The **Opt-In** step is where you write the first thing a prospect receives. For comment, story, and ad triggers, this is the DM that arrives after they engage, along with a button they tap to start the sales conversation.

Cloziq calls this the **opt-in message**, because tapping its button is how the prospect opts in to hearing from your agent. It is a different thing from your sales agent's own **opening message**, which is the first line the agent itself says once the conversation is underway. See **Building your sales flow** for that one.

## The opt-in message and button

![](https://app.chatwoot.com/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBCRVVvL0FVPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--9a36aab865a133fb075672f548f511a49cc3de4d/Connect.png)

- **Message:** the opt-in DM, up to 640 characters. Keep it short and inviting, in your own voice. (The limit comes from Instagram: a message delivered with a tappable button caps out at 640.)
- **Opt-In Button:** the label on the button, like "Connect" or "Send it." Keep it snappy; short labels read best on a phone. Leave it blank and it says "Connect".

Here is the important mechanic: **the prospect has to tap the button before the sales conversation starts.** The tap is their opt-in. If they type a reply instead of tapping, Cloziq keeps their message safely on the record, but the agent politely waits for the tap. So the button is not decoration; it is the door.

And do not worry about people who wander off: if the same person triggers the initiative again later, the opt-in message goes out again and **every** opt-in button in the thread keeps working, old and new. Whichever one they tap, they land in the same live conversation.

## One honest caveat about desktop

Instagram's desktop website does not show DM buttons at all; phones and the Instagram apps show them fine. Most of your audience lives on their phone so this rarely matters, but if you are testing from a desktop browser and see no button, that is Instagram, not your setup.

## Replying to the comment too

For comment triggers, you can also turn on **auto reply to their comments**, so Cloziq posts a public reply under the comment (something like "Sent you a message! Check it out!"). This nudges people to check their DMs and looks natural to everyone else reading the comments. You can add up to 3 variations and Cloziq rotates them.

## Some triggers make the opt-in message optional

If your trigger is a **DM keyword**, a **story reply**, or **Reply to Ad**, the opt-in message is **optional**, and the step is labelled that way. In all three the person already messaged you, so you can let your agent take it from there, or set an opt-in message if you want a consistent first line. If you do include one, they still tap to connect; if you skip it, the conversation just begins.

The comment triggers still require an opt-in message, since there is no DM thread until Cloziq starts one.

One pairing rule applies everywhere: if you write an opt-in message you also need a button label, and vice versa. Set both or leave both empty. Publishing without one of them stops with "Add both an opt-in message and a button label, or leave both empty."

## Tips

- Make the button text feel like a payoff, not a chore. "Get the guide" beats "Submit."
- A warm, human opening gets more taps than a salesy one. You are asking for a tap, not a purchase.
- If lots of people comment but few tap, rework the message and button first; that is the biggest lever in the whole flow.

## Related articles

- [Choosing a trigger](https://help.cloziq.com/hc/cloziq/articles/choosing-a-trigger)
- [Choosing what happens next](https://help.cloziq.com/hc/cloziq/articles/choosing-what-happens-next)
- [Build your first Initiative](https://help.cloziq.com/hc/cloziq/articles/build-your-first-initiative)