6 Types of DM Formats in Zorcha’s Custom Flow Builder (And When to Use Each)

When someone triggers a flow, what they receive isn’t just a message; it’s a format decision. A voice note and a typed text carrying identical words don’t land the same way in an Instagram inbox. A swipeable product carousel tells a different story than a single card, even if the offer is the same.

Zorcha’s Send a DM step supports six message formats, each suited to a different type of moment in a flow. Choosing the wrong one at the wrong step is one of the most common things that kills conversion in an otherwise well-built automation.

Here’s exactly what each format does, what it looks like to the person receiving it, and when it belongs in a flow.

TL;DR

1. Zorcha’s Send a DM step has six formats: Text, Audio, File/Guide, Media, Card with Image, and Card Carousel.
2. Text is the most flexible; Carousel is the highest-visual-weight and the only format that delivers multiple options in one DM.
3. The File format is exclusive to Zorcha; no other DM automation tool lets you attach a PDF directly inside the DM.
4. The Add Button makes any message actionable and tracks taps as data points that the flow can act on downstream.
5. Add Message stacks multiple formats inside one Send a DM step so everything arrives together rather than as a sequence of separate nodes.

The Setup DM Panel

Click Add Step on the canvas, select Send a DM from the Instagram category, and the Setup DM panel opens on the right. 

Across the top is a tab row: Text, Audio, Files, Media, and below that are the card options and the Add Button and Add Message features. Each tab switches the format of the current message block.

Here’s what each one does.

Also read: What is Zorcha custom flow builder? A complete overview of every feature inside it

Types of DM Formats in Zorcha’s Custom Flow Builder

Given below are the 6 types of Instagram DM Formats that Zorcha offers:

1. Text

Text is a plain input field with an emoji picker. It’s the default format and the one that should carry any part of the conversation that needs to feel like a real person typed it, the opener, the follow-up question, the nudge.

Keep text blocks short. A wall of information in a DM reads as a broadcast. Two or three lines that acknowledge who the person is and what they just did read as a reply. Text is also the base layer for the Add Button; every button in the flow sits below a text block.

2. Audio

Audio delivers a voice note inside the DM, playable the same way any Instagram voice message plays. The contact doesn’t need to leave the app or open a link; the clip is right there in the conversation.

The use case is trust-building, not information transfer. For coaches, personal brands, and creators whose audience follows them for their personality, a voice note makes an automated message feel like a personal check-in. Record the audio separately and upload it through the Files tab.

3. File / Guide

File attaches a PDF directly inside the DM. The recipient sees a file card showing the document name and a thumbnail of the first page, and can open it without leaving Instagram.

This format is exclusive to Zorcha. No other Instagram DM automation tool currently offers direct PDF delivery inside the message; competitors can only send a link to a file hosted elsewhere, which takes the person out of the app. The reason Zorcha can do this is straightforward: Meta cannot scan an external link for malware, but it can scan a directly attached file.

4. Media

Media attaches a single image or video to the DM as an expandable or playable block. There’s no text or button included; the visual is the entire message.

Use Media when the image or video is self-contained, a product shot that needs no explanation, an event poster with all details already on it, or a short clip that demonstrates something faster than text could describe. When the next action needs to be explicit, stack a text block with a button after it using Add Message.

5. Card with Image

A card with an image combines an image, a short text block, and a button in one formatted card. The contact sees all three as a single visual unit in the DM.

This format is built for moments where one thing is being offered, and one action should follow. A product being pitched with a buy link, an event being promoted with a registration button, a resource being offered with a download link, the image sets the context, the text makes the case, and the button takes the action.

6. Card Carousel

Card Carousel is a horizontally swipeable set of cards inside a single DM, each with its own image, text block, and button. The contact swipes through them in the DM the same way they’d swipe through a carousel post.

This is the only format in the panel that delivers multiple options at once without sending multiple DMs. An e-commerce brand can show four products in one message, each with its own Shop Now button. A course creator can list three programme tiers, each with a different CTA.

Also read: 11 best link-in-bio tools (free & paid)

Add Button and Add Message

These two features work on top of the six formats rather than replacing them.

