DM templates · Instagram
Follow up on Instagram DMs without pestering
A good follow-up is one short, friendly question, sent once while the conversation is still open. For anything sent through Meta's API, which every automation tool uses, open means within 24 hours of the person's last message; after that, only a message typed by a person can reach them. Here are 12 follow-ups for the moments chats usually stall.
Updated 6 October 2026 · 12 templates
12 messages to copy
Tap a card to copy the message. Swap anything in braces, like {name}, for your own words before you send it.
Reminder at the email step
Still keen on the checklist? Pop your email in here and it's yours in a second.
This is the kind of message DMFast's “Send a reminder” option sends to people who said yes but never sent an address.
Reminder at the follow step
Just checking in: once you've followed the account, tap the button below and the link is all yours.
DMFast sends it with the same “I followed ✅” button, so one tap finishes the job.
After sending prices
Did the price list make sense? If you tell me a little about what you need, I'll say which option I'd pick in your shoes.
A follow-up that offers a decision is easier to answer than one that asks “any questions?”.
After sending a product link
Did you get a chance to look at the page I sent? I can answer anything it doesn't cover, from sizing to delivery times.
Name the details people usually ask about next. It gives them something specific to reply to.
After a booking link
Did you find a time that suits? If the calendar looks full, tell me the days you're free and I'll see what I can move.
Booking pages lose people when no slot fits. Offering to move things catches that case.
When they said they'd think about it
No rush at all. Is there one thing I could answer that would make the decision easier?
Wait until the next morning if you're still inside the 24 hours. Any sooner reads as pressure.
Holding an item for them
The one you asked about is still in stock. Want me to put it aside for you until tomorrow evening?
Only offer a hold you'll honour. A real reason to write beats “just checking in”.
After a quote
Any thoughts on the quote? If your budget's tighter, tell me the figure you had in mind and I'll see what's possible within it.
It makes saying “too expensive” easy, which is better than silence for both of you.
The last, polite one
I'll leave this here so I'm not crowding your inbox. If you'd like to pick it up later, send me a message and we'll carry on from where we were.
Closing the thread out loud is kinder than going quiet, and it leaves the door open.
Picking up the next day, by hand
Hi {name}, picking up from yesterday: did you decide which date works for you? Happy to help either way.
Once 24 hours have passed, no automation can send this. Type it yourself in the Instagram app.
When they come back
No need to apologise at all! To pick up where we left off: you were choosing between the two options I sent. Want a quick recap?
Their message restarts the 24 hours, so this is the time to answer properly, not with another reminder.
Creator following up with a brand
Hi {name}, following up on the rates I sent on {time}. Do they work for your team, or would a smaller package help?
A specific question is easier to answer than “any update?”, and offering a smaller option keeps the deal alive.
Set it up in DMFast
Comment CHECKLIST, with one reminder at the email step
Someone comments on your post
CHECKLISTPublic reply under their comment
On its way, check your DMs ✅First DM (plain text)
Hi! Thanks for commenting CHECKLIST. This is an automatic message: the checklist is ready for you. Would you like it here? Reply YES and I'll grab your email, then send it over.Yes pleaseYour checklist is readyOpen the checklistIf someone answers YES but never sends an email, a single reminder goes out after the delay you set, up to 20 hours later, so it always lands inside the 24-hour window. DMFast skips it if the email has arrived in the meantime or the window has closed.
Pick a post
Connect your Instagram account, then choose the post or Reel it runs on, or every post.
Set the word: CHECKLIST
Anyone who comments CHECKLIST gets a reply under their comment and a DM. Capitals don't matter.
Paste the message
Add the public reply and the first DM shown here. Once they answer, your link follows as a card.
Free plan, no card. Instagram professional accounts and Facebook Pages.
Rules to know
- Automated messages sent through Meta's API can only go out within 24 hours of the person's most recent message, and inside that time they may include promotions.
- The clock restarts whenever they write, so a reply to your follow-up gives you another full 24 hours.
- If a conversation began with your private reply to a comment and they never answered it, nothing more can be sent. That first DM has no follow-up.
- Meta's human agent tag lets a real person reply up to 7 days after the last message, for support that couldn't be finished in time. It doesn't cover automated or sales messages.
- An automated message has to say it's automated at the start of a conversation, after a long gap, or when it takes over from a person.
Sources
When a follow-up is worth sending
Send one when the next move was theirs and they didn't make it: they asked a price and went silent, opened the booking link and didn't book, or said yes to a freebie and stopped before the email. They showed interest first, so a reminder is a service rather than a pitch.
Skip it when they never answered the first DM after a comment, since Meta allows nothing further, when they've already said no, or when the only reason is that you'd like a sale today.
How long to wait
| Where they stopped | Wait about | Why |
|---|---|---|
| At the email or follow step | 15 minutes to an hour | They were mid-task, so a short gap is enough |
| After you sent prices | 3 to 6 hours | Time to think it over or ask someone |
| After a booking link | Later the same day | Time to check their own calendar |
| After “let me think” | Next morning, if still inside 24 hours | Sooner feels like pressure |
| More than 24 hours since their last message | By hand only | No automation may send it any more |
These are starting points, not research findings. If most reminder replies come within minutes, shorten the delay; if they bunch up the next morning, lengthen it.
Writing a nudge people answer
- Name what they wanted, not what you want: “Still keen on the checklist?” rather than “Just following up.”
- Make the answer one word or one tap: a yes, a day, a size.
- Give a genuine reason to write if there is one, such as the size they wanted being back. Never make one up.
- Leave out guilt. No “I can see you read this”.
- Keep it short enough to read in the notification without opening the chat.
Automatic reminders in DMFast
DMFast's “Send a reminder” option, on Pro and above, covers one situation: someone who answered an auto-reply but stopped before finishing, at the email question or the follow check. You write the message and pick the delay: 15 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, 12 hours or 20 hours. It goes out once per step, and not at all if they've moved on or 24 hours have passed since they last wrote.
Anything else is a follow-up you write yourself. Scheduled DMs let you queue one for later, and DMFast checks the window again at send time: if it has closed, the message is skipped rather than sent outside Meta's rules.
What to measure
Compare how many people finish before and after the reminder. If a big share only finish after it, the first ask is probably unclear, so fix that message instead of adding more nudges. If almost nobody responds to the reminder, change the delay or the wording. And notice who goes silent for good after a follow-up: one person is chance, several mean the tone is too pushy.
Questions people ask
How many times should I follow up on an Instagram DM?
Once is usually right, twice at most if they showed real interest and you have something new to say. After that, a polite closing message ends the thread better than another nudge.
Can an automation follow up after 24 hours?
No. Messages sent through Meta's API, which automation tools use, must go within 24 hours of the person's last message. After that, only a person can write: in the Instagram app, or for support through Meta's human agent tag, up to 7 days, in tools that offer it.
Is it rude to follow up when they've seen my message?
Not if it's one friendly message with an easy question. People open DMs and forget them all the time. What feels rude is pointing out that they read it, or chasing three times.
Why didn't my DMFast reminder go out?
Usually for a good reason: the person had already sent their email or followed, or more than 24 hours had passed since their last message. Reminders only cover the email and follow steps, so someone who never answered the first DM gets none. They're also a Pro feature, so they don't run on the Free plan.
Should a follow-up include a discount?
Only if you'd offer it anyway. A discount that appears only when people hesitate teaches them to hesitate. A clear answer to the question that held them up usually does more.
Related templates
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