DM templates · Instagram
What to DM when people ask for a restock
“When is it back?” is the DM every sold-out item brings. Answer with a date if you have one, plus a way to hear about the restock that doesn't rely on a later DM: automated Instagram messages can only reach people within 24 hours of their last message. Below are 13 templates for sold-out questions, restock alerts and drop days.
Updated 6 October 2026 · 13 templates
13 messages to copy
Tap a card to copy the message. Swap anything in braces, like {name}, for your own words before you send it.
Sold out, restock date known
Thanks for asking! The {product} sold out last week, and the next batch is due on {time}. Would you like an email the day it lands? Send me your address and I'll add you.
Give the date, even a rough one. “Back in about three weeks” is far more useful than “soon”.
Sold out, no date yet
It's sold out for now, sorry! I don't have a restock date yet and I'd rather not guess. Leave your email here and you'll get one message when it's back.
Promise one email and send one. A restock list that turns into a weekly newsletter isn't what anyone signed up for.
On the restock list
Done, you're on the restock list for the {product}. You'll get one email when it's back. Meanwhile, here's everything that's in stock right now: {link}
Someone waiting for one colour may happily take another, so show them what's available today.
Back today, to someone who just asked
Good timing, it came back this morning: {link} If your size isn't showing, tell me which one you need and I'll check what's left in the stockroom.
They've just messaged you, so the link can go straight into the reply, with no YES step.
Back in stock, sent by hand
Hi {name}, you asked about the {product} a while ago, and it's back in stock: {link} No need to reply, I just didn't want you to miss it.
Type this yourself in the Instagram app for the few people who asked. Automation can't send it once 24 hours have passed since their last message, and for a long list, email is kinder.
Drop day: first DM after a comment
Hey, thanks for commenting! This reply is automatic. The drop is live and your link is ready. Want it? Reply YES and it's on its way.
A comment's private reply can't carry a link, so ask one quick question. The link follows within seconds of their YES.
The drop link
Here you go: {link} Orders ship within {time}. Any questions about sizing, ask here and a person will answer.
Put sizing help in the same message. A question answered in the chat is one less reason to leave the checkout.
The drop sold out
Thank you for coming for it, and sorry: today's drop has sold out. There will be another, and I'll announce it here first. Want an email when the date is set?
People who just missed out are the best list for the next drop. Ask for the email while they're still in the chat.
Back, but not in every size
It's back, though not in every size this time. The rest should arrive around {time}. Want me to add you to the list for your size?
Be exact about what's missing. “Size 12 is back next month” saves a second message asking about size 12.
Can you hold one for me?
I wish I could, but to keep it fair for everyone who's been waiting, I don't hold stock. It goes on sale at {time} sharp, the same moment for everyone.
A friendly, clear no is easier than holding a few and explaining that to everyone else. If you do hold stock, say for how long.
Limit per person
On this drop it's two per person, so more people get one. If an order goes over the limit, we'll get in touch before it ships.
Give the reason with the limit. A limit that exists to be fair reads very differently from a bare rule.
It isn't coming back
Honestly, no: we've stopped making the {product}, and what's left is all there is. The closest thing we make now is here: {link}
If something is gone for good, say so. Keeping people on a restock list for an item that won't return disappoints them twice.
Pre-order instead
It's sold out, but you can pre-order from the next batch: {link} You pay now and it ships when the stock arrives, around {time}.
Say when they pay and when it ships. Those are the first two questions any pre-order brings.
Set it up in DMFast
Message RESTOCK, join the back-in-stock list
A DM opens the 24-hour window at once, so there's no YES step: DMFast answers, asks for an email, rejects throwaway addresses, then shows what's in stock today. Keywords match whole words, so “any restock soon?” triggers it and “restocking?” doesn't; add RESTOCKING and “back in stock” as extra words.
Pick direct messages
Connect your Instagram account and add an auto-reply for DMs. It answers messages, not comments.
Set the word: RESTOCK
Any message with the word RESTOCK 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 messages can only reach someone within 24 hours of their latest message. A restock alert two weeks after they asked can't go by auto-reply.
