How to answer comments on instagram


How to Respond to Instagram Comments (The Right Way)

When someone has commented on your Instagram post, you have the opportunity to engage with them and build a relationship. However, there are also some things you should avoid doing when responding to comments on Instagram.

4 Best Practices for Responding to Instagram Comments


1. Reply within a few hours

According to Sprout Social, the average response time for brands on social media is 23 hours. Replying to your audience as soon as possible shows you appreciate the feedback and that you’re engaged with your followers. That said, it's impractical to respond to every comment instantaneously - even if you have a dedicated person doing it. A good target is to respond within a few hours. Chatdesk Brand Experts can help you respond faster to your Instagram comments starting at $99/month.

2. Be polite and respectful

When replying to comments, be polite and respectful. Remember that you’re interacting with real people and that your replies are public.

3. Keep it brief

When responding to comments, keep your responses brief. This will keep the conversation moving and your followers engaged. Emojis are a great way to add personality to your responses and keep the conversation light.

4. Be personal

Being personal and engaging makes you relatable and will help you build relationships and loyalty with your followers. If you have the time, respond to a few comments personally with a personal story or anecdote.

Here's an example of a personal response:

Thanks for the comment, Sarah! I totally get what you're saying. I used to feel the same way when I started out. I think the best way to get over that is to just keep practicing and don't be afraid to make mistakes.

Download 24 Free Templates for Responding to Customers

Does Responding to Instagram Comments help? Does it add any value?

There are three reasons to care about responding to your Instagram Comments:

1. It drives stronger engagement. Most brands care about responding to their Instagram comments to drive stronger engagement with their audience. The value there is establishing and growing your community because after all, loyalty drives more sales.

2. It helps with customer service. The fact is customer service channels extend beyond phone and e-mail; a lot of customer service happens on social media now too. But a customer service on social media is different in two ways:

  • By the time you service customers on social, they're likely frustrated. Social was their "last attempt" to get your attention after reaching out through other avenues.
  • It's a public forum. Be especially cautious of sharing too much private information and that your replies are viewable by the public.

On a more positive note though, using social for customer service can show other potential customers you’re attentive to your customers’ needs and that you stand behind your product or service.

3. It drives conversions. In your comments section is a goldmine of sales opportunities. At Chatdesk, we've analyzed millions of comments and DM's from e-commerce brands and found that almost 50% are pre-sales related. This includes product related questions like "Do you have that product in xyz size?" Simply responding to them will increase conversions by as much as 15%. You can easily see the breakdown of pre-sales versus post-sales questions using our automatic insights solution. Sign up for a free trial here.

E-Commerce Brands Who Do a Great Job of Replying to Social Comments

Here are a few Instagram comment reply ideas from popular brands:

Glossier

Glossier is a brand that sells skincare and makeup. They reply to almost every comment on their posts, and they always take the time to thank their customers for their feedback. This makes their customers feel appreciated, and it also helps to create a strong community around the brand.

Examples of Glossier replying to comments on Instagram

Warby Parker

Warby Parker is an online retailer that sells prescription glasses and sunglasses. Its Instagram account is filled with product images and people asking questions about the products.

How to Respond to Positive Comments on Instagram

When someone takes the time to write a positive comment on your Instagram post, it's important to respond in a way that shows your gratitude. Thank the commenter for their kind words, and let them know you appreciate their support.

Five Examples of Responses to Positive Comments on  Instagram

"Thank you for the kind words! We're glad you enjoy our account."

"We're so happy you like our content! Thank you for following us."

"We're glad you enjoy our photos and thank you for the kind words."

"Thank you for the support! We appreciate it."

"We're glad you enjoy our account and thank you for the compliments."

How to Respond to Negative Comments on Instagram

Instagram comments can be frustrating, but they're not worth losing sleep over. Before you reply, take a step back and use the following tips to help reign in your emotions:

- Think about the type of comment you're getting and why you're getting it.

