Instagram auto-replies for DJs

A DJ's messages come from two crowds. Clubbers and followers want the full set, the track names and the next gig. People booking you want a price, a date and some sign that you'll read the room. Both can get an instant first answer, just not the same one.

From followers and clubbers

• “ID?” under every clip. Put TRACKS in the caption and the names go out typed in order, or with a plain note that a track is unreleased. Set it per post, since every clip has different tracks.
• “Is the full set up?” MIX sends the recording.
• “Where are you playing next?” TICKETS, kept current.
• Promoters asking for a mix and a rider. PRESS sends the kit; the fee is a conversation for you.

From people booking you

• “How much for four hours?” RATES.
• “Can you do the ceremony as well?” WEDDING covers the extra sound and the microphone.
• “Will you play what we ask for?” REQUESTS explains the form and how you take requests on the night.
• “Are you insured?” Answer this yourself and send the certificate by email. Venues often ask DJs for public liability cover, and in the UK many also want PAT test records for the equipment.

Before you reply to a promoter you don't know, DMFast's Research can pull up their public Instagram account, with its follower count and recent posts, so you can see what their nights look like.

Meta's music guidelines say its apps aren't for providing a music-listening experience, that a video's main purpose shouldn't be recorded audio alone, and that the more of a post is music, the more likely it is to be restricted. They recommend short clips, and live video is held to the same rules. Long recorded sets are the posts most likely to be muted or blocked.

• Keep clips short and give people something to watch: the crowd, your hands on the mixer, the room filling up.
• Host full sets on a platform made for DJ mixes and hand them out with MIX, rather than uploading the hour to Instagram.
• Account type changes the music picker. Business accounts get a smaller library of licensed tracks for Reels and Stories than Creator accounts. DMFast works with both, so choose the one that fits how you post.
• Put MIX, TICKETS and PRESS links on a DMFast link-in-bio page too, for people who tap your profile instead of commenting.

Tip: If you film at weddings and private parties, ask the client before posting, and keep guests who haven't agreed out of shot. A clip from someone's wedding is their memory before it's your marketing.

1. RATES or WEDDING sends the packages and asks for the date and venue. You check the diary and reply in person.
2. Confirm with a contract and a deposit by email. Many DJs only hold a date once the deposit is paid; say what you do on the packages page.
3. A few weeks out, send the REQUESTS form, and ask the venue about load-in times, power, any sound limiter and whether haze is allowed, since it can set off smoke alarms.
4. On the night, guests tag you in Stories, and the story-mention reply hands them the playlist along with your booking details.
5. Afterwards, ask the client for a review, ideally within the week.

Based in India? The DMFast store can sell digital products you own outright, such as a mixing course or a sample pack you made, and take paid one-to-one calls, such as an online lesson or a planning call with a couple. Payments go through Razorpay, and DMFast takes no fee on sales.

• MIX also fires on “this mix is unreal”. That's usually welcome, since the person wanted more; if other DJs' compliments keep setting it off, switch to FULLSET.
• People really do type ID, but a two-letter keyword catches more than you'd guess. If you add it, use it on clip posts only, and comment from another account to see what sets it off.
• WEDDING suits wedding content, but it would also answer “this was our wedding song” under a club clip. Attach it to wedding posts only.
• Each person gets one reply a day from each auto-reply, and comments that are only links or promo spam are skipped, so the accounts offering to “promote” your Reel get nothing back.
• Meta permits a single private reply to each comment, inside 7 days. If a clip spreads, Instagram stops at 750 private replies an hour; DMFast keeps under 700 and queues the overflow.