DM templates · Instagram
Instagram FAQ replies for the questions you get every day
FAQ replies are ready-made answers to the questions your DMs ask over and over: is it available, how do I pay, do you deliver, can I pick it up. Professional accounts get two built-in tools for them: up to four FAQ questions people can tap when they open a chat with you, and saved replies you insert with a shortcut. Keyword auto-replies can answer the rest on their own. Below are 14 answers to adapt.
Updated 6 October 2026 · 14 templates
14 messages to copy
Tap a card to copy the message. Swap anything in braces, like {name}, for your own words before you send it.
“What's the price?”
It's {price}, and delivery is included. Would you like me to check your size before you order?
Put the number first, then offer the next step, so the answer moves toward an order instead of ending the chat.
“Is this still available?”
Yes, it's in stock right now. Sizes update live in the shop, so that's the surest place to check: {link}. Which one were you after?
If you can't tell which piece they mean, ask for a screenshot instead of guessing.
“How do I pay?”
You can pay by card or {payment method} at checkout. We never ask for payment in DMs, so if anyone messages you asking for money in our name, it isn't us.
Copycat accounts sometimes message a shop's followers asking for payment. One line about where you do take money protects your customers.
“Do you deliver to me?”
We deliver across {country}, and most orders arrive in {time}. Somewhere else? Tell me where you are and I'll check the cost.
Lead with where you deliver, then how long it takes. Leave either out and it's the next question.
“How long until it ships?”
Everything is made to order, so it leaves us {time} after you order. You'll get tracking by email on the day it ships.
Keep making time and delivery time apart. People who ask “when will it arrive?” usually mean the two added together.
“Where are you based?”
We're in {city}, online only, so there's no shop to visit. Local pickup is free, though: choose it at checkout and we'll email you when it's ready.
Say what they can do as well as what they can't. “No shop, but free pickup” answers the question behind the question.
“When do you reply?”
This is an automatic answer: we read DMs {time} and usually reply within a few hours. Write outside those times and you'll be first in line the next morning.
Give the hours you're really at your desk. A promise the team keeps missing does more harm than no promise.
“Do you take custom orders?”
We do! Tell me what you have in mind, your budget and when you need it, and I'll tell you honestly whether we can make it happen.
Custom work needs a person. If an auto-reply sends this, make sure someone reads the answers within a day, while the chat is still open.
“What's it made of?”
The full list of materials and ingredients is on each product page: {link}. If you have an allergy, tell me which one and I'll check with the maker before you order.
Never answer allergy questions from memory or with an automatic guess. Point to the full list and let a person confirm.
“How do I look after it?”
Wash it cold, inside out, and dry it flat. The full care guide, with photos, is here: {link}
Care questions come after the sale. A clear answer now can save a return later.
“Can you gift-wrap it?”
Yes, any order can be gift-wrapped for {price}. Add your message at checkout and we'll handwrite the card and leave the receipt out of the box.
Answer the next worry too: people sending a gift want to know the price won't be inside.
“Can I swap it for another size?”
Of course. Exchanges are free within {time} of delivery, as long as it's unworn with the tags on. Start one here and we'll send the new size as soon as yours is on its way back: {link}
Copy the terms from your actual returns policy. Customers quote DM answers back to you, so the two need to match.
“Do you sell wholesale?”
We do, to shops and studios. The price list and minimum order are here: {link}. Tell me your shop's name and where you're based, and I'll send the forms.
Wholesale enquiries are worth a person's time. If an auto-reply sends this, have someone follow up within the day.
“Am I talking to a bot?”
Good question: this answer is automatic, and it covers the questions we get most. Ask anything else here and a person from the team will reply by {time}.
Meta requires automated chats to say they're automated. Offering a person in the same breath makes the bot easier to forgive.
Set it up in DMFast
Message AVAILABLE, see what's in stock
Keywords match whole words, so this catches “is this available?” and “available in M?” but not “availability”: add that and STOCK to the same auto-reply. The customer wrote first, so the card goes out with the answer, with no YES step.
Pick direct messages
Connect your Instagram account and add an auto-reply for DMs. It answers messages, not comments.
Set the word: AVAILABLE
Any message with the word AVAILABLE in it gets this answer, in capitals or not.
