By business · Professional services

Instagram auto-replies for consultants

A consultant sells judgement, and judgement is hard to put in a caption. Comment-to-DM gives people a small piece of it, such as a diagnostic or a toolkit, and asks about their business before a call is offered. It does not give advice: it sends what you wrote and starts the conversation.

Updated 6 October 2026

Start free See the set-ups

Comment words for consultants

Ask people to comment one word in your caption or video. Each word sends something different.

DIAGNOSTIC: A short self-assessment of ten questions that shows where a team or process is stuck, with a plain explanation of what each score suggests.
TOOLKIT: The templates from your carousel in one pack: a decision matrix, a meeting agenda, a project brief and a one-page plan.
WORKSHOP: Your workshop formats: duration, group size, online or in person, what the team leaves with and what the organiser prepares beforehand.
CALL: How a first call works: its length, what you ask beforehand, what you leave with them and when you say a project is not the right fit.
SPEAKING: Topics, past events, the format you prefer and who to write to, for conference and company organisers inviting you to speak.
SCOPE: How you scope an engagement: the diagnostic phase, the deliverables, the fee structure and the point where either side can stop.

4 set-ups to try

Each one shows the conversation it creates. After a comment, the first DM is plain text, as Meta requires, and the link follows once they answer.

A diagnostic from a “five signs” carousel
Someone comments on your post
DIAGNOSTIC
Public reply under their comment
Thanks! The self-assessment is heading to your DMs 🧭
First DM (plain text)
Thanks for the comment. What does your team or business look like: roughly how many people, and which area feels stuck? Reply here and I’ll send the ten-question diagnostic.Yes pleaseThe ten-question diagnosticTake the diagnostic
A diagnostic is a low-risk way for an owner to test whether your thinking helps. The team size and problem area in the first reply tell you whether the person is a founder, a manager or someone collecting ideas for a report.
Workshop enquiries from team leads
WORKSHOPThanks for asking about a workshop. How many people would take part, and would it be online or in person? Reply and I’ll send the formats I run and what a team leaves with.Workshop formats and what they coverSee formats
Group size and format drive the price and the travel, so they come before anything else. A team lead asking in DMs may need budget approval, and a one-page overview helps them forward it.
A first call from a Story reply
Replied to your story
CALLThanks for replying. What is the main thing you would want out of a first call, and what have you already tried? Share that and I’ll send how my calls work and how to book one.How a first call worksBook a call
A Story where you describe a typical week of client work brings replies from people who may be ready to talk. Asking what they have already tried filters out people who want free advice and shows you what to prepare for the call.
Template pack from a how-to Reel
Someone comments on your post
TOOLKIT
Public reply under their comment
Pack on the way, have a look at your DMs 🧰
First DM (plain text)
Thanks for the comment. Would you use these templates yourself, or with a team? Tell me and I’ll send the pack with the decision matrix, the agenda and the one-page plan.Yes pleaseThe consultant’s template packGet the toolkit
A Reel that shows one template at work draws people who want to try it today. Asking whether they use it alone or with a team reveals who might later want the workshop, and keeps the first message short.

Freebies worth commenting for

A ten-question diagnostic for finding where a small team’s process is actually stuck
A one-page decision matrix with a worked example for choosing between three suppliers
A meeting agenda template that ends every meeting with owners and dates for each action
A project brief template that fits on one page and forces a clear goal, owner and deadline
A 30-60-90 day plan template for a new manager, with space for what to learn first
A checklist for hiring a consultant: scope, deliverables, fees and when the engagement ends
A guide to running a half-day team workshop, with a timing sheet and a question list
A short guide to writing a consulting proposal, with an annotated example for a fictional client

What people ask a consultant in DMs

People who message a consultant are testing trust. They rarely ask for a quote first. They ask a half-question about their own situation, hoping for a quick answer. Automation should hand them something useful and ask for a little more.

