Instagram auto-replies for makeup artists

A makeup artist's inbox mixes three groups: people who want your products, people who want you for a day, and people who want to learn. Each needs a different first answer, and only the bookings need you in person.

Tip: AI replies, on the Growth and Business plans, answer messages outside your keywords using only the business information you write. Add your travel area, early-start charge, whether you do hair and how far ahead brides tend to book, so “do you come to our venue?” gets a real answer.

• A get-ready-with-me Reel with every product held up to camera as you use it, and PRODUCTS in the caption.
• A bride's finished look, posted after the wedding and with her permission, with BRIDAL. Some brides want nothing online until they've shared their own photos.
• A half-and-half face, one side finished and one bare, with HOODED or whichever technique you used.
• The same face photographed with and without flash, with FLASH for the guide.
• A Monday Story showing the weekend's free slots, with GLAM as the reply word.
• A student's first full face beside their final assessment, shared with their consent, with COURSE.

Post your work unfiltered and in daylight where you can. In 2021 the UK's advertising regulator ruled that Instagram ads for tanning products were misleading because beauty filters exaggerated the results. A portfolio is an advert for your service, and a filter that smooths away skin texture promises a finish no foundation can give.

Tip: Leave GLOW, LOOK and STUNNING off your trigger list. They appear in compliments under almost every post, and a kind word shouldn't earn someone your bridal price list.

1. BRIDAL sends your packages and asks for the date, the town, the headcount and the ready time.
2. You check the diary and answer personally, the same day if you can. If the date is taken, say so kindly and suggest an artist you trust.
3. A booking form and a deposit hold the date, through the booking or invoicing tool you already use.
4. Before the trial, send the TRIAL checklist so the bride brings photos of the dress and jewellery and notes about her skin. Book it near enough to the wedding that her hair colour and any tan will look the same on the day.
5. Send the morning's timetable by email, where the bride, the bridesmaids and the photographer can all see it without scrolling back through a chat.

In India, one bride may book you for several functions, each with its own look, and many ask whether you offer HD or airbrush makeup and saree draping. Answer those on the BRIDAL card, with a price per function, so the first call can be about the looks themselves.

• Hygiene. Disposable mascara wands and lip applicators, brushes cleaned between clients and no double-dipping are worth showing on camera, because clients can't inspect your kit before they book.
• Sensitive skin. Ask about allergies before the trial, try anything new on the client then, and never let an automated reply answer “will this make me react?”.
• Paid links. If the PRODUCTS list includes affiliate links or gifted products, label them. Advertising rules in the UK, the US and India all expect paid relationships to be disclosed clearly.
• Licences. Whether you need one to do makeup for money depends on where you work, and some US states require a cosmetology or similar licence. Check the rules for your area.
• Live tutorials. A comment made during an Instagram Live can only get a private reply while the Live is still running, so set the word up before you start.
• Volume. Each comment can get one private reply, within 7 days of being posted. A viral look can pass Instagram's limit of 750 private replies an hour; DMFast keeps under 700 and queues the rest.