Instagram DM-style cliffhanger text story: Part 1: the DM
A ready Instagram DM-style chat for a cliffhanger that sets up Part 2, eight messages long and about 24 seconds as a video. Load it, change the words and export it as a labelled, fictional mock-up.
The full script (8 messages)
The first four messages open on the Free plan; the rest need a paid plan.
The script: Part 1: the DM
A 24-second read: Zara and Ty trade eight messages in the Instagram DM style, from "I got a DM from an account called 'Tomorrow'." to "Of what?".
Message 1 is the longest at 9 words ("I got a DM from an account called 'Tomorrow'."); message 8 is the shortest ("Of what?"). Three lines ask a question, so the other person keeps answering.
How the Instagram DM look carries the story
Instagram DM-style chats use rounded bubbles with a colour gradient for your side and a plain gray for theirs, and a round profile picture beside the other person. No upgrade is needed to try Instagram DM. Switch on typing dots, read marks, reactions and an online status when you build the scene. The header shows the account name and an activity line such as "Active now", which sets the mood before any message is read. ChatsRat draws Instagram DM with its own layout of bubbles.
Writing notes: cliffhanger
Keep the final three messages shorter than the first three. Speeding up is how a chat story builds urgency. Finish with a clear "To be continued" in the caption, not in the chat. The chat should end like a real chat that was interrupted.
What the Free plan shows
On a Free account you see four messages of Part 1: the DM, ending at "It is 11:58.". To get to "Of what?", four messages later, upgrade to a paid plan.
Tips
- Pause on Zara's "I am walking to the mailbox." before moving on to the next bubble.
- Let the opening "I got a DM from an account called 'Tomorrow'." breathe so a late scroller still knows who is talking.
- Put "Part 1" in the title and link Part 2 in the caption and the first comment.
- Make the ending your own by editing "Of what?"; add "fictional chat" to the caption.
- Try two new names in place of Zara and Ty, then read the story out loud once.
Questions
Can I use Part 1: the DM on the Free plan?
Yes for the look, with limits. The Instagram DM look is on the Free plan, and the editor loads the first four of the eight messages and two people. The rest of the script needs a paid plan. Exports on Free carry a visible ChatsRat watermark.
How long is Part 1: the DM as a video?
About 24 seconds at a comfortable reading pace, counting eight messages with a short beat between them. Add a second or two for the ending card and a little more if you use a typing indicator before the last line.
How soon should Part 2 come out?
Within a day or two. A cliffhanger loses its pull if the answer takes a week.
Is this Instagram DM-style chat a real conversation?
No. It is an invented story between Zara and Ty, made as a mock-up. ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Instagram DM, and the name describes a style only. Label the video as fiction.
This is fiction. The people and events in this story are invented. ChatsRat makes mock-ups and fictional conversations for creators, designers and teachers. Do not use it to pass off a made-up conversation as a real one, to impersonate a real person, or as proof of anything. See the Acceptable Use policy.
About the watermark. Exports on the Free plan carry a visible ChatsRat watermark, and every export carries an invisible mark that the verify page can read. Plans list what changes on paid plans.
ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app. App names on this page describe a style only.
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