They write	A good automatic reply	You step in when
Can you help with my business?	A question about size and the stuck area, then the DIAGNOSTIC	The problem sounds urgent, such as cash running out
Do you run workshops?	The WORKSHOP card, after asking group size and format	It is a large organisation with its own procurement
What do you charge?	The SCOPE card with how fees are structured	They ask for a fixed price before you know the problem
Can I pick your brain for 15 minutes?	The CALL card, with what a first call covers	You decide to give a short free call
Would you speak at our event?	The SPEAKING card with topics and a contact	The organiser names a date, a fee or a travel need
My client has asked me about this.	Nothing automatic: reply yourself	Always: ask nothing confidential in a DM

Tip: Keep client names, figures and contracts out of Instagram threads, including yours. Ask people for a general description, and say in the card that sensitive details are shared on the call or through a secure channel.

Posts that earn comments for a consultant

A carousel called “five signs your process is broken”, with DIAGNOSTIC for the self-assessment.
A screen recording of a template filled in on a fictional example, with TOOLKIT for the pack.
A Reel of a workshop wall of sticky notes, shared only with the group’s permission, with WORKSHOP for the format.
A Story where you answer one anonymous question a day, so viewers reply or use CALL.
A clip from a talk, with SPEAKING for organisers who want you to appear.

Enquiries tend to arrive after a talk, a podcast guest slot or a post that gets shared, and around planning seasons when teams set budgets. Put the matching words live before those dates and test each one.

From a comment to a scoped project

The first DM asks about the size of the business and the stuck area, so you can tell a founder from a student.
The card sends a diagnostic, an overview or a booking page. DMFast does not schedule meetings on a calendar or generate proposals.
Offer a toolkit for an email, and export the list as a CSV for a monthly note about what you are working on.
Use the one reminder for people who asked about a workshop or a call and did not answer the question.
Read each reply on a call day before you speak: it is the cheapest preparation you will ever get.

If you work from India, the DMFast store can sell a toolkit or template pack as a digital product, give one away for an email and take free or paid 1-on-1 calls, with payments through Razorpay. Consulting fees themselves are invoiced your own way.

Rules and honesty to check

Regulated fields. If your consulting touches law, tax, investment, medicine or mental health, the automated replies must not give advice or suggest an outcome. Say so on the card and send people to a qualified professional where one is needed.
Confidentiality. Do not name clients, share their numbers or post screenshots of their work without written approval.
Results. A diagnostic describes patterns, not outcomes. Avoid promising growth, savings or a particular number.
Credentials. Only use titles and qualifications you actually hold. Some are protected by law in some countries.
Meta’s limits. One private reply per comment, within 7 days, and automated messages only reach someone within 24 hours of their last message.

Messages to copy

Questions people ask

Can the auto-reply give advice on a business problem?

It should not. It sends the words you wrote, such as a diagnostic or a toolkit, and asks about the person’s situation. Advice needs context and judgement, which is what you sell. If your field is regulated, say on the card that nothing in the reply is advice.

Should I send my prices in the first reply?

Usually not. Ask about the situation first, then send a page that explains how you scope and charge. Plain text is required in the first message after a comment, so a question works better than a link there. A fee range on a page later is often enough.

Can AI replies answer questions about my services?

Yes, on the Growth and Business plans, but only from the business information you write: services, process, who you work with. Tell them to pass anything about a specific client problem, a contract or a complaint to you, and to say a person will reply.

Can I use it for a podcast or newsletter I run as a consultant?

Yes. A keyword on a clip or a Story can send an episode link, a reading list or a signup page, and the email capture builds a list you can export as a CSV. The first message after a comment still has to be a plain-text question.

Related businesses

Words to know

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Answer every DIAGNOSTIC comment in seconds

Pick a post and the word. DMFast replies under each comment, sends the DM and follows with your link once they answer, day and night. It can collect emails on the way. Free plan, no card.

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