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Message and Carousel Templates

Message Templates (/templates) are the reusable content blocks that AutoDM dispatches during automations, inbound DMs, and campaign workflows.

1. Template Formats​

AutoDM supports three primary template formats:

FormatChannelDescription
Direct Message (DM)Instagram & FacebookPrivate text messages with rotating variations, CTA buttons, media attachments, and time-based routing.
Product CarouselInstagram OnlyHorizontal swipeable product slider with images, subtitles, prices, and direct CTA buttons.
Comment ReplyInstagram & FacebookPublic replies posted directly under a user's comment on your post or reel.

2. Direct Message (DM) Templates​

Multiple Rotating Variations​

To keep automated interactions feeling authentic and to prevent Meta from flagging repetitive identical messages as spam, AutoDM lets you define up to 5 rotating variations per template.

  • When an automation triggers, AutoDM randomly rotates through your active variations.
  • Each variation supports up to 1,000 characters (enforced by Meta compliance limits).

Personalization Tags​

Click any variable pill to insert dynamic recipient information into your copy:

  • {username}: Replaced with the recipient's Instagram username or Facebook name (e.g., @alex_smith).
  • {first_name}: Extracts and inserts the recipient's first name (e.g., Alex).
  • {salutation}: Context-aware dynamic greeting based on the recipient's current time of day:
    • Morning (05:00 to 11:59): "Good morning"
    • Afternoon (12:00 to 16:59): "Good afternoon"
    • Evening (17:00 to 04:59): "Good evening"
  • @{creator}: Inserts your own account handle.

Interactive CTA Buttons​

You can attach interactive buttons to your direct messages:

  1. Website URL (web_url):
    • Directs the recipient to an external website, checkout page, or resource.
    • Requirement: Must be a valid, secure https:// URL. Meta rejects IP addresses, localhost, and malformed domains.
  2. Action / Postback (postback):
    • Triggers an immediate downstream action or keyword automation when tapped inside the chat window.

Rich Media Attachments​

Attach files directly to your direct message:

  • Images: JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF (available on all plans, up to 8MB).
  • Video: MP4, MOV (Creator Pro plan, up to 25MB).
  • Voice Notes / Audio: MP3, M4A, WAV, OGG (Creator Pro plan, up to 25MB). Delivered in the Instagram chat as an authentic voice memo.
  • Documents: PDF documents (Creator Pro plan, up to 25MB).

Time-Based Routing (Operating Hours & Off-Hours Schedules)​

Direct message templates can be configured to adapt their reply based on the time of day:

  1. Timezone Selection: Choose your operational timezone (e.g., Asia/Kolkata, America/New_York, Europe/London, UTC).
  2. Active Time Windows (Up to 3 Periods):
    • Configure a schedule name, start time, end time, and active days of the week (Monday through Sunday).
    • Define custom reply variations specific to that schedule window (e.g., daytime support team hours).
    • Conflict Detection: AutoDM automatically checks your configured periods and warns you if any time ranges or days overlap.
  3. Out-of-Office / Off-Hours Fallbacks:
    • Define fallback reply variations that are dispatched automatically when an interaction occurs outside your active operating hours.

Product Carousels provide an ecommerce shopping experience directly inside Instagram Direct Messages:

  • Card Count: Minimum of 2 cards and up to 10 cards per carousel.
  • Card Fields:
    • Card Title: Product or collection title (up to 80 characters).
    • Subtitle / Price: Price, discount, or short product highlight (up to 80 characters).
    • Image URL: Publicly accessible HTTPS image link displaying the item.
    • Button Title: Call-to-action label, such as "Shop Now", "Buy Now", or "View Details" (up to 20 characters).
    • Button URL: Destination product URL (must be a valid Meta-compatible HTTPS URL).
  • Introductory Message: Optional intro text (up to 1,000 characters) sent right before the carousel cards render.

4. Comment Reply Templates​

Comment Reply templates govern the public replies posted under your feed posts and video reels:

  • Define up to 5 rotating variations (e.g., "Sent you a DM! Check your inbox 📥", "Just sent the link to your requests! 💬").
  • AutoDM rotates through your variations across incoming comments, maintaining a natural comment section.
  • Supports up to 1,000 characters per variation.

5. Managing Your Templates​

From the Templates directory (/templates), you can:

  • Filter templates by category: All, Direct Message, Product Carousel, or Comment Reply.
  • Search across template names, descriptions, and message text.
  • Duplicate: Create a copy of any existing template with one click to use as a starting point for new campaigns.
  • Preview: Open the standalone live smartphone preview modal to review your messages and cards before deployment.
  • Edit or Delete: Modify templates anytime. Existing automations referencing the template will automatically deliver the updated content.