Two experiments carried out in Spain and the Netherlands tested the joint effects of imagined contact and similarity with a narrative protagonist on attitudes and behavioral intentions related to stigmatized immigrants. We advance a concept of optimal reception condition: imagining a positive interaction with an immigrant before reading a testimonial of an immigrant who is similar to the native audience. The optimal reception condition induced greater identification and transportation than the reference condition, leading to more positive attitudes and a higher intention of inter-group contact. The findings are discussed in the context of research on narrative persuasion and prejudice reduction.Two experiments carried out in Spain and the Netherlands tested the joint effects of imagined contact and similarity with a narrative protagonist on attitudes and behavioral intentions related to stigmatized immigrants. We advance a concept of optimal reception condition: imagining a positive interaction with an immigrant before reading a testimonial of an immigrant who is similar to the native audience. The optimal reception condition induced greater identification and transportation than the reference condition, leading to more positive attitudes and a higher intention of inter-group contact. The findings are discussed in the context of research on narrative persuasion and prejudice reduction.Por meio de dois experimentos realizados na Espanha e nos Países Baixos observamos o contraste entre os efeitos conjuntos do contato imaginado e a semelhança com o protagonista de mensagens narrativas nas atitudes e intenção de conduta sobre imigrantes estigmatizados. Avançamos o conceito condição de recepção ótima: imaginar uma interação positiva com um imigrante antes de ler uma mensagem testemunhal de um imigrante que se apresenta como semelhante à audiência. A condição de recepção ótima provocou maior identificação e transporte que a condição de referência, o qual tem produzido atitudes mais positivas e uma maior intenção de contato intergrupal. As descobertas são discutidas no contexto da pesquisa sobre persuasão narrativa e redução do preconceito.