How to set up Instagram auto reply for DMs and comments

People who message a business on Instagram expect an answer fast, and "fast" on a messaging app means minutes, not a day. Nobody can sit in the inbox around the clock. An auto reply closes that gap: the person gets something useful right away, and you pick up the conversation when you are back.

There are three places an auto reply can live on Instagram. They solve different problems, and most accounts end up using all three.

1. The default reply: for every message nothing else answers

A default reply goes out when someone sends a DM that none of your keyword triggers recognise. Think of it as the receptionist: it does not solve the problem, it makes sure nobody is ignored.

In Chat33 it is set per channel under Channels, in the Default Reply section. For first-time contacts you can also run a full welcome flow; the welcome message guide shows how the two work together.

One thing to know before you write it: the default reply answers every unmatched message, not just the first one. If someone sends three messages in a row that match nothing, they get it three times. Write it so it still makes sense the second time, and keep it short.

Template:

Thanks for the message! We usually reply within a few hours. If you're asking about pricing, reply PRICE. For shipping, reply SHIPPING.

That last part is doing real work. It teaches the person the keywords your other automations understand, so their next message gets a precise answer instead of the default one again.

2. Keyword replies in DMs: for the questions you answer every day

Look at your last fifty DMs. A handful of questions will account for most of them. Each of those deserves its own keyword trigger.

A dm keyword trigger fires when a message contains the keyword anywhere, in any capitalisation (how matching works, with examples). "What's the price?" and "PRICE pls" both match price.

Because the person wrote to you first, these replies can use buttons, quick replies, images and carousels. Quick replies are especially good here: a message like "What are you looking for?" with three tappable options turns a vague question into a precise one.

3. Comment replies: public and private

Comments need two different answers.

The public reply is visible to everyone on the post. It tells the commenter, and everyone scrolling, that you are listening. In a flow, this is the Reply to Comment node.

The private reply is a DM sent in response to the comment. It is how "comment GUIDE and I'll send it" works. Instagram allows one private reply per comment, and it must be plain text, so the link belongs in that message. We cover the details in our comment-to-DM guide.

A comment flow usually does both: DM the link, then reply publicly with something like "Sent! Check your requests folder if you don't see it."

That last hint matters. If the person does not follow you, the DM may land in their message requests rather than the main inbox.

Writing auto replies that do not sound automated

• Lead with the answer. "Shipping to the EU takes 3 to 5 days" beats "Thank you for reaching out regarding shipping."
• Use their name when you have it. {{name}} inserts it, and falls back to "there" when Instagram does not provide one.
• Say what happens next. If a human will follow up, say roughly when.
• Keep it to what fits on a phone screen without scrolling. Split longer answers into a message and a button.
• Match your normal voice. If your captions are casual, a formal auto reply feels like a different company.

What auto reply should not do

• Pretend to be a person. If someone asks a question the automation cannot answer, the honest move is to say a human will reply, not to loop them through menus.
• Reply to everything with a sales pitch. People who message with a complaint do not want a discount code.
• Keep messaging after someone opts out. Turn on Opt-out Automation for the channel, and a reply of just STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE turns automation off for that contact. START or SUBSCRIBE, under Opt-in Automation, turns it back on.

A starting setup

If you are starting from zero, this covers most accounts:

1. A default reply that lists your two or three most useful keywords.
2. Keyword flows for price, shipping or availability, whichever you get asked most.
3. One comment-to-DM flow on your next post that offers something.
4. A daily look at the inbox for everything the automation handed over.

If you have not built a flow before, the step-by-step guide walks through the first one. Then read your inbox after a week, find the question you are still answering by hand most often, and give it a keyword.

Instagram auto reply in Chat33

Default replies, keyword flows and comment replies on the official Instagram API, with a shared inbox for everything automation should not answer.