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Cold DM templates for freelance developers.

Five first messages to founders who need features shipped without hiring, written to get a reply rather than to pitch. Fill in the [brackets] from what they wrote.

Write one for a specific personFollow-up writer

What they care about

  • Shipping on time
  • Code their team can keep working on
  • Clear communication

What gets ignored

  • Pointing out bugs publicly
  • Listing your whole stack
  • “I can build anything”
1 · They posted a roadmap or backlog

Saw [feature] is on the roadmap. Is the team stretched, or is it a question of priorities?

Understands that capacity is the real issue.
90 characters
2 · They’re hiring engineers

Noticed you’re hiring engineers. While you search, would a contractor on [area] help, or do you want to keep it all in-house?

Offers a bridge, respectfully.
125 characters
3 · They just followed you

Thanks for the follow. I build [type of work] for early-stage teams. What’s the one thing you wish was already shipped?

Gets them to name the job.
119 characters
4 · They mentioned a technical problem

Saw your post about [problem]. I hit the same thing on [project]: it turned out to be [cause]. Happy to share what fixed it.

Peer help, no pitch.
124 characters
5 · A few days later, no reply

No worries if it’s handled. If something slips later, I’m around.

Short, kind, memorable.
65 characters
Don’t send this

Hi, I’m a full-stack developer (React, Node, Python, AWS, Docker, K8s). I can build your MVP fast. Rates from $40/h.

A CV, not a conversation.
Monty

Monty writes these for every good follower, every morning.

Templates are a start. Monty reads your new X followers, finds the founders 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

  1. 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.
  2. Fill every bracket with something true. The specific detail is what makes the message worth answering.
  3. 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 freelance developers?

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 founders who need features shipped without hiring, 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.

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