- Consider your goal for the social media post

- Ask yourself who the comment is for

Then, follow these steps:

1. Thank the commenter for their input.

2. Address the concern or issue that the commenter is raising.

3. If you have something else to add, try to keep your response concise. If you need more context into the issue the commenter is raising, move the conversation to a more private channel like e-mail. Here's an example of a response:

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to write this. We're really sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience and we want to make things right. You can reach me at ___________. I'd be happy to help. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention!

And remember:

- Don't take the bait. Always take the high road.

- Respond with kindness.

- Delete the comment if necessary. (Note: Deleting comments shouldn't be your default. Brands with only positive comments may not appear authentic.)

- If it's your mistake, apologize and make it right.  

Five Examples of Responses to Negative Comments on Instagram

  • "Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy our post. We appreciate your input and will take your suggestions into consideration."
  • "Thank you for your honest feedback. We're sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy our post, but we appreciate your comments."
  • "Thank you for your feedback! We're sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy our post, but we appreciate your input."
  • "Thank you for your comments. We're sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy our post, but we appreciate your feedback."
  • "Thank you for your input. We're sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy our post, but we appreciate your feedback."

10 Ideas on How to Reply to Comments on Instagram

Sometimes it can be tricky to know how to reply on Instagram. It can vary on a case-by-case basis. However, here are a few ideas:

  1. Thank them for their comment.
  2. Ask a question in response to their comment.
  3. Give them more information about what you shared in your post.
  4. Share a funny story or anecdote in response to their comment.
  5. Give them a compliment.
  6. Respond to their comment with a GIF.
  7. Tag a friend in response to their comment.
  8. Share an inspirational quote in response to their comment.
  9. Offer your help or advice in response to their comment.
  10. Respond to their comment with a picture.

Respond to More Instagram Comments, Faster

Maintaining a business, much less a social media presence, is extremely time consuming. See all the ways Chatdesk’s personalized customer support, including branded comment moderators that work across your social media platforms, can proactively and reactively assist you with helping your customers 24/7. Schedule a free demo to learn more.

How To Respond To Instagram Comments Like A Pro

Did you know that comments are favored by the Instagram algorithm and positively affect your engagement rate? This is why it's important to write Instagram captions that drive your target audience to react to your posts. It's equally important to read the comments made on your posts and respond to them to keep the conversations going.

Responding to comments from your Instagram followers and other users is a great way to show them that you value them. This can create a positive impact on how they view your brand. Interactions can even lead to a feeling of connection. People will likely follow your account and become loyal fans when you respond to them.

But how to reply to comments on Instagram you receive on your posts? This blog will explore it along with a few tips. Let's start!

Table Of Contents:

  • Why Should You Respond To Instagram Comments?
  • Types of Instagram Comments And How To Respond?
  • Best Practices For Responding To Instagram Comments
  • Best Instagram Comment Replies By Brands
  • How To Track Instagram Comments?
  • FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

You can directly jump to a section of your choice or keep scrolling.

Boost Your Business

You never know if your next customer might be reaching out to you in the comments section of your Instagram post with a query. This way, taking heed of Instagram comments can help brands attract new customers.

Shapes Your Brand's Reputation

Customers expect stellar customer service on Instagram; it doesn't matter whether that's a post, a comment, a mention, or a tag.

Responding to Instagram comments from your current or potential customers not just appears as acknowledgment but also helps to improve your social media customer service.

Increase Customer Loyalty

Customers who are satisfied with your service on Instagram are also more likely to refer your brand to their friends and colleagues, which is a vital cog in Inbound Marketing.

Image Source: Instagram

Identify Gaps And Issues With Your Products or Services

Instagram is a goldmine of insights for businesses. Tapping into feedback through Instagram comments is a fantastic source of insights for your business.

Analyzing user feedback through Instagram comments is as easy as measuring customer sentiment and tracking conversations.

1. Questions

Some people will ask practical questions regarding your products or services, while others might be personal or provocative.

Whether the person behind the comment is confused or curious, it's essential to acknowledge the question and give an answer as soon as possible.

Image Source: Instagram

2. Angry Comments

Disgruntled customers are a regular occurrence in business.

It's important to reply to comments from such angry customers as soon as possible and let the customers know that you are working to resolve their issues.

Image Source: Instagram

3. Support Inquiries

For most brands, social media has become a legitimate customer support channel.

