Instagram welcome messages: what to send first

The first time someone messages your business is the moment they are most likely to buy, book or ask for help. It is also the moment you are least likely to be looking at your phone. A welcome message makes sure that first contact gets an answer, and sets up how the rest of the conversation goes.

Two different tools for the first message

Chat33 has two settings on each Instagram channel that deal with "nobody has answered yet". They sound similar, but they fire at different times.

"New contact" means someone Chat33 has never seen on that channel. If you imported your message history when connecting, the people in it already exist as contacts, so the welcome flow is for genuinely new conversations.

How they combine

The welcome flow runs alongside everything else. That is useful, and it needs a little planning:

• A new person writes "price?" They get your welcome flow and your price flow.
• A new person writes "hello" and you have no matching keyword. They get your welcome flow and your default reply.
• Someone you already know writes "hello". Only the default reply.

So if both are switched on, write them to work together. A welcome flow that says "Hi, welcome!" followed by a default reply that also says "Hi, thanks for your message!" reads like two people talking over each other.

A clean split:

• Welcome flow: who you are and what you can help with, as quick replies.
• Default reply: short and practical, for example "A person will reply within a few hours. Tap a button above or reply PRICE, SHIPPING or BOOK."

What a good welcome message does

1. Answers the unasked question: is anyone there? Say when a human replies.
2. Offers the three most common paths as buttons or quick replies, so the person can get an answer without typing.
3. Sounds like your brand, not like a form.
4. Stays short. One screen on a phone, no scrolling.

It should not open with a discount code, a newsletter signup or a survey. The person came with a question. Help them ask it.

Five welcome templates

Online store

Hey , thanks for stopping by! What can we help with?

Quick replies: Prices · Shipping · Order status

Creator or coach

Hi ! I read every message, usually within a day. While you wait, most people are looking for one of these:

Quick replies: Free guide · Coaching · Collabs

Local business

Welcome! We're open Mon to Sat, 9 to 18.

Buttons: Book a visit · See the menu · Directions

Agency

Thanks for reaching out. Tell us a bit about the project and we'll get back to you today.

Quick replies: New project · Existing client · Careers

Minimal

Hi , thanks for the message. A real person will reply soon.

{{name}} fills in the person's name when Instagram provides one, and "there" when it does not, so "Hi there" still reads naturally.

Building the welcome flow

1. In Flows, create a flow called "Welcome".
2. Add a Quick Replies node with your greeting and two or three options.
3. For each option, connect what should happen next: a message, a link button, or a Tag User node so you can find these contacts later.
4. In Channels, open your Instagram channel, switch on Welcome New Contacts and pick the "Welcome" flow.
5. Test it by messaging your account from a second Instagram account that has never written to it before.

The quick replies are what make this work. Most people will tap rather than type, and a tapped option is an answer your flows understand exactly.

Writing the default reply

The default reply is a single text message, and it can fire several times in one conversation, so:

• keep it to one or two sentences
• list the keywords your automations understand (choosing them)
• say when a human will look at the conversation
• avoid "Welcome!", since returning customers see it too

Thanks! A person will reply within a few hours. For instant answers, reply PRICE, SHIPPING or BOOK.

The auto reply guide covers default replies alongside keyword answers and comment replies.

After the welcome

The welcome message is the start, not the whole job. Check the inbox daily for the conversations the automation handed over, and every few weeks look at which quick reply people tap most. That is usually the next flow worth building.

Instagram automation in Chat33

Welcome flows, default replies and keyword triggers on the official Instagram API, with a shared inbox for your team.