# Generate and edit a DM draft URL: https://useembers.com/help/outreach/dm-drafts/ Category: Outreach Plan: Solo and above Updated: 2026-11-03 Last verified: 2026-11-03 > Embers drafts a connection note, a direct message, or a public comment from what a lead engaged with. You edit it, copy it, and send it yourself. Embers writes an opening message for a lead from the specific thing that person engaged with, in your tone and voice. You edit it, copy it, and send it yourself from LinkedIn. > **Warning: Solo and above** > > Drafts need Solo or above, including the [free trial](/help/account-and-billing/free-trial/). On Free the **Your reply** section reads "Reply writing is on Solo and above" with **See plans** (**Start free trial** first when the workspace never had its trial). Any member of the workspace can generate drafts, not only administrators. ## Before you start - Tell Embers what you sell at **Settings**, then **Outreach voice** (`/settings/content`). When those fields are blank, Embers fills them from your ICP, and the draft section asks you to add your profile to the Watchlist or describe your product if there is still nothing to work with. See [set your outreach voice and product context](/help/outreach/outreach-voice/). - The lead needs at least one signal: an engagement with your posts or comments, an interaction on a [watched profile's](/help/signals/watchlist/) content, or a post that matched one of your [tracked keywords](/help/signals/keyword-tracking/). ## Generate a draft ### Open the lead Open a lead from the [Priority Queue](/help/leads/priority-queue/) (`/priority-queue`) or the [Leads list](/help/leads/leads-list/) (`/leads`). The draft sits under **Your reply** in the lead sheet, and on the lead's [full page](/help/leads/lead-detail/). **Write reply**, wherever it appears (the dashboard, a row of the Leads table, Posts, Comments, the lead page, and the Contacted tab), takes you to it. Right after setup, the first dashboard's top match, and any lead you open from its ranking, has its own **Write reply**: it writes the draft in place, under the lead, with **Copy and open LinkedIn** to copy it and open their profile, then **Sent it?** with **Mark contacted**. ### Pick Connection or Direct message **Connection** writes a short note for a connection request, for someone you are not connected to yet. It is the default. **Direct message** writes a longer message for someone you are already connected to. Switching type generates nothing until you choose **Write it for me**. ### Add style guidance if you need it Open **Custom style guidance** and type up to 500 characters, for example "keep it under 3 sentences" or "mention our Series A". It applies to this generation only and does not change your saved settings. ### Generate the draft Choose **Write it for me**. The **Best hook** line above the draft shows which signal it anchored on. ### Edit, copy, and send it on LinkedIn **Edit** turns the draft into a box you can type in, right where it sits, with **Save changes** and **Cancel** under it. `Cmd` `Enter` (`Ctrl` `Enter` on Windows and Linux) saves, and `Esc` cancels without closing the lead sheet. A connection note stops at 200 characters, LinkedIn's limit on every plan, with the count under the box. **Copy to clipboard** copies it, and the button then turns into **View on LinkedIn**, which opens the profile in a new tab. Paste and send it yourself. **Write another** writes a new draft. To draft a public comment instead, open a matched post on **Keywords** (`/keywords`) whose author is a lead. Its **Your reply** section writes only a comment, with no **Connection** or **Direct message** choice, and **Write it for me** writes a reply to leave on that post or thread. The lead sheet and the lead page offer **Connection** and **Direct message** only. Comments never pitch and never open with a greeting. ## What goes into a draft Embers builds a briefing before it writes: - **Who you are.** Your primary Own profile on the Watchlist, plus the voice profile and sample snippets built from your posts. - **Who they are.** Name, headline, company, location, industry, about, skills, recent roles, and education. - **Your relationship.** How long they have engaged, whether their [trend](/help/leads/how-scoring-works/) is rising or cooling, their top signals, the [ICP match reason](/help/leads/icp-matching-and-feedback/), how many colleagues also engage, and an icebreaker when they once worked at your current company. - **The signal.** Their strongest engagements with your content, their own posts for keyword leads, or up to two interactions with a watched profile, referenced by topic rather than by the other profile's name. - **What you sell.** Product and pain from Settings, then Outreach voice, falling back to your ICP. Each type has its own shape and length: | Type | Shape | Length | | --- | --- | --- | | Connection | First name, one specific hook, a warm reason to connect. No pitch, no meeting request. | Under 180 characters. The counter checks it against LinkedIn's 200 character limit. | | Direct message | Greeting with their first name, a hook, a bridge to a real experience of yours, and one genuine question. | Aims for 300 to 500 characters, never more than 600. | | Comment | One to three sentences that add a thought or a question. No greeting, no product mention. | Under 350 characters. | The card also shows the relationship tier: **New engager** (first seen under 14 days ago), **Occasional** (under 60 days), **Regular** (under 180 days), or **Long-time**. ## Drafts, edits, and limits - **One draft per lead.** Embers stores the latest generated draft and shows it the next time anyone opens the lead. Generating a different type or choosing **Write another** replaces it. - **Edits are not saved.** **Save changes** keeps your edited text in the lead sheet or on the lead page until you close it. The stored draft stays as generated, so copy before you close. - **60 generations per hour, per person.** The limit is shared with voice profile regeneration and with the `write_opener` tool when you [draft from an AI assistant over MCP](/help/integrations/mcp/). > **Note: Embers never sends anything on LinkedIn** > > Embers has no session, cookie, or browser extension on your LinkedIn account. A draft leaves Embers only through your clipboard. ## Troubleshooting - **The section asks you to add your profile or describe your product.** No product context is saved and none could be taken from your ICP. Fill in **What do you sell?** at Settings, then Outreach voice, or add your own profile to the Watchlist with the Own role. - **"No engagement, competitor, or keyword context found for this lead."** Nothing Embers has stored for this person gives it a hook. Wait for the next scan, or pick a lead with a visible signal. - **The counter turns red on a connection note.** The note is over 200 characters, and the edit dialog will not save it. Trim it, or switch to Direct message if you are already connected. - **Generation stops working after a busy session.** You reached 60 generations in an hour. Wait and try again. ## Related - [Set your outreach voice](/help/outreach/outreach-voice/): Tone, product context, and the voice profile every draft is written in. - [Work the Priority Queue](/help/leads/priority-queue/): Find the leads worth drafting for today. - [Reveal a lead's email and phone](/help/outreach/lead-enrichment-and-contact-info/): Follow up off LinkedIn on a paid plan. ## Frequently asked questions **Does Embers send the message for me?** No. Embers never posts, connects, or messages on LinkedIn. It copies the draft to your clipboard and opens the profile. You paste and send it yourself. **Why did my connection note disappear when I generated a DM?** Embers keeps one draft per lead. Generating a new message type replaces the stored draft, so copy the note first if you still want it. **Can teammates generate drafts too?** Yes. Any member of the workspace can generate, edit, and copy drafts. Each person has their own hourly limit of 60 generations.