Replying professionally, politely, and helpful is essential to support inquiries received on Instagram, along with being quick to take responsibility and acting fast on such comments since they have the possibility to become your future customers.

Image Source: Instagram

4. Indirect/Neutral Comments

Some Instagram comments are just users thinking out loud.

In such cases, you can either choose to reply to such comments or refrain from replying and not depending on the potential of such comments for further engagement.

Image Source: Instagram

5. Shares And Mentions

It is great when Instagram users take notice of what you post and like, comment, and share your posts.

It's nice to reply to such shared posts, acknowledge the person and encourage them to continue doing so.

Image Source: Instagram

How To Respond To Instagram Comments From Mobile?

Locate the Instagram comment you want to respond to. It can either be on your post or even on anyone's Instagram post. Tap the Reply button underneath the comment. Type in your response. Tap Post to reply.

Always Stay Professional

Whether you come across customers who are joking with you, using sarcasm, or even outright provocative, try to retain a professional attitude when handling such Instagram comments.

Image Source: Instagram

Maintain A Distinct Personality

Being professional doesn't mean that you lack character. Customers like brands with bright and memorable persona. Feel free to use emojis in your replies to add warmth to your tone.

Image Source: Instagram

Be Honest

If you don't have an immediate answer to a customer's question, acknowledge it and speak the truth. Being transparent is better to pacify customers and build loyalty than ignoring their comments or offering false promises.

Image Source: Instagram

Take Things Offline When Necessary

Customer interactions that could be inflammatory, sensitive, or require sharing of personal information should be moved to Instagram DMs, private chats, phone, or email support.

Measure And Report On Your Social Activities

Keep track of customer sentiment, user feedback, and the average response time to help you improve your services.

Use a tool like Statusbrew that provides in-depth analytics of almost every like, comment, or interaction received on your posts and comments.

Try Statusbrew

Starbucks

Starbucks nails it when it comes to managing customer engagement on Instagram. Here's a great example of how Starbucks still gives customers individual attention even though they are a huge company. This goes a long way toward keeping their customers coming back to them for more.

Image Source: Instagram

Skyscanner

As an airline search engine comparing millions of flights to find you the cheapest deal, Skyscanner excels at winning customers over with creative and personalized responses.

Image Source: Instagram

Netflix

As an entertainment brand, Netflix has an excellent track record of customer care and customer interaction and does it with charisma, wit, and humor. They know how to stray from the typical corporate tone and keep up with their casual voice.

Image Source: Instagram

Bonus: We have prepared a list of social media customer service scripts for businesses to save time and respond quickly.

Set Up Monitoring Streams

Your customers will likely be talking about your brand on multiple social channels. Hence, being able to track these cross-platforms in a unified place is an essential factor.

Using social media management tools like Statusbrew can help you to keep an eye out for comments and mentions from 7 different social platforms in a single dashboard.

Track Mentions, Comments, And Replies

Tracking your mentions, tags, comments, and replies from a single platform like Statusbrew not just helps you to reply quickly but also to moderate comments with ease. In fact, you can even collaborate with your team members within the same dashboard before sharing a reply.

The native platforms might provide similar solutions, but they often take more time and effort. Also, you might not be able to manage your different social accounts from the same dashboard.

Using a social engagement tool like Statusbrew eases your efforts to reply to comments and filters out the spam, unwanted and unnecessary comments from your comments section to prevent them from razing your brand reputation on social media.

Sounds interesting? Book a free demo today 👇

Try Statusbrew

Statusbrew is an all-in-one social media management tool that supports Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, and even Google My Business.

Here are some commonly asked questions about responding to comments on Instagram:

Does responding to comments on Instagram help?

If you are a brand trying to build your presence on Instagram with some social media goals, it certainly helps to reply to the comments you receive on Instagram. While it's not necessary to reply to all comments, it's important to reply to those who are genuinely interested in your products/service or are looking for some help.

When should I reply to comments on Instagram?

Sometimes, it even helps to reply to appreciation comments received on your post. Ensure that you don't just refrain from responding to spam, trolls, fake, unwanted, and unnecessary comments from your post, but you also hide Instagram comments in order to keep your comments section clean and green.

