Instagram welcome message: a greeting for every new DM

What a welcome message does, and what it doesn’t

It fires on a first message: the person writes to you, the greeting goes out. Meta describes its Auto reply template as replying “with a greeting when someone messages you for the first time” (Meta Business Help Center, read on 24 October 2026). At PlugKit, the trigger is called a new conversation.

It does not fire when someone follows you. Messaging every new follower is a different feature: ManyChat advertises it as Follow to DM on its official page, and PlugKit does not document one (both read on 24 October 2026).

A good greeting does three things: it confirms the message arrived, it says when you will answer, and it asks a question that moves the conversation forward.

The native setting in Meta Business Suite

1. Go to Inbox in Meta Business Suite, on desktop.
2. Click Automations, then Create automation.
3. Choose Auto reply and write your message.
4. Check the toggle below Status: it must be on.

Meta warns that the automation may take a few minutes to appear in the list. Then test it from an account that has never written to you: otherwise it is not a first message and nothing goes out.

With PlugKit: a greeting your AI prepares

At PlugKit, the greeting is a sequence: a list of messages, each with its delay in minutes, triggered by a new conversation. A delay of 0 sends the message right away, and the stop option ends the sequence as soon as the person replies (PlugKit documentation, read on 24 October 2026). You do not need to know these settings: you ask your AI.

“For every new DM on my Instagram, send a greeting right away that says I reply within the day and asks what the person is looking for. If they don’t answer, follow up once before the 24 hours are up.”

There is also a ready-made playbook, “Welcome every new DM”: an instant reply, then a qualifying question. PlugKit’s pricing page lists playbooks in the Pro plan (read on 24 October 2026).

Our real test

On Occirank’s Instagram account, Claude prepared the sequence, and it first spotted that a follow-up was already active on the account. Measured result: the welcome message went out 8 seconds after a new contact’s first DM.

The follow-up was set at 23 hours, not 24. At exactly 24 hours, it would land on the limit of Meta’s window and fail. The video below shows everything, from the request to Claude to the 24-hour trap.

What to write: three templates to adapt

• Creator: “Hey, thanks for your message! I read everything myself and reply within the day. Tell me in one sentence what you’re looking for, it helps me answer faster.”
• Shop: “Hi and thanks! For an order, send me your order number. For a question about a product, tell me which one.”
• Service business: “Thanks for your message. For a quote, tell me what you need and where you’re based, and I’ll get back to you soon.”

Keep it short and human, and do not promise a delay you cannot keep: the greeting goes out in seconds, your real answer does not. End with a question: if the person replies, a new 24-hour window opens.

Don’t stack greetings

On a single account, several settings can answer the same first message: the Auto reply in Meta Business Suite, an away message, the frequently asked questions in the app and your PlugKit sequence. Meta says its custom automations are prioritised over the others, but nothing coordinates a Meta tool with a third-party one. Pick one owner for the greeting, and keep frequently asked questions for the questions you get all the time.

The limits to know

• The 24-hour window: every message in the sequence must go out within 24 hours of the person’s last message. At PlugKit, a step that falls outside the window is recorded as failed for that person, and the sequence carries on. The details are on the instagram 24 hour rule page.
• First message only: conversations that already exist do not get the greeting.
• One greeting at a time: if Meta Business Suite and PlugKit both send theirs, the person gets two. Keep a single tool for the greeting.
• A sequence is not a conversation: it sends prepared messages. When the person replies, it is up to you (or your AI, when you ask) to take over.