Academy / Get more customers from Instagram

Lesson 4 of 5 · 5 min

Reply fast, and let automation help

Why the first reply wins the booking, how to answer the same five questions in seconds, and which automations to switch on first.

Someone who asks "how much is a first class?" is often asking other studios too. The one that answers first often gets the booking. Speed is the cheapest advantage a small business has.

Five questions, answered once

Most DMs are one of these: What does it cost? When are you open? Where are you, and where do I park? Is it right for me? How do I book? Write your best answer to each, in your own voice, with the link they need.

Answer by hand in seconds

The Inbox shows DMs from your connected Instagram and Facebook accounts in one list. Save your five answers as saved replies in Chat settings, at the top of the Inbox. In a thread, type / in the empty reply box, pick one and send. {name} becomes the person's first name. Instagram lets you reply freely for 24 hours after the person's last message, and the thread shows the hours left.

Let automation answer the rest

The free plan runs one automation, so start with the first. Paid plans run all three.

1. Keyword reply. Someone writes "price" and gets your answer at once, day or night.
2. Comment to DM. Sends your link when someone comments a word.
3. Default reply. When nothing else matched, answers once a day, for example between 10 pm and 7 am: "Thanks for writing! We are closed now and answer from 8 am."

When you reply yourself, the automation waits. Someone who writes STOP gets no more automated messages.

Do it

1. Write your answer to "what does it cost?" in two lines, with the booking link.
2. Save it as a saved reply in Chat settings.
3. Press the button below and pick the keyword template.
4. Use your two lines as the reply.

In this course

• 1A profile that turns visitors into customersThe name, the bio, the link and the highlights, checked from the eyes of someone who found you a minute ago. · 5 min
• 2Reels and stories, the basicsWhat Reels and stories are each good for, three Reel formats you can film on your phone, and stories that start conversations. · 6 min
• 3Captions with one next stepA three part caption shape that works, why links in captions do not work, and which ask to use instead. · 5 min
• 4Reply fast, and let automation helpWhy the first reply wins the booking, how to answer the same five questions in seconds, and which automations to switch on first. · 5 min
• 5Collaborations and local reachReach new people through the businesses and customers around you: collab posts, shared offers, location tags, and thanking everyone who mentions you. · 5 min