Glossary
What are ice breakers in DMs?
Ice breakers are up to four questions a business sets for its Instagram or Messenger chat, so someone opening it can tap “Do you ship to Ireland?” instead of working out what to type. The tap sends the question to the business, which can answer it automatically.
Updated 6 October 2026
Ice breakers are up to four frequently asked questions a business shows in its Instagram or Messenger chat. Tapping one starts the conversation.
How ice breakers work
- Four questions at most. Each pairs the words people see with a hidden payload that identifies it.
- A tap sends the business a postback carrying the question and its payload, and an automation uses the payload to choose the answer.
- Through Meta’s API they’re part of the account’s messaging profile, which is how developers and messaging tools add them.
- Different languages can get their own questions, with one default set as the fallback.
- Instagram doesn’t show them on desktop, so people messaging from a computer won’t see them.
Messenger offers the same feature to Facebook Pages, set through the same profile settings. Some tools label them conversation starters or FAQs. Whatever the name, they’re made for opening a conversation, so someone who has already chatted with the business may not see them again.
Writing ice breakers people tap
Four slots fill up fast, so choose from your inbox, not from guesswork. Scroll back through a month of DMs and count which questions come up most. Those, worded the way customers write them, make the best ice breakers.
| Weak | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping | Do you ship to the UK? | It reads like something a customer would ask |
| Info | What are your opening hours? | People know what they’ll get before they tap |
| Click for prices | How much is a custom cake? | A question invites an answer; a command doesn’t |
| Contact | Can I talk to a person? | It gives people a way out of the automation |
Tip: Have an answer ready for every question before it goes live. An ice breaker that gets no reply is worse than no ice breaker at all.
Ice breakers and other tap-to-answer tools
Meta’s messaging tools offer several kinds of tappable options, and each appears at a different moment in a chat.
- Ice breakers: before anything has been said, up to four, set once for the whole account.
- Quick replies: under one message the business has just sent, up to 13, gone after a tap.
- Persistent menu: a Messenger menu that stays available throughout the chat, with up to 20 buttons.
- DM keywords: words people type, such as PRICE or HOURS, that trigger a set answer.
Because the person opens the conversation with their tap, the answer can include a link, a card or more buttons straight away. A private reply to a comment is different: it’s a single text message, and nothing more can follow until the commenter answers.
An example
A florist’s ice breakers read “Can I get same-day delivery?”, “What do bouquets cost?”, “Do you do weddings?” and “Can I talk to someone?”. A visitor taps the second and gets the price list at once.
Questions people ask
How many ice breakers can I set?
Four. Meta’s API accepts no more than four questions, so pick the ones your inbox shows people ask most and keep each short enough to read at a glance.
Why can’t I see my ice breakers?
Check on a phone, because Instagram doesn’t show them on desktop. They’re also meant for new conversations, so an account that has already messaged yours may not see them; test from one that hasn’t.
Do ice breakers work on Facebook Messenger?
Yes. A Facebook Page can set its own ice breakers for Messenger through the same messaging profile settings that Instagram accounts use.
What happens when someone taps an ice breaker?
The business receives the question with its payload, a hidden label that says which one was tapped. An automation reads the label and sends the matching answer, which can include links and buttons because the person started the chat.
Can ice breakers be in more than one language?
Yes. The API takes a separate set of questions for each locale, plus a default set for everyone whose language you haven’t covered.
Sources
Related terms
- Quick repliesQuick replies are up to 13 buttons attached to a business’s message. Tapping one posts its words as the person’s reply, and the buttons disappear.
- Persistent menuA persistent menu is a set of buttons a Facebook Page keeps available in its Messenger chats, linking to things like opening hours, products or support.
- DM keywordA DM keyword is a word or phrase, such as PRICE or MENU, that sets off an automatic reply when someone sends it to your account in a direct message.
- Inbox automationInbox automation is a set of rules that act on incoming DMs by themselves: replying, asking follow-up questions, labelling chats or handing them to a person.
- ChatbotA chatbot is software that answers messages automatically, either by following rules you set, like keywords and buttons, or by writing replies with AI.
- Generic template (message cards)A generic template is a DM card with a title, an optional image and subtitle, and up to three buttons. Up to 10 cards in one message make a carousel.
More terms
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