Who can connect
Instagram only offers messaging to Business and Creator accounts. If yours is a personal account, switch it to professional in the Instagram app first. It is free and takes a minute.
ChatterMate connects through Instagram Login, so you sign in with Instagram itself. You do not need a Facebook Page or a Meta app.
Two ways to connect Instagram
Either way the access token is encrypted at rest. If Meta stops accepting the account's access, ChatterMate marks it for reconnecting so you know replies have stopped.
| On our cloud | Self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| How | Press Continue with Instagram and sign in | Enter the Instagram account ID and the linked Page access token |
| Facebook Page | Not needed | Needed: the account must be linked to a Page |
| Meta app | ChatterMate's | Your own |
| Webhooks | Subscribed for you | Set up in your Meta app |
| Checks | The account ID is read from Instagram after login | ChatterMate rejects an ID that is not an Instagram professional account, such as a pasted Page ID |
DMs, not comments
ChatterMate answers direct messages. It does not reply to comments on your posts or reels, and it does not send DMs to people who comment.
- Replies to people who message you first
- Text answers; photos and voice notes are not passed on yet
- No replies to comments
- No mass DMs or broadcasts
That is a deliberate fit for support: a DM is where someone asks about their own order or a product they want. If a comment needs a public answer, a person should write it.
Meta's messaging window on Instagram
Instagram has no template to reopen a closed window, unlike WhatsApp. That makes the speed of your handover the thing to watch.
- Step 1Someone sends a DMA 24-hour window opens for replies.
- Step 2The AI answers at onceMost questions are settled well inside the window.
- Step 3A person takes overYour team replies from the inbox while the window is open.
- Step 4After 24 hoursA reply can no longer be delivered until the customer writes again.
Tappable choices on Instagram
With Reply buttons on in your agent, choices appear as quick replies above the keyboard, up to 10. Each title holds 20 characters and longer ones are shortened.
Instagram doesn't show quick replies there, so ChatterMate also writes the choices into the message as a numbered list. Customers can type the answer instead.
Instagram caps a message at 1,000 characters, and ChatterMate trims anything longer, so ask your agent for short answers.
What people ask in Instagram DMs
- 1After seeing a post
Price, sizes, colours and whether it is in stock. Keep a product or FAQ page in your knowledge so the AI can answer.
- 2Before they buy
Shipping times, countries you ship to and the returns policy, straight from your policy pages.
- 3After they buy
A late or damaged order needs a person. Tell your agent to hand these off.
How Instagram compares with Meta's other channels
All three answer from the same knowledge and land in the same inbox. The rules around them differ.
| Messenger | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Reply window | 24 hours from their last message | 24 hours from their last message | 24 hours from their last message |
| After the window | Wait for the customer | Wait for the customer | Send an approved template |
| Start a conversation | No | No | Yes, with a Utility or Authentication template |
| Tappable choices | Quick replies in the app, a numbered list on desktop | Quick replies | Buttons or a list |
| Longest message | 1,000 characters | 2,000 characters | 4,096 characters |
| Delivery ticks in the inbox | No | No | Sent, delivered and read |
Set up your Instagram chatbot in this order
- 1Teach the agent
Add your product pages, shipping and returns policy. Check it answers the ten DMs you get most.
- 2Connect the account
Continue with Instagram and sign in to the professional account.
- 3Choose the rules
Assign an agent, turn on handover with a group, and turn on Reply buttons if you want them.
- 4Test from another account
DM your business from a personal account. Ask for a person and reply from the inbox.
Instagram chatbot questions
Do I need a Facebook Page?
Not on our cloud. Sign in with Instagram and assign an agent. If you self-host, you use your own Meta app and the Page linked to the account.
Can it reply to every DM?
It replies to people who message you first, within Meta's 24-hour window. It doesn't send mass DMs.
Will it reply to comments?
No. It answers DMs only.
Can my team step in?
Yes. Instagram chats sit in your shared inbox, next to your other channels, and your reply arrives in the same DM thread.
Which plan do I need?
Every channel except the website widget is on the Growth plan ($9.99 a month, 2,500 AI replies) and above. New accounts get 14 days of Growth with no card. Self-hosted has no plan limits.