How to reply to an Instagram comment on PC?

Open the Instagram desktop app or the Instagram website on your browser. Find the comment you want to respond to. Click the Reply button underneath the comment. Type your response in the "Add a comment…" field below. Press Post when done.

How to respond to emoji comments on Instagram?

Responding to emoji Instagram comments with emojis is recommended since emojis make your messaging more robust, add an extra layer of expression, and seem more relatable to the viewer by conveying empathy.

How to reply to multiple comments on Instagram?

Automating Instagram conversations will help reply to comments as soon as they are received.

How to react to messages on Instagram?

Open the message on your Instagram app you want to react to. Long-tap on the message to see the emojis you can react with. Tap the emoji with which you want to react to the message.

  • Instagram
  • Comment Management

How to work with comments on Instagram

Author: Elizaveta Tikhonova

Why comments on Instagram are one of the most important elements of a brand's communication with the audience, and how to properly manage feedback.

Reading time: 7 minutes

We have prepared this article specifically for the blog of colleagues from the Picalytics service. But we are sure that this information will be of interest to our readers, so we share the material on the Sociate blog.

In this article, we will explain why Instagram comments are one of the most important elements of a brand's communication with the audience. And also let's talk about how to properly work with feedback on this social network, so as not to miss a single message from a potential or current client. nine0011

Why Instagram comments are important

Today, Instagram is one of the most popular social networks in Russia and the world. Many brands choose this channel as the main one to attract customers, because they know that everyone is on Instagram, from housewives to businessmen.

Like any other platform, Instagram has its own unspoken rules and user habits. One of the features of the social network is the audience's love for comments. Initially, Instagram did not have the possibility of private communication: you could not send private messages to any of the users, the entire dialogue could proceed only with the help of comments. Later, Direct appeared on the social network with the ability to conduct personal correspondence between users. But the habit of starting and sometimes ending dialogues in the comments remained. nine0003

On the other hand, any professional working with Instagram knows that communication in comments is important not only for maintaining user loyalty. Social network algorithms are designed in such a way that the number and quality of comments directly affects the reach of a post. That's why all bloggers try to end each post with a question or an appeal to the audience: good engagement helps to increase the number of impressions of the entry and get into the recommendations section. The more comments, the higher the likelihood that the post will rapidly gain coverage. nine0011

Rules for replying to comments

Here are some simple rules to follow when working with comments on Instagram:

  • Reply to every user comment that makes sense. If a comment contains a question, you must answer it. Even if the question is rhetorical.

  • Any opinion should be heard. Read the user's comment, delve into his problem and give feedback. nine0035

  • Try to engage the user in a dialogue.

  • One-word "Class", "Wow", "Thumbs up" can be answered with emoji.

  • As for the monosyllabic "Sucks", "Shit" - find out the cause of dissatisfaction, call the subscriber for a constructive dialogue.

  • It's important to give quick answers on Instagram! The fact is that social network algorithms especially take into account the reaction to a post in the first hours after publication. The faster the post gets a reaction (likes, saves and, most importantly, comments), the higher the likelihood that the social network will start showing this post more often, as it will consider it to be content of interest. nine0016

  • The maximum response time for a comment is 24 hours. If you reply to a comment later than 24 hours, there is a 90% chance that the user will not read your message. Why? Because it's too long. In our fast-paced age, no one will wait for you to come up with a quality and reasoned answer. At best, they will not read the answer, at worst, they will be offended by you and unsubscribe.

How to work with comments: the secrets of prompt responses

Use comment monitoring services

We recommend using special services where you can see all incoming comments and respond to them immediately. Let's take Sociate SMM as an example and talk in detail about how comments are handled in this service.

