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Instagram auto-replies for schools and colleges

Admissions season fills a school's Instagram inbox with the same questions about dates, fees and subjects. Comment-to-DM answers them with the prospectus details you approve and asks which year or course. It never answers a welfare question, so those go to a named member of staff.

Updated 6 October 2026

Start free See the set-ups

Comment words for schools and colleges

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

OPENDAY: Dates and times of open days, how to reserve a place, where to park and what a tour covers, including accessibility information.
ADMISSIONS: How to apply, the deadline for each entry year, the documents needed and how and when families hear the decision.
FEES: Tuition fees by programme or year, what is and is not included, how payment terms work and where to ask about financial help.
PROSPECTUS: The prospectus or course guide for the year the visitor asks about, including class sizes, exam results presented as you published them and the subjects offered.
COURSES: A list of programmes or subject options, entry requirements and how long each runs, for people choosing a pathway.
SCHOLARSHIP: Awards and bursaries: who qualifies, what is covered, when applications close and who reads them.
TRANSPORT: Bus routes, drop-off arrangements, cycle storage and boarding or hostel details for families deciding on the journey.

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.

Open day booking from a campus-tour Reel
Someone comments on your post
OPENDAY
Public reply under their comment
Thanks, the open day details are in your DMs
First DM (plain text)
Thanks for watching. Which year or programme are you interested in, and is this for you or for your child? Reply and I'll send the open day dates and how to reserve a place.Yes pleaseOpen day dates and bookingSee the dates
Tour Reels draw parents who are weighing two or three schools. The year group decides which open day applies, and knowing whether the reader is a parent or a student tells admissions how to word the follow-up.
Prospectus from a day-in-the-life carousel
Someone comments on your post
PROSPECTUS
Public reply under their comment
Sent, check your DMs for the prospectus
First DM (plain text)
Thanks for the interest. Which year are you looking at, and is there a subject or activity that matters most? Reply here and I'll send the prospectus for that year.Yes pleaseProspectusOpen the prospectus
A carousel of one pupil's timetable is saved by parents researching. The year they name prevents someone getting the wrong prospectus, and a subject or activity helps the school see what families care about.
Fee questions in direct messages
FEESThanks for asking about fees. Which year or programme do you mean? Reply and I'll send the current fee schedule and what is included, and tell you who to contact about payment terms.Fees and what they coverSee the fees
Add TUITION and COST to the same auto-reply. Fees differ by year or programme, so a question first stops one figure going to the wrong family. The card states the published fees only, and any discussion about payment or help goes to the finance office.
Application help from a deadline Story
Replied to your story
APPLYGlad you're thinking of applying. Have you already started the form, or would you like to know what documents you need first? Reply and I'll send the steps and the deadline.How to apply and whenSee the steps
A deadline countdown Story is read by families who have left things late. The question separates people who need the full process from those who only want the document list, and a single card keeps the deadline visible.

Freebies worth commenting for

A day-in-the-life timetable for a first-year pupil, with breaks and lunch marked
A checklist of documents needed for an application, with the format each should be in
A parent's guide to the first week, with drop-off times, uniform and who to contact
A guide to choosing subject options, with how each choice affects later study
A campus or site map with accessibility routes and the quietest corners at break
A reading list for new students, chosen by the teaching staff
A scholarship application checklist, with the dates and who reads each form
A guide to getting to school: bus routes, cycle storage and where to wait for pickup

What families and applicants ask a school in DMs

Most enquiries arrive in a few weeks around admissions and open days. They come from parents, from older students who manage their own application, and from current pupils. The first group is where a fixed answer helps. The others need care.

They ask	Send automatically	Answer yourself when
When is the open day?	The OPENDAY card, with a question about year or programme	They have a disability or access need that changes the tour
What are the fees?	The FEES card, with published figures only	They ask for a discount, a payment plan or an exception
Do you have a place for next year?	The ADMISSIONS card	They ask about a place after the deadline: the admissions team decides
What do your results look like?	The PROSPECTUS card, quoting only published figures	They want to compare you with another school
My child is being bullied.	Nothing automatic	Always: a named member of staff replies the same day
A pupil messaging the school account about a private worry	Nothing automatic	Always: follow your safeguarding policy and never rely on a bot

Tip: Say on the card who answers welfare and safeguarding concerns and how to reach them out of hours. Never route those through an auto-reply.

Posts that earn comments for a school

A tour Reel with a student guide, filmed with permission, with OPENDAY.
A carousel of a pupil's timetable from the first bell to the last, with PROSPECTUS.
A post on how subject choices work, with COURSES for the full list.
A Story with the application deadline, with ADMISSIONS in the text.
A thank-you to the staff and families who fund a scholarship, with SCHOLARSHIP for how to apply.
A map graphic of the morning drop-off, with TRANSPORT for routes and times.

School enquiries are not spread evenly. Interest swells in the months before the admissions deadline, after open days and around exam result days, when families reconsider options. Put the words live a few weeks ahead of those dates and test each one from a second account.

From a comment to a booked visit

The first DM asks about the year or programme. The answer matches the visitor to the right dates and the right document.
The card opens your own booking or admissions page. DMFast does not hold a place, take an application or read your student records.
Offer the first-week guide or the document checklist for an email. The CSV export gives admissions a list for reminders about deadlines, with the family's agreement.
Use the single reminder for people who asked about fees or an open day and went quiet.
Have an admissions officer read every reply that shares a child's name or circumstances.

A school or college in India could use the DMFast store for paid short courses or revision packs as digital products, a free guide for an email, or 1-on-1 counselling-style booking slots for applicants, with payments through Razorpay. Enrolment and tuition fees stay in your own system.

Children, privacy and what to promise

Minors. Instagram expects users to be at least 13, and pupils are often younger or close to it. Address parents on cards about fees and admissions, and keep welfare out of automated chats.
Photos. Show a pupil's face only with a parent's agreement, and remember that a school uniform can identify a child to strangers. Many schools keep names off posts altogether.
Staff and pupil messages. Many schools bar staff from private messages with pupils on social media. Check your policy, and use a shared school account that more than one adult can see.
Results and rankings. Quote only figures you have published, with the year and who produced them. Advertising rules on education claims differ by country.
Fees and aid. State published fees and eligibility only. Do not discuss an individual family's finances in an automated reply.
Meta's limits. A comment gets one private reply, within 7 days. Automated messages reach someone only within 24 hours of their last message.

Messages to copy

Questions people ask

Can the first DM include the prospectus link?

Not after a comment. Instagram allows only plain text in the first message to a commenter, so it asks which year they have in mind, and DMFast sends the card with your link when they reply. A Story reply or a DM someone sends first can get the card straight away.

Can it tell a parent whether we have a place?

No. DMFast does not connect to admissions systems or student records. It sends the dates, steps and card you wrote, and the admissions office confirms places. Say that on the ADMISSIONS card so no one thinks a reply is a decision.

Will it reply to a pupil who messages the school account?

A keyword reply sends only the fixed message you wrote for that word. It does not read a worry and cannot assess risk. Keep a safeguarding contact in your bio and follow your school's policy for how pupils may contact you.

Can we message all applicants about the deadline?

Not through Instagram. Automated messages reach only people who wrote to you within 24 hours, and official tools do not send mass DMs. Use the emails you collected with permission, and check your local rules on marketing messages and data about children.

Does it work for a college run by a department or a student union?

Yes, with an Instagram Creator or Business account or a Facebook Page. Use a distinct keyword for each office so a comment never reaches the wrong card, and check who owns the login before an admissions team changes.

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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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