Why the DM beats the link in bio here
A digital product is bought on a feeling that lasts about ninety seconds. The Reel creates it, and then you either answer while it is there or you lose it to a bio link, a landing page and a second decision.
- Post with a keyword CTA
- Someone comments it
- DM with the checkout link
- Bought, or on your list
There is a second reason, less obvious. Every keyword comment is engagement on the post, and engagement is what decides whether the post keeps being shown. The ask that gets you the sale also buys you the reach.
A Reel about your Notion setup
- Post says
- “This is the system I run my whole week on. Comment TEMPLATE and I will send it.”
- They comment
- TEMPLATE
- Komently sends
- Here it is 👉 your checkout link. Instant download, lifetime updates.
It sends whatever link your shop gives you
Nothing here is tied to one storefront. You paste the URL your checkout already produces:
- Stan Store, Beacons and similar creator storefronts. The product page or the direct checkout link.
- Gumroad, Payhip and Lemon Squeezy. Product links, and the discount-code URL during a launch.
- Etsy digital downloads. The listing link, which is what buyers expect to land on.
- Your own site. Any checkout URL, including one with tracking parameters already on it.
- A free lead magnet. The same flow, with a file or a link instead of a checkout.
Komently sends the URL exactly as you pasted it, with no shortening or redirect step, so discount parameters and tracking survive the trip.
Send the link, or ask for the email first
This is the only real decision on this page, and it depends on the price:
Works best for
- Send the checkout link
- Impulse prices, launch day, a warm audience
- Ask for the email first
- Higher prices, evergreen products, cold traffic
What the DM does
- Send the checkout link
- Sends the link straight away
- Ask for the email first
- Asks for the email, then sends the link
What you keep
- Send the checkout link
- The sale
- Ask for the email first
- The sale and a contact you can reach again
The cost
- Send the checkout link
- A few people buy now and the rest are gone
- Ask for the email first
- A step that loses some people at the ask
Plan
- Send the checkout link
- Works on Free
- Ask for the email first
- Email capture is a Pro feature
| Send the checkout link | Ask for the email first | |
|---|---|---|
| Works best for | Impulse prices, launch day, a warm audience | Higher prices, evergreen products, cold traffic |
| What the DM does | Sends the link straight away | Asks for the email, then sends the link |
| What you keep | The sale | The sale and a contact you can reach again |
| The cost | A few people buy now and the rest are gone | A step that loses some people at the ask |
| Plan | Works on Free | Email capture is a Pro feature |
If you are unsure, send the link. A gate on a $19 template costs you more buyers than the list is worth. Gates earn their place on launches, cohorts, and anything priced high enough that people need a second touch before they decide.
When you do gate it, the rule is that the content is never delivered without the email. Half-gating, where people get the link anyway after ignoring the ask, trains your audience to ignore it.
A launch week, keyword by keyword
One keyword per phase, so each post can say something different and the DMs never contradict each other:
- 1
Before: a waitlist keyword
Comment WAITLIST, get a link to join. This is where an email gate genuinely pays, because the list is the launch. - 2
Launch day: the buy keyword
Comment the product name, get the checkout link and the launch code. Keep the message to two lines. - 3
Mid-launch: the objection keyword
Comment QUESTIONS for the answer to whatever people keep asking. On Pro, AI replies can handle the follow-up in the same thread. - 4
Cart close: urgency, honestly
Comment LAST for the closing link, and say the real deadline. If the price is not going up, do not say it is.
After the launch, point the same keyword at the evergreen version of the offer and leave it running.
The rules worth knowing
Short, because selling your own product involves fewer third parties than affiliate work:
- Only message people who acted first. A comment, a Story reply, an incoming DM. That is what keeps the account safe.
- One private reply per comment, and seven days to send it on a post or Reel. Meta's rule, not a plan limit.
- Follow-ups within 24 hours of their last message. After that the thread closes until they write again.
- Say what the product actually is. Instant download, file type, whether updates are included, and your refund position. The DM is where buyers decide.
If you are sending someone else's product for a commission rather than your own, the affiliate rules apply too and they are on the affiliate guide.
What to watch
Three numbers tell you whether the flow or the offer is the problem. Keyword comments per post says whether the CTA lands. Link clicks out of DMs sent says whether the message is doing its job. Sales out of clicks says whether the product page is.
If comments are high and clicks are low, rewrite the DM. If clicks are high and sales are low, the DM is working and the checkout page is not.
What it will not do
Plainly:
- It does not take payment. The checkout stays with Stan Store, Gumroad, Payhip or whoever you sell through.
- It does not deliver the file itself unless you attach one; normally it sends the link that does.
- It cannot DM people for following or liking. Meta's API does not offer that.
- Story replies work; Story mentions are not delivered to apps by Meta.
- Email capture, AI replies, tappable buttons and the 7-Day Rewind are Pro features.