay) to watch this month's free workshop
Have questions about DM selling? Message Lisbeth on Instagram at @lisbethgraham.co (https://www.instagram.com/thelisbethgraham.co) to see if her one-to-one program is a good fit for you.
19 Oct 2026
How to Sell in Instagram DMs Without Feeling Salesy
Do you freeze up every time you try to start a DM? Worried you’ll come across as weird, salesy, or end up as a screenshot everyone laughs at? You’re not alone, and in this episode, Lisbeth Graham introduces a six-week series on how to sell inside the DMs on Instagram and Threads without feeling forced, fake, or pushy.
This episode is the roadmap for the series. Lisbeth explains why the DMs are where service business owners can build real relationships and turn conversations into clients, and why selling is a skill you can learn, whether you like it or not. Each upcoming episode covers one piece of the process:
How to start DM conversations the right way, using five cold approaches that feel natural and get accepted
The do’s and don’ts that keep conversations going instead of ending in ghosting
How to get out of the friend zone when you’ve been chatting with someone who doesn’t know you can help them
Selling vs. serving, and the mindset switch that changes how you approach every conversation
The three Cs (client, connection, or collab) and where to put your energy with each one
Reading the room to tell whether your content is working and when it’s time to move a conversation forward
Lisbeth also shares this week’s homework: look at your last five DMs and ask yourself whether each conversation was worth your time and whether it’s worth moving forward.
She also previews a shift in her approach for 2027, with more focus on helping business owners become confident salespeople and make the time to sell.
WATCH the Free DM selling workshop
Ready to see this in practice? Watch Liz's free DM selling workshop where she showed the 6 places you have hidden leads, 5 ways to start a conversation, and 3 approaches to following up. Click here (https://lisbethgrahamco.myflodesk.com/lapuertareplay) to access the free workshop.
Wanna put this in action with Liz on your side? Click the link (https://www.instagram.com/thelisbethgraham.co) to connect with Liz over on Instagram to learn about her 4mos selling program.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Contact Rise to Alignment
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Rise to Alignment?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
