Story replies that turn into orders
Stories are where your most engaged followers are, and story replies are the warmest message a business receives: someone saw your story and typed back. They're also the easiest to lose, because the story is gone in 24 hours and the replies sit under a hundred others. Story automation answers every typed reply the moment it arrives, with today's offer, a booking link, a code or a question that captures their email, and because a story reply is a DM, the conversation is open for you to finish.
Instagram Business or Creator account. Official Meta API, no password, free plan with no card.
Coming soon. Instagram automation opens once Meta approves our app for Instagram messaging. It will be part of every plan, not an add-on.
Who it's for
Businesses that post daily stories (today's special, this week's slots, the new drop) and want a reply to mean something.
Anyone running “reply YES to get the link” stories and answering each one by hand.
Shops whose story replies are mostly questions that deserve a faster answer than tomorrow morning.
How it works
Create the post, publish it, and let the replies, the leads and the clicks follow. Four steps, one afternoon.
- Create01
Choose “Story reply → offer”
The template fires on any typed reply to any of your stories and sends a tracked link with a thank-you. Narrow it to a keyword (YES, LINK, ME) if you'd rather only the people who ask get it.
- Publish02
Post the story with a reason to reply
“Reply YES for today's price.” “Reply with your city and I'll tell you the delivery time.” The automation is already live; every story you post from now on is covered until you pause it.
- Engage03
Every typed reply gets an answer
Emoji reactions and poll taps don't trigger it; a typed reply does. The person gets your message with their first name and the link, and the click is counted against the automation.
- Capture04
Ask a question, save the answer
Any action works on a story reply: ask for an email or phone number and it's saved as a lead; switch on AI and questions get an answer from your knowledge base. You pick up the thread in the inbox while the 24-hour window is open.
What it looks like
Real templates, with the reply rendered the way the customer sees it. Names and links are examples; yours come from your own setup.
Any reply → today's offer
Thanks for replying Arjun 🙌 Here's today's offer: occasely.com/l/s4Mn8p
The default template. Post the story at 9am, and everyone who replies before it vanishes has the offer link in their inbox.
Reply YES → a booking link for this week's slots
Hey Nikita 👋 You can book a time here: occasely.com/l/b2Rk7n
Keyword-scoped, so only the people who asked get the link. Pair it with a story that shows the three slots left on Saturday.
Reply with an email → captured as a lead
Love that Sam! What's the best email to send the early-access link to?
A launch story that builds a list. The answer is saved on the lead with the automation as its source; the link follows in the next message.
“Is this still available?” → an AI answer
It is! Two left in medium. Want me to hold one for you?
With AI replies on, a story reply that's a question gets an answer from your Products entry. If stock isn't in your knowledge base, the AI hands you the thread instead of guessing.
Part of every plan
Engage isn't an add-on. It comes with the same plan that writes and schedules your posts, in USD everywhere, tax handled at checkout.
Free
$0- 1 Instagram account
- 2 live automations
- 200 automated messages a month
- Keyword and story replies
- Leads flagged, no capture questions
- Plain links
Growth
$19/mo- 1 Instagram account
- 10 live automations
- 2,000 automated messages a month
- 500 AI replies a month
- Lead capture, 1,000 leads stored
- Tracked links with click counts
Pro
$39/mo- 3 Instagram accounts
- 50 live automations
- 10,000 automated messages a month
- 3,000 AI replies a month
- Lead capture, unlimited leads stored
- Tracked links with click counts
Limits are Occasely's. Instagram's own rules, one private reply per comment within 7 days and a 24-hour DM window, apply on every plan. Full pricing
Questions
What counts as a story reply?
A reply someone types under your story. Emoji quick reactions, poll and quiz taps and sticker responses aren't messages, so they don't trigger anything; they're recorded but never automated on. That's a deliberate rule, so a ❤️ never gets a sales pitch.
How long do I have to answer?
A story reply is a DM, so Instagram's 24-hour window applies: your account can reply, automated or by hand, for 24 hours after the person's last message. The automation replies right away, which opens the conversation while the person is still looking at their phone.
Does it reply to every story reply, or only keywords?
Your choice per automation. “Any reply” answers everyone; a keyword list (YES, LINK, ME, or your own words, matched regardless of case or punctuation) answers only the people who asked. A cooldown, 24 hours by default, stops one person getting the same message from two stories in a day.
Does the automation stop when the story expires?
No. The story disappears after 24 hours; the automation keeps running for every story you post afterwards until you pause it. Set it up once for “today's offer” and it covers tomorrow's story too.
What do I need, and what does it cost?
An Instagram Business or Creator account, connected through Instagram's own login (Occasely never asks for a password). Story reply automations with a plain link run on Free (2 live automations, 200 messages a month). Counting the clicks, asking for an email and AI answers are on Growth at $19/mo; Pro at $39/mo runs three Instagram accounts.
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