For those who don't know what to send in their first LINE message to a female-led service

For those who don't know what to send in their first LINE message.

You open your phone, look at the LINE screen, think, "I need to write something clever," and then stop.

I'm writing this article because I suspect there are people who have been repeating that cycle for days.

"Hello" is enough for the first message

To give you the conclusion right away, the content of your first LINE message should be,

"Hello, this is my first time contacting you."

This is enough.

Really, this is all you need. You can include your name or leave it out.

You don't need to write your age, where you live, or your current situation all at once in the beginning.

Some of you might be trying hard to prepare a message like, "Nice to meet you, I read your note and decided to contact you. My name is XX. I am XX years old and live in XX..."

Of course, that is appreciated and makes me happy, but if it's too much effort to write all that right away, you can omit it.

I don't believe the length of a message is related to its politeness.

The most common pattern for the first message I receive on LINE is something like this.

"Nice to meet you. I read your note."

About 40% of people just send this, based on my experience.

From there, when I reply, "Nice to meet you, thank you for reading. Is there anything you're curious about?", the conversation starts bit by bit.

You don't need to convey everything in the first message.

Because a conversation isn't something that concludes in the first message.

The "What if I get left on read?" problem

I feel like a lot of people are quite worried about this.

To start with, I will not leave you on read.

However, there are times when my reply will be slow (lately, DMs often end up in the request folder, so I might not notice them...)

Also, on days when I have my main job, I can barely look at my phone during the day, so it is normal for me to reply at night to a message sent in the morning.

I don't want you to think that "no reply means I'm disliked," so I'm writing this here.

On average, I reply within 12 hours.

It is rare for more than 24 hours to pass.

If that happens, it just means I was busy, or the DM went into the spam folder; it is not because of the content of your message.

Also, sometimes I read the message and then think about how to reply, so there may be a state where "it's been read but no reply" for 1 to 2 hours.

This can be quite nerve-wracking for the person waiting. I understand.

I will definitely reply. So please feel free to send your message.

Messages like these are also fine.

I think it's easier if I give specific examples, so I will write down a few patterns of messages I actually receive.

I have blurred them so that individuals cannot be identified.

Pattern 1
"Nice to meet you. I saw your note and became interested. This is my first time."

Pattern 2
"Hello. This is my first time using a female-oriented service, and I don't know anything, but is it okay to just consult with you?"

Pattern 3
"I have been reading Ao-san's notes for a long time. I was finally able to contact you."

Pattern 4
"Hello"

Pattern 4, there are also people who just say one word. That is totally fine.

I will reply with "Nice to meet you, thank you," so it's fine to start from there.

Conversely, there is no need to try to explain everything all at once.

• "I don't know if the hotel course or the date course is better for me."

• "I'm scared of being touched, but I'm curious."

• "I don't even know what I want to do myself."

You can talk about these things little by little during our conversation.

The first LINE message is just the act of "placing your hand on the door handle"; you don't have to decide everything the moment you step inside.

You don't have to book just because you asked for a consultation

I think it's worth mentioning that just because you consulted via LINE, it doesn't mean you have to make a reservation.

In fact, there are people who don't end up booking after exchanging messages on LINE.

Saying "I think I'll think about it a bit more" or "I decided to go with another therapist" is perfectly fine.

I do not send sales follow-ups.

I don't send follow-up messages like "How are things going?" either.

There are cases where we exchange messages once, there is a gap, and then they contact me again a few months later.

That is perfectly fine.

At your own pace.

Even if some people regret it after sending

"I sent it on impulse, but now I'm embarrassed."
"Maybe I wrote something unnecessary."
"I wrote my age, I wonder if they'll be put off."

I think there are people who feel this way right after sending a message.

It's okay.

40% of the clients who come to me are in their 50s, and 30% are in their 40s.

I am never put off by age, and I have never received a message that I considered "unnecessary".

I will not treat the message you gathered the courage to send lightly.

I have written about the process from booking to the day of the appointment here. If you are curious about what happens after you send a LINE message, reading this first might put your mind a little more at ease.

Even so, if you are still scared, you don't have to send it.

It is perfectly fine to just add me on LINE and spend some time with my account sitting on your screen.

The first message is something you only need to send when you feel like you want to.

My contact information issummarized on the information page.

You hold your phone, open the LINE screen, and then close it.

Only you know how many times you have "closed" it.

But if you do send it someday, I will be sure to reply.

▼ Consult with Ao (it is okay if you are not ready to book yet)
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