The system continuously receives all comments under your Instagram posts:

You can respond to comments immediately, directly from the system interface. You will not need to go to the comment on the page on the social network and get confused in the tabs:

The service for working with comments is convenient because it allows you to structure your work with feedback. All incoming information is collected in one place. You do not miss message flows, mark important ones, delete spam. All this is simply necessary for high-quality work with subscribers:

Create answer libraries In addition to the fact that you can voice the answers to these questions in a separate FAQ, it is also useful to create a separate file - a library of answers, which will collect detailed and well-written answers to frequent requests. nine0003

Create a cloud document (eg in Google Sheets) with ready-made response templates. Firstly, this way you can simply copy the answer and respond to the user with lightning speed. Secondly, if you go on vacation, your colleagues will know how to respond correctly.

Don't forget to personalize your message when using the response library. Add a name or an indication of the problem to the response so that your messages do not look like robot responses.

Give the most detailed answers

Your answer must be precise and detailed, without causing additional questions. If every detail of you has to be pulled out with tongs, the dialogue can drag on for a long time. Having plunged into it, you will not be able to quickly respond to other users.

Reply in order

You can get confused if you reply to comments in random order. Thus, someone may not wait for an answer at all. Do not divide comments into difficult and easy, answer all messages in the order in which they are received. nine0003

If you are the author of articles and want your material to be published in our blog, please email our editor: [email protected].

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How to respond to a comment that mentions a person and a simple comment

If you don't know how to respond to comments on Instagram or you have any difficulties, then we hope our material will help you get an answer or solve the problem associated with posting comments. The main task of the application is to share photos in real time. During the testing process, the application has been improved and today it is easily accessible for both mobile devices and computers.

Over the years, the program has undergone changes for the better, acquired a memorable interface, and was also supplemented with functions for adjusting photos, the ability to add videos, reels, igtv, stories, chat within the application, leave comments mentioning a specific user or your account. But, let's get back directly to the process and its implementation, namely how to respond to comments on Instagram. nine0003

How to reply to a comment on instagram mentioning another person or user instagram

You see a post on instagram, under it there is a heated discussion in the comments and you want to enter into a discussion of the discussion with a certain user or just reply to him on his comment! To do this, you just need to, under the user's comment, select the active one - " reply ".

  • Select the comment of the Instagram user you want to reply to. nine0035
  • Under the comment we find the active field - " reply ".
  • Clicking on the active field - " reply ", you will invoke an automatic command that inserts the username into the comment dialog box.
  • After which you will see , in the field for entering a comment, the name of the account to which you are replying.
  • After you post a reply to a comment, the user will receive a notification on their Instagram account. nine0035
An example of a screenshot from the instagram application, how to respond to a user's comment mentioning

This is the most convenient and simple solution that is implemented in all the most popular social networks. Due to which, the function is intuitive and immediately helps to understand that you are responding to a specific Instagram user.

Tag a person - if you know the exact username on Instagram

First, let's look at how to add a mention in a comment of your account. To do this, in any place of your text, comment, of course, so that it fits into the context of the message, insert a special character, @ known as a dog, more commonly used in email. And after it, we indicate the nickname of our account - this is your username, for example, @mashka .

After posting a comment, your name will become a link to your profile, is this trick very common? when they advertise an account with any goods, services. Like, girls express weight loss method here @hudey and so on. You could see this more than once in the comments yourself.

Enter the username - which you want to mark in the comment

And as you understand, in a comment, you can specify any user, a thematic account. If you want to add mentions in a comment to another account, such as your friend or follower, the system will help you.

In particular, when you start typing the first letters after the @ special character, the application system will show you a list of accounts from your followers, if there is no user you want to mention, you will have to enter his nickname yourself. nine0003 An example of how prompts appear when you want to tag an Instagram user in the comment field about it, notified. So, you can, for example, enter the username (nickname) of your girlfriend, under the photo, of some new collection in your favorite store and she will receive a notification about it.

There are many interpretations of such manipulations, the main one, namely how to respond to comments on Instagram, as well as leave active links, we have described and we hope the instruction will help you solve the problem that has arisen and expand your understanding of the possibilities of instagram. nine0003

Plus, as you could understand from the material - how to respond to comments on Instagram, you can write in your message, and thus make it more attractive; hashtags, emoticons and, of course, mentions of both your account and other users.

Most importantly, whatever it may seem to other users of the Instagram app as spam and organically fit into the comment you want to post, please note that many may react negatively to your comment and, for example, complain as spam or worse.


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