- Inside that window, messages may include promotions, so a link to the restocked item is fine while the chat is open.
- Meta's human agent tag, the only tag Instagram allows, gives a real person up to 7 days to reply to someone's message. It's for support, and a restock alert is marketing.
- Each comment on a drop post can get one private reply, within 7 days, in plain text with no link or button. The link follows only if they answer.
- Instagram allows at most 750 private replies to comments per hour for each account, so on a big drop the last commenters wait for their DM.
Sources
Who you can message when stock comes back
The restock is the moment everyone wants a DM, and the moment the rules bite. What you can send depends on when each person last wrote to you.
| Who | Restock DM? | How to reach them |
|---|---|---|
| Messaged you in the last 24 hours | Yes, automatic or by hand | Reply with the link |
| Asked about it last week | Not automatically | Email, or type a message yourself in the Instagram app |
| Comments on your restock post | Yes, one private reply each | A question first, the link once they answer |
| Replies to your restock Story | Yes | Their reply is a message, so the link can go straight back |
| Follows you but never wrote | No | A post, a Story, your link in bio or email |
Tip: A countdown sticker on a Story the day before lets followers tap for a reminder from Instagram when it reaches zero. For people who never message you, it's the nearest thing to a restock alert.
Drop day: when hundreds comment at once
Instagram allows at most 750 private replies to comments an hour per account, and DMFast stays under 700. If 2,100 people comment DROP in the first ten minutes, the last of them can wait two hours or more for their DM. For a drop that sells out in twenty minutes, that's a link to a sold-out page.
The answer is more ways in, not a faster bot:
- Put the link in your bio and on a Story link sticker before the post goes up.
- Say in the caption that the link is in your bio too, so nobody waits for a DM they don't need.
- Treat the DM as one door for people who want the link sent to them, not the only door.
- Test the keyword from a second account an hour before. A typo on drop day means hundreds of comments and no DMs.
Restock messages that age badly
- “DM me and I'll tell you when it's back.” Unless you'll type every message yourself, an auto-reply can't keep that promise after 24 hours.
- A restock date that slips without a word. Email the list and post a Story the day you know.
- “Only a few left” when there are plenty. Comments are public, and someone will notice the same “last few” a month later.
- Picking WANT or BACK as a comment keyword. People type both all the time (“want this so badly”, “back again!”), so ordinary comments would trigger it.
- Leaving the sold-out auto-reply on after the restock. Switch the answer to the link as soon as it's live.
What to measure
Count restock requests for each item, by DM and by email sign-up. The number of people on a list before it comes back is your best guide to how many to make or order next time.
On restock day, note how long the item takes to sell out and how many people on the list bought. If it goes within the hour, the batch was too small. If few people on the list bought, ask a few of them why before the next batch.
Questions people ask
Can I send automatic restock alerts by Instagram DM?
Only to people who've messaged you within the last 24 hours. Anyone who asked earlier needs the alert by email, or a post or Story that gets them to comment or reply, which starts a new conversation. Messages you type yourself in the Instagram app aren't bound by the 24-hour rule.
How do I tell everyone an item is back?
Announce it everywhere at once: a post or Reel with a comment keyword, a Story with a link sticker, the link in your bio and an email to the restock list. Pin the post to the top of your profile for the first day, so latecomers find it.
What's a good keyword for a drop post?
One short word nobody types by accident: DROP, LINK or a one-word product name. Write it in capitals in the caption so nobody has to guess the spelling.
Why did some people get the drop DM hours late?
Instagram caps private replies to comments at 750 an hour per account. When more people comment than that, DMFast queues the rest and sends them as the limit allows; private replies are allowed for 7 days, so they still go out. That's why the link belongs in your bio too.
Can I give followers the drop link first?
In DMFast, “Only send to followers” sends the link only to people who follow you; anyone else is asked to follow first. It's Instagram-only and set per auto-reply, so you can use it on an early-access post and leave the main drop open to everyone.
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