• Add Button attaches a tappable CTA label below any message block. The label is whatever you write: “Get the guide,” “Book a call,” “Tell me more.” Button taps are tracked inside the flow: a Condition step downstream can check whether the contact tapped and route them to a different next step based on that.
• Add Message stack a second format block inside the same Send a DM step. A text opener, a PDF, a follow-up line, and a button can all arrive as one message instead of four separate nodes on the canvas. Use Add Message whenever everything needed for the next decision should land together.

All 6 Formats at a Glance

Real-World Examples

The Coach Delivering a Resource Pack

A business coach sets up a DM trigger on the keyword SYSTEM. The first Send a DM step uses Add Message to stack four blocks: a text opener acknowledging the request, a File block with a PDF systems checklist, a second text block pitching their six-week programme, and an Add Button labelled “Tell me more.”

One step, one message, everything the contact needs without a follow-up question. The button tap feeds a Condition that routes them to a booking link or a nurture sequence. The coach never manually sends the checklist, pitches the programme, or sorts replies.

The E-Commerce Brand Using Carousel

A skincare brand adds a comment trigger on the keyword ROUTINE to a product reel. The first DM is a two-line text: “Hey, here are the three products from the routine.” Add a Message stack a Card Carousel below it with three cards, cleanser, serum, moisturiser, each with a product image, a one-line description, and a Shop Now button linking directly to that product.

The contact swipes through all three in one DM and taps the one they want. No landing page, no catalogue link, no redirect. The inbox becomes the storefront.

The Creator Combining Audio and Card

A creator running a paid community uses a Story reply trigger. The first DM is an Audio step, a 30-second voice note explaining the community in a tone no text message could replicate. Add Message stacks a Card with Image below it: a cover graphic, a one-line description of what’s inside, and a Join button.

The audio handles trust. The card handles conversion. Each format does a different job in the same message, and neither one would work as well without the other sitting beside it.

Also read: How creators use story reply automation to launch products and sell courses

Conclusion

The six formats in the Send a DM step aren’t interchangeable; each one exists for a specific type of moment. Text for conversation. Audio for presence. File for delivery, and the only direct PDF delivery available in any Instagram DM automation tool. Media for visuals that stand alone. Card with an image for single-action conversion. Carousel for choice.

Get the format right at each step, and the flow does work that a broadcast message never could.

Ready to build a flow with the right format at every step? Get started with Zorcha today and open the Setup DM panel to see all six in action.

FAQs

1. Can you actually send a PDF inside an Instagram DM, not just a link?

Yes, and Zorcha is the only Instagram DM automation tool that does this. The PDF is uploaded and delivered directly as a file card inside the DM. The recipient opens it without leaving Instagram. Competitors can only send a link to an externally hosted file.

2. Why can Zorcha send PDFs directly when other tools can’t?

Because a directly attached PDF goes through Meta’s infrastructure, which means Meta can scan it for malware before it reaches the recipient. External links can’t be scanned this way, which is why Meta’s API supports file delivery but not arbitrary link-based delivery of the same content.

3. What’s the difference between Card with Image and Card Carousel?

Card with Image is a single card, one image, one text block, one button. Card Carousel is a swipeable series of those cards inside one DM. Use a Card with Image for one offer with one action; use Carousel when the contact needs to choose between options.

4. What does clicking a button inside a DM actually do?

Button taps are tracked as events inside the flow. A Condition step downstream can check whether a specific button was tapped and route the contact to a different next message based on that. Taps can also trigger a tag being applied to the contact, which feeds into logic later in the flow.

5. Can I use more than one format in a single Send a DM step?

Yes, using Add Message. Each click adds another format block to the same step. A text opener, a PDF, a follow-up line, and a button can all arrive as one DM rather than as four separate steps on the canvas.

6. When should I use Media instead of Card with Image?

Use Media when the image or video is the entire message and nothing else needs to be said around it, a product shot that explains itself, or a short demo clip. Use a card with an image when the visual needs accompanying text and a button to be actionable.