Paste the message
Add the message shown here and the link card that goes with it.
Free plan, no card. Instagram professional accounts and Facebook Pages.
Rules to know
- Automated answers must make clear that the person is dealing with an automated service.
- Automated messages can only go out within 24 hours of the person's last message. Each new message from them starts the 24 hours again.
- After 24 hours, Meta's human agent tag lets a real person answer support questions for up to 7 days. It isn't for promotions or automated replies.
- Only professional accounts, Business or Creator, can use Meta's messaging API, which official auto-reply tools are built on.
- A question asked in a comment can get one private reply within 7 days of the comment, and the chat only continues if they answer.
Sources
Four ways to answer FAQs on Instagram
The Instagram app has two tools for repeat questions, and apps built on Meta's API add more. Meta Business Suite has automated responses of its own if your account is connected there. Most accounts end up using a mix.
| Tool | Where it lives | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAQ questions | Instagram app, professional accounts | Up to four questions shown when someone opens a chat with you, each with an automatic answer you write | Steering new chats toward questions you've already answered |
| Saved replies | Instagram app, professional accounts | You type a shortcut in a chat and pick the saved text, then send it yourself | Long answers you'd otherwise type out several times a day |
| Keyword auto-replies | Apps built on Meta's API | A message containing a word such as AVAILABLE gets an answer and a link card as soon as it arrives | Questions people ask in many different wordings |
| AI replies | Apps built on Meta's API | Questions no keyword catches get an answer written from the business details you supply | The long tail, once your details are written down |
In DMFast, keyword answers come first. Messages that no keyword catches can get an AI reply, written only from the business info you provide, on the Growth and Business plans at one credit per reply.
What a good FAQ answer includes
- The answer in the first few words: the price, the yes, the date.
- The next question, answered before it's asked: delivery with the price, sizes with stock, pickup with the location.
- At most one link, to the exact page rather than your homepage.
- A way to reach a person, whenever the answer is automatic.
- Nothing that quietly goes out of date. Any answer with a price, a date or opening hours in it needs a regular check.
Picking keywords that catch the question
People ask the same thing a dozen ways: “available?”, “in stock?”, “do you still have this?”. A keyword reply only fires when a word in the message matches, so cover the variations.
- Add plurals and related words. DMFast matches whole words, so PRICE won't catch “prices” unless you add both to the same auto-reply.
- Skip words that turn up everywhere. HI, HOW or WHEN would fire on messages that have nothing to do with your answer.
- Use a phrase for the tricky ones. A keyword with a space in it, such as “still have”, matches that phrase anywhere in the message.
- Test every keyword from a second account before you rely on it, including a version with a typo.
- Read what happens when the word is used in another sense, like a brand asking whether you're available for a collaboration.
Keeping answers right
FAQ answers go stale without anyone noticing, because nobody re-reads an automatic reply. Once a month, read every saved and automatic answer as if you were a customer, and check the prices, dates, links and hours in each.
Then look at what still reaches a person. The questions your team answers by hand most often are the next ones to turn into keywords, and an automatic answer that keeps getting a follow-up question is missing something.
Questions people ask
How do I add FAQs to Instagram DMs?
Professional accounts can set up frequently asked questions among the messaging tools in the Instagram app. Each question can have an automatic answer you write, and the questions appear when someone opens a chat with you. Menu names change between app versions, so look for “Frequently asked questions”.
How many FAQ questions can I add on Instagram?
Up to four. Spend them on the questions new people ask first, and cover the rest with saved replies or keyword auto-replies.
What's the difference between saved replies and auto-replies?
A saved reply is a shortcut for you: you type it in a chat, pick the saved text and send it yourself. An auto-reply goes out with nobody touching the phone, which is why it has to say it's automatic and can only answer within 24 hours of the person's message.
What happens to questions no keyword matches?
Nothing automatic, unless you've set up a reply to every message or an AI assistant. In DMFast, a catch-all reply answers each person at most once a day, and the AI assistant can pick up the rest, writing only from the business info you provide.
Do the same FAQ replies work on a Facebook Page?
The wording does, and Messenger has the same 24-hour rule. A Page has its own FAQ and instant reply settings in Meta Business Suite, and DMFast's DM keywords work on Facebook Pages too.
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