Sending DMs to followers doesn't hurt your brand if you believe it won't. Like asking a store clerk for help in the milk aisle, people expect you to offer assistance. Your followers already see you as knowledgeable, so reaching out with genuine intent reinforces your value.
Sending DM hurts your brand? Maybe not. Imagine you go to Walmart and you need milk. You know the clerks know exactly where the milk is, but have you spent like 20 minutes looking for the milk instead of, you know, like asking? If you're similar to me, there's almost no chance I'm gonna ask. If they come up to you and ask you, what are you looking for, then there's almost 100% of chance you'll say milk. Did you think less of the clerk? Not really. Did you think less of the Walmart brand? Not really. Well then, why would your followers think any different of you? They wouldn't follow you if you weren't better than them at something. So it's totally natural to ask, what do you need help with? Thinking that DMs will hurt your brand, it's just It's only true if you feel like it's true. But if you actually approach people with an intention of helping, you're fine. It's like Walmart. Every follow-in is an implicit request for information, so give them information.
