Inbox Quick Replies and Auto-Reply: Answer Brand Pitches Faster

QKAP's inbox gives you two speed tools. The auto-reply sends one instant message, up to 500 characters, to every new conversation that starts from your page's message button. Quick replies are up to 10 saved answers that you insert into a reply, edit, and then send yourself. Use the auto-reply to set expectations and ask for missing details, and quick replies for the answers you type every week, such as rates, your media kit link or your gifting policy.

Key takeaways

• The auto-reply goes out once, when someone starts a new conversation with your page. It never fires on later messages.
• Quick replies are saved answers: titles up to 40 characters, bodies up to 1,000. They drop into the reply box and nothing sends until you press send.
• Write {name} in a quick reply and QKAP fills in the sender's first name. The auto-reply doesn't fill names, so keep it general.
• Teammates with reply access can use your quick replies. Only people who can manage the inbox can edit them.
• A 15-minute daily routine (Unread, star, archive, search) keeps brand pitches from going cold.

Auto-reply vs quick replies: what each does and when it fires

One detail matters for the auto-reply: QKAP keeps one conversation per sender per page. If a fan wrote to you last month and now sends a sponsorship pitch, it continues the same conversation, so no auto-reply goes out the second time. Senders see the auto-reply straight after sending, marked "Automatic reply from" your name, and again in Messages in their QKAP account. Nobody is fooled into thinking you typed it, which is exactly how it should be.

Writing your auto-reply: three examples

A good auto-reply does three jobs: it says when you'll reply, it asks for anything you'll need, and it points to self-serve answers. Here are three you can adapt. Each is under 500 characters.

Solo creator

Thanks for writing! I read every message myself and usually reply within 3 working days. If this is about a brand deal, please add deliverables, dates, usage rights and budget so I can answer properly. My media kit is linked on my page.

Small seller

Thanks for your message! For order help, please share your order reference so I can find it quickly. Product questions: tell me the post number you saw. I reply between 10am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday.

Agency-managed page

Thanks for contacting us. This page is managed by the creator's team, and we reply to partnership requests within 2 working days. To speed things up, please include campaign dates, deliverables, usage rights and budget.

Only promise reply times you can keep. An auto-reply that says "within 24 hours" and a real reply after a week does more damage than no auto-reply at all.

Your starter set of 10 quick replies

Ten slots is enough for a full working set. Titles are for you (up to 40 characters); bodies are what the sender reads (up to 1,000 characters).

1. Rates on request: "Hi {name}, thanks for thinking of me! My rates depend on deliverables and usage. Could you share the brief, timeline and budget range? I'll come back with a quote."
2. Media kit link: "Hi {name}, my media kit with audience details and past work is linked on my page. Happy to answer anything it doesn't cover."
3. Gifted policy: "Thanks, {name}! I accept gifted products only if I'd genuinely use them, and gifting doesn't guarantee a post. Any post that results is disclosed."
4. Timelines: "Hi {name}, my calendar is booked about three weeks out. For anything sooner, tell me the date and I'll check."
5. Not a fit: "Thanks for reaching out, {name}. This isn't the right fit for my audience, so I'll pass this time. Wishing the launch well."
6. Follow-up: "Hi {name}, just checking in on my last message. Happy to keep this open if the timing works for you."
7. Product question: "Hi {name}! Which post number did you see it in? Send it over and I'll confirm the details."
8. Order help: "Hi {name}, sorry for the trouble. Please share your order reference and I'll look into it today."
9. Next steps: "Great, {name}. Next steps: you send the brief and contract, I confirm dates, and content goes to you for a factual check before posting."
10. Thank-you: "Thank you, {name}! Really glad it helped."

If you're new to brand conversations, our guide to landing direct partnerships with brands explains what to ask before you agree to anything.

Personalise before you send: three edits every time

A quick reply gets you to 80%. The last 20% is what makes it sound like you:

1. Reference one specific thing they wrote: the product, the campaign or the reel they mentioned.
2. Fix the ask. Delete questions they've already answered in the brand fields (brand, website, offer, budget).
3. Check the name. {name} uses the first word of the sender's account name, or "there" when they haven't set one. If the account name is a brand or a nickname, adjust it.

A 15-minute daily triage routine

1. Open the Unread view. Read everything new once, top to bottom.
2. Star deals worth pursuing. Starred becomes your shortlist for the day.
3. Reply to the quick ones with a quick reply and one personal line.
4. Archive what's done. Archived conversations leave your All view but aren't deleted, and if the sender writes again the conversation comes back.
5. Search by brand before you reply to a pitch. Search covers sender names, shared emails, subjects, brand names and message text, so you'll spot a brand that wrote before.
6. Block or report spam instead of replying to it; our guide to keeping a creator inbox spam-free covers when to do which.

Replying as a team

If a manager or assistant helps with messages, give them inbox access through team roles: See messages, Reply to messages, and Manage the inbox (settings, quick replies, blocking and export). Everyone with reply access sees the same quick replies in the reply box. Inside your dashboard, each reply shows which teammate sent it; the sender only ever sees your page's name. That keeps the voice consistent while you still know who said what.

Instagram DMs are a separate channel and the QKAP inbox doesn't connect to them. If you also answer "comment LINK" requests on Instagram, our look at the comment-for-link DM tactic covers how to keep those replies helpful too.

Keeping records: exporting conversations

People who can both see messages and manage the inbox can download every conversation as a CSV file, one row per message, archived and blocked ones included. Each row shows whether it came from the follower, the auto-reply, you or a named teammate, plus the request type, brand fields and timestamps. Senders' emails appear only where they chose to share them. Exports are limited to 10 every 10 minutes. Store the file somewhere safe, because it holds people's messages; our privacy basics for creators explain why.

Which tool for which situation

How this compares with Instagram's saved replies

Instagram has its own version. As of October 2026, Instagram's Help Centre describes saved replies in the professional inbox: you save a message under a keyboard shortcut, then type the shortcut to fill it in. That works well for DMs. QKAP quick replies do the same job for messages that come through your page's message button, with sender names filled in and shared across your team. Use each tool in its own channel.

Bottom line

Write one honest auto-reply, fill all ten quick-reply slots, and spend 15 minutes a day in the Unread view. Set both up in Inbox → Settings; the Inbox & brand deals feature page shows how it looks, and the inbox setup guide covers the button itself.

Frequently asked questions

Will followers know a message is automatic?

Yes. The auto-reply is labelled as an automatic reply from you, both right after they send and in Messages in their QKAP account. Quick replies aren't labelled, because you send them yourself and can edit them first.

Can my team use my quick replies?

Yes. Anyone with permission to reply sees the page's quick replies in the reply box. Only people who can manage the inbox can add, edit or delete them.

Can I export my conversations?

Yes, if you can both see messages and manage the inbox. The CSV includes every message (up to 50,000 per file), including archived and blocked conversations, with up to 10 exports every 10 minutes.

Do quick replies cost extra?

No. The inbox, auto-reply and quick replies are included on every QKAP plan, Free included. See pricing for what Premium adds elsewhere.

Can I use the sender's name in my auto-reply?

No. The auto-reply sends the same text to everyone, so write it without a name. The {name} placeholder works in quick replies only.

Sources

Checked on 17 October 2026; features may change.

• Instagram Help Centre: professional inbox and saved replies
• QKAP: Inbox & brand deals and pricing