Monty
DM opener generator
X profile checker
Follow-up writer1 · They raised
Congrats on the raise. Is design capacity part of the plan for the next six months, or are you set?
Funding means hiring and building.
99 characters
Sofie warms people up
Cold DM templates for design agencies.
Five first messages to funded startups that need design capacity fast, written to get a reply rather than to pitch. Fill in the [brackets] from what they wrote.
What they care about
- Speed and quality together
- A team that understands product, not just visuals
- Clear scope and price
What gets ignored
- Dribbble shots as proof of product thinking
- Redesigning their product unasked
- Agency-speak
2 · They shipped a big release
Tried [release]. The [detail] is smart. Is design in-house, or do you work with a studio?
Proof of use, then the question.
89 characters
3 · They just followed you
Thanks for the follow. We design products for [stage] startups. What’s the design project you keep pushing to next quarter?
Gets the job they keep postponing.
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4 · They’re hiring designers
Saw you’re hiring two designers. Hiring takes a while. Would a studio for one project help in the meantime?
Bridges their gap.
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5 · A few days later, no reply
Here’s a case study from a team at a similar stage, in case it’s useful: [one-line result]. Happy to share more if so.
Proof, without pushing a call.
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We’re an award-winning design studio. Our clients include Google and Nike. Let’s book a call!
Name-dropping and a call, nothing about them.
Monty writes these for every good follower, every morning.
Templates are a start. Monty reads your new X followers, finds the funded startups that need design capacity fast among them, and writes a first message from what each one actually posted. You decide and send.
Start a 7-day trial for $0You decide and send every message yourself.
How to use these templates
- Pick the moment, not the template. Each one fits a situation: they followed you, posted about a problem, launched, are hiring, or haven’t answered yet. Use the one that matches what just happened.
- Fill every bracket with something true. The specific detail is what makes the message worth answering.
- Read it out loud. If it doesn’t sound like you, change the words until it does. Then send it yourself.
One specific detail, one easy question, and nothing to sell yet. The pitch comes after they reply.
Want more? What to say in a first DM on X has forty openers sorted by situation, from launches to hiring posts.
Questions
How do I write a cold DM as one of the design agencies?
Start from one specific thing the person wrote or did, ask one easy question, and leave your pitch for later. The templates on this page show five common moments to message funded startups that need design capacity fast, with the parts to fill in marked in brackets.
Can I send these templates as they are?
Fill in every bracket with something true about the person, then change a few words so it sounds like you. If a template could still go to 500 people after you’ve filled it in, it isn’t personal enough yet.
When should I follow up?
After a few days, with a new angle: something useful, or an easier question. Twice is plenty. The last template on this page is a follow-up.
Does Monty send these for me?
No. Monty finds the people worth messaging among your X followers and writes a first message for each, but you always decide and send it yourself.