Instagram DM rules every brand should know

Instagram allows businesses to automate messages, but within clear rules. Tools built on the official API follow them for you.

The 24-hour window

You can message a person freely for 24 hours after they last messaged you. After that, you need to wait until they write again.

One private reply per comment

When someone comments, you may send them one private reply to that comment. If they answer, a normal conversation starts.

No cold outreach

Messaging people who never contacted you is not allowed. Good automation only replies to people who interacted first.

Respect rate limits

Sending hundreds of messages at once looks like spam. A reliable tool queues messages and spreads them out safely.