Practical guide
Instagram story replies: don't miss your shop's hottest message
When a customer writes “price?” or “in stock?” under your story, they have just seen the product and are deciding right now. It is one of the hottest messages a shop page gets, and if it sits unanswered for hours, the customer moves on to the next page.
This guide shows where a story reply actually lands, what types there are, and how to make sure none slips through with keyword rules and human replies. If you want ready-made wording, see 30 ready-made DM replies too.
Why is a story reply different from a comment?
A comment is public and everyone sees it; a story reply is private and goes straight to your DMs. A customer asking about price or size usually does not want to ask in front of everyone, so they ask here.
A story normally disappears from the page after 24 hours. If your answer comes late, the customer may no longer remember which product they saw. Speed matters here more than in most other places.
Where does a story reply land in shagerdAi?
On Instagram a story reply is a direct message, not a comment. It is the same in shagerdAi: it sits in the Direct tab of the inbox, not in the Comments tab, and follows the normal DM path. Keyword rules are checked first, then the product showcase, and if neither answers, an AI suggestion (if turned on) or your own reply.
Under Meta's messaging rules, when a customer messages you a standard 24-hour window to reply opens. So the best time to answer is the first few hours, not tomorrow.
Four kinds of story reply every shop page gets
A direct question: “price?”, “in stock?”
The simplest case. One keyword rule with several spellings (“price”, “how much”, “قیمت”) and a link to the product page or the showcase answers most of these on the spot.
A detail question: size, colour, material
The answer depends on the product, so one generic keyword is a poor fit. It is better to let these reach an admin, or look at the AI suggestion and confirm it yourself.
A silent reaction: an emoji, “wow”, “love it”
Not all of them are purchases, but they show interest. A short, friendly message asking “need any help?” does more than silence. If the customer does not continue, do not chase for long.
A buying request: “I want to buy”, “address?”
This is the hottest kind. If the showcase and cart link are connected, open the buying path right there; if not, give the product page link and continue yourself. Product showcase in DMs.
Set it up in four steps
Step 1: review last week’s replies
Write down the five questions that repeat most. A handful of questions usually makes up most of the messages.
Step 2: one rule per question
Give each rule several spellings (Persian, Arabic-keyboard, Latin) as aliases. Before matching, shagerdAi unifies letters like ی/ي and ک/ك and digits.
Step 3: leave unclear questions to a human
If no rule matches, no automatic message is sent and the message waits in the inbox. This is deliberate: a wrong answer is worse than a later one.
Step 4: after you reply by hand, rules stay quiet
When you answer in a conversation yourself, automatic rules for that conversation switch off for 120 minutes by default so the bot does not jump into the middle of your reply.
Three common mistakes
Answering late
A story reply has a short life, and the later you answer the lower the chance of a sale. On busy days automate only those five repeated questions so your hands stay free for the rest.
One text for everything
A copy-pasted answer under every kind of reply feels bad. Write separate wording for each type, and name the product if you know which one the customer saw.
Promising without being sure
Do not write “in stock” until you are sure the product is available. An automatic rule does not know your stock; it only sends the text you wrote.
What does it cost?
Each successful reply sent from the panel or by an automatic rule costs 1,000 toman, and each AI processing costs 1,000 toman. If you have not turned on the AI module, replies that match no rule just stay in the inbox and cost nothing until you answer them yourself. The details are on the pricing page and in credit wallet or subscription.
Q&A
- Does a story reply appear in the Comments tab?
- No. A story reply is a direct message and appears in the Direct tab of the inbox. The Comments tab is for comments on posts, Reels and Live.
- Can every story reply be answered automatically?
- Only the ones that match rules you wrote yourself. The rest wait for a human, and AI text is never sent to a customer without admin confirmation.
- What if a customer only sends an emoji?
- A short, friendly message like “need any help?” is enough. If they do not answer, do not chase for long.
- How long do I have to answer?
- Under Meta's messaging rules the standard reply window is 24 hours after the customer's message. It is better to answer much sooner.
Don't lose your story replies
Connect your page, build a few keyword rules and get your inbox in order starting today.