Why most automatic messages get ignored
An automatic DM has about one line to prove a human wrote it. Fail that and the reader files it as spam before reaching the part that matters.
Three things give it away every time:
- Formality nobody uses. "Your inquiry has been received and will be processed shortly."
- A bare link with no explanation. People do not tap links from strangers.
- Asking for something before giving anything. "Send us your phone number" as an opening line.
Everything below is built to avoid those three. Copy them, then change the words until they sound like you — the shape is what matters, not the phrasing.
When someone comments asking the price
This is the most common trigger and the one worth getting right.
Hi! The price is £48, and it ships within two days 👋
Here is the link if you want it: example.com/product
Any questions, just reply here.
Why it works: the answer comes first. No greeting paragraph, no "thank you for your interest" — the number they asked for, immediately. The link comes second, with a reason to tap it. The last line invites a reply, which is what actually starts a conversation.
What to avoid: sending only the link. The person asked a question; answer it.
When you would rather not post the price publicly
Some businesses price by variant, or simply prefer not to publish it.
Hi! It depends on the size — the small is £48 and the large is £62.
Which were you thinking of? I will send the exact link.
Why it works: it still answers. "DM for price" with no number in the DM is the fastest way to lose someone. Giving a range and asking one question moves things forward without committing you.
What to avoid: "Please send us a message for pricing." They already did. That is this message.
When you want them to choose from several products
Hi! Here are the three people ask about most 👇
Tap the one you want and I will send the details.
Followed by product cards — image, name, price, a button on each.
Why it works: choosing from three is easy; reading a list of twelve is work. The cards do the describing so the message stays short.
What to avoid: more than about five options. Choice paralysis is real, and the scroll is long on a phone.
The public reply that goes under the comment
This one is not a DM, but it is half the system.
Sent you the details 💚
Why it works: three words. It tells the commenter to check their inbox, and it tells everyone else scrolling past that this account answers. That second audience is larger than the first.
What to avoid: repeating the price publicly if you chose not to post it, and long public replies that bury the comment section.
When the follow requirement is on
If the reply is only for followers, the request has to feel like an invitation rather than a toll gate.
Hi! Follow the account first and tap the button below — the details are on their way 💜
With a button labelled I followed.
Why it works: it explains what to do and what happens next, in that order. The button makes the second step one tap instead of a typed message.
What to avoid: wording that sounds like a demand. "You must follow to receive a reply" reads as a fee. And do not use this on every rule — on a first contact it costs more than it earns.
The message for when they do not follow yet
Just checked and the follow has not come through yet. Follow the account and tap the button again — it is instant from there.
Why it works: it assumes a mistake rather than bad faith, and it repeats the instruction. Most people who land here simply tapped too quickly.
The follow-up when someone goes quiet
Sent a few hours after the first message, if they have not replied.
Hi {name}! Did you get a chance to look at it?
Happy to help with sizing or anything else — just say the word.
Why it works: short, no pressure, and it offers help rather than asking for a decision. The name makes it feel addressed rather than broadcast.
What to avoid: more than two follow-ups, and anything with a countdown. "Last chance!" on an automated message is how accounts get muted.
One constraint: Instagram only permits a DM within 24 hours of their last interaction. Space the follow-ups so the final one lands inside that window — a sequence at 3 hours and 12 hours works; one at 30 hours cannot be sent at all.
When the item is out of stock
Hi! That one has sold out — annoyingly it went quickly.
The restock is next week. Want me to message you when it lands?
Why it works: it turns a dead end into a question. A yes keeps the conversation open and gives you someone to contact later, inside the rules, because they replied.
What to avoid: "Out of stock." full stop. That is the end of the conversation and the relationship.
When someone comments something that is not a keyword
Worth having, because a rule that fires on every comment will catch plenty of "love this 😍".
Thanks for the comment! If you would like the price or the link, just reply with price and I will send it over.
Why it works: it teaches the keyword without scolding anyone, and it costs nothing when it lands on a compliment.
What to avoid: running this on every comment on a large account. It reads as noise at volume. Use it on posts where you are actively selling.
A short checklist before you switch any of these on
- Read it aloud. If you would not say it to a customer in a shop, rewrite it.
- Answer the question in the first line. Everything else can wait.
- One ask per message. Not a link, a phone number and a follow.
- Use their name if you have it. It costs nothing and changes the tone.
- Test it on yourself from another account before it meets a customer.
- Come back in two weeks and rewrite whichever one gets the fewest replies.
Putting them to work
In Riplo each of these is a rule: a keyword, a public reply, and a DM with optional buttons, cards or a file. The follow-up templates are a sequence with your own timing, and the follow requirement is a switch on the rule rather than a separate product.
Everything runs through Meta's official API, so the 24-hour window and the other platform rules are respected rather than worked around — which is why that matters.
You can start free and have the first of these live in a few minutes.