The short answer
Both are free. On Instagram, use Automations in Meta Business Suite. On WhatsApp, use the Business app's greeting and away messages. Steps and templates inside.
A customer messages you on Instagram at 11pm asking if you have something in stock. They message two other shops too, and buy from whoever answers first. An automatic reply won't close the sale on its own, but it tells them you've seen the message, when you'll reply and where to find answers in the meantime. Instagram and WhatsApp both have free tools for this. Here's how to set them up, and what to write.
What you need first
- For Instagram: a professional account (business or creator). You can switch for free in your Instagram settings.
- Meta Business Suite, Meta's free dashboard for Instagram and Facebook. Most of Instagram's automatic replies are set up there, on a computer.
- For WhatsApp: the free WhatsApp Business app, which is separate from ordinary WhatsApp. You can move your existing number and chats over when you install it.
Meta moves and renames these settings now and then, so the menus in your account may look slightly different from the steps below.
How to set up an instant reply on Instagram
An instant reply is sent automatically the first time someone messages you.
- Open Meta Business Suite on a computer and log in with the account linked to your Instagram.
- Go to Inbox, then Automations.
- Choose Instant reply and select Instagram as the platform.
- Write your message. Keep it short; around 500 characters is the limit. You can add the person's first name.
- Save it and check the switch is turned on. New automations are sometimes saved switched off.
How to set up an away message on Instagram
An away message goes out when someone messages outside the hours you choose. In the same Automations menu, choose Away message, select Instagram, write the message and set your schedule. If your hours change at weekends or holidays, set a custom schedule so the reply stays accurate.
Answering common questions automatically on Instagram
- FAQs: in the Instagram app, you can add up to four common questions that appear when someone starts a chat with you. They tap one and get your saved answer. Look for it in your messaging settings, under tools.
- Custom keywords: in Meta Business Suite's Automations, you can send a set reply when a message contains certain words, like "price" or "delivery". Each automation takes up to five keywords, the match has to be exact, and the reply waits 15 minutes in case you answer yourself first.
- Comment to message: some accounts can send a private message to anyone who comments a chosen word on a post. It's useful for "comment LINK and I'll send it to you" posts.
- Saved replies: shortcuts for answers you type often. These aren't automatic, but they save time when you reply yourself.
How to set up a greeting message on WhatsApp Business
A greeting message welcomes people the first time they message you, or when they message again after 14 days of silence.
- Open the WhatsApp Business app and go to Settings.
- Tap Business tools, then Greeting message.
- Turn on Send greeting message.
- Write the message and choose who gets it: everyone, or everyone except certain contacts.
- Tap Save.
How to set up an away message on WhatsApp Business
- In Business tools, tap Away message.
- Turn on Send away message and write the message.
- Under Schedule, choose Always send, a custom schedule, or Outside of business hours (which uses the hours in your business profile).
- Choose who gets it, then tap Save.
WhatsApp Business also has quick replies: you save an answer under a shortcut, then type a forward slash in a chat to pick it. Like Instagram's saved replies, they speed up your own typing rather than sending anything automatically.
What to write in an automatic reply
A good automatic reply does three small things: thanks the person, says when a real person will answer, and points them to anything that might help now. Be honest that it's automatic. Here are three you can adapt:
“Hi {first name}, thanks for your message! This is an automatic reply so you know we've got it. We answer between 9am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday, usually within an hour. Prices and delivery info are on our website: yoursite.com/faq”
“Thanks for getting in touch. We're closed right now and back at 9am tomorrow, when we'll reply. If you'd like to book, you can choose a time here: yoursite.com/book”
“Hello and welcome to {business name}! Tell us what you're looking for and we'll get back to you today. For opening hours and our full menu, see yoursite.com”
Where the free tools stop
The built-in tools send the same message to everyone, or a fixed reply to a keyword. They can't check whether an order has shipped, look up a table for Friday or answer a question they weren't given. For that you need a chatbot connected to Instagram or to the WhatsApp Business Platform, the paid version of WhatsApp for businesses.
There are rules to know if you go that way. On both apps, businesses can reply freely within 24 hours of a customer's last message; outside that window, what you can send is restricted. On the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta charges for some message types, such as marketing messages, while replies inside that 24-hour window are free. Do I need a chatbot, or just a better FAQ page? helps you decide whether it's worth it.
Mistakes to avoid
- Pretending to be a person. Say it's an automatic reply; people don't mind, but they do mind finding out.
- Writing an essay. Two or three short sentences get read; a long block gets skipped.
- Leaving an old away message running after your hours change or a holiday ends.
- Sending people to a link that doesn't answer their question.
- Setting it up and never testing it. Message your own account from a friend's phone and see what arrives.
When you're ready for more
If the free replies help but you're still answering the same questions all day, our AI chatbot service builds an assistant for WhatsApp, Instagram and your website that answers in your voice, with your real prices and policies, and hands anything tricky to a person. For other jobs you can hand to software, see 5 tasks small businesses can automate today.
