# Generate and edit a DM draft

URL: https://useembers.com/help/outreach/dm-drafts/
Category: Outreach
Updated: 2026-09-12
Last verified: 2026-09-12

> Embers writes an opening message from what a lead actually engaged with. You edit it, copy it, and send it yourself from LinkedIn.

Every lead detail has a draft card. Embers writes an opening message from what that specific person engaged with, in the tone you picked, and hands it to you to edit and send.

> **Warning: Solo and above**
>
> Draft generation requires Solo or above. On Free the card is locked.

## Before you start

- Fill in your product context and tone at **Settings**, then **Content** (`/settings/content`). Without it the card asks you to do this first, because a draft with no product context has nothing to bridge to.
- The lead needs at least one signal behind it: an engagement with your content, a competitor interaction, or a post that matched one of your keywords.

## Generate a draft

### Open a lead

Open any lead from the priority queue (`/priority-queue`) or the leads list. The draft card is part of the lead detail.

### Pick the message type

Three types are available, and each one produces a different length and shape:

| Type | Use it for |
| --- | --- |
| Comment | A short public reply to leave on their post or thread. No connection needed. |
| Connection | A note attached to a connection request. Counted against LinkedIn's 300 character invite limit and shown with a live counter. |
| Direct message | A full message for someone you are already connected to. |

### Add custom style guidance (optional)

Open **Custom style guidance** and type up to 500 characters of extra direction, for example "keep it under 3 sentences" or "mention our Series A". It applies to this draft only and does not change your saved settings.

### Generate

Choose **Generate**. Embers assembles a briefing about this one person and writes the draft from it. Nothing is sent anywhere.

## What goes into the draft

Embers builds a briefing before writing, so the message references something real rather than flattering the person in general:

- **Your identity and voice.** The profile you watch with the Own role plus the voice profile and sample snippets built from your recent posts.
- **The prospect.** Name, headline, company, location, industry, about, skills, recent roles, and education.
- **Relationship context.** How long they have been engaging, whether their trend is rising or cooling, their top signals, the ICP match reason and confidence, how many people from their company engage, and an icebreaker if they once worked at your company.
- **The engagement story.** Their engagements ranked by weight, with the strongest one marked as the **best hook**. That hook is shown above the draft so you can see what it anchored on.
- **Competitor and keyword signals.** For leads found through the watchlist or keyword tracking, the relevant interactions or their own posts are used instead.
- **Product context.** What you sell and the pain it solves, from Settings, then Content.

The message follows a fixed shape: a greeting with their first name, a hook tied to a specific topic, a bridge to a real experience of yours, and one genuine question. Drafts target roughly 300 to 500 characters and are capped at 600.

## Editing and regenerating

**Edit** opens the draft in a text box. Change anything you like, save, and the edited version is what you copy. **Regenerate** writes a fresh draft, and you can add different style guidance before you do.

> **Note: Embers never sends anything on LinkedIn**
>
> There is no send button, and there never will be. The card gives you **Copy to clipboard** and **View on LinkedIn**. You paste the message into LinkedIn and press send yourself. Embers has no session, no cookie, and no extension on your LinkedIn account, so there is nothing for it to send with.

## Troubleshooting

- **The card asks for Outreach Voice.** You have not saved product context yet. Go to `/settings/content`, fill in what you sell and the pain it solves, and save.
- **Generation fails on a lead.** The lead has no engagements and no matched keyword posts to build a briefing from. Wait for the next scan, or work a lead with a visible signal.
- **The connection note is over the limit.** The counter turns red past 300 characters. Trim it in the edit dialog, or switch to Direct message if you are already connected.

## Related

- [Tune your outreach voice](/help/outreach/outreach-voice/): Set tone, product context, and the voice profile drafts are written in.

- [Priority queue](/help/leads/priority-queue/): Where to find the leads worth drafting for.

- [Contact information](/help/outreach/lead-enrichment-and-contact-info/): When Embers has an email or phone for a lead.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does Embers send the message for me?**

No. Embers never posts, connects, or messages on LinkedIn. It puts a draft on your clipboard and links you to the profile. You paste and press send yourself.

**Why does the draft card ask me to set up Outreach Voice first?**

Without product context, drafts have nothing specific to bridge to. Fill in the fields at Settings, then Content before generating.