The trouble of not being able to answer every reply
Getting replies to a post is good for an account. Answering them keeps the conversation going and tends to bring more people to the post. But once dozens of replies arrive each day, a part-time social media manager can't answer them all. If some people get an answer and others don't, the people who were skipped end up with a worse impression.
Replying mechanically to every reply isn't a good approach either. Sending the same text to unrelated replies or sharp-toned ones makes for an awkward conversation. SNS TOWN's auto-reply is built so that your post promises "we'll respond to anyone who includes this word in a reply", and the system answers just as promised. The thinking behind reply etiquette is summarized in Rules for Replies and DMs.
Choose a keyword, and reply only on that post
Auto-reply is used by choosing one setting and one keyword for each post. On the composer or in a post cycle setting, turn on the "Auto replies" switch, choose the setting to use and enter the keyword. The switch is off to begin with.
If the keyword isn't written in the post text, a caution appears on screen, and clicking "Insert automatically" adds this sentence to the text.
"If you reply with the text 'keyword', we'll reply to you personally."
The system replies only to replies to that post that contain the keyword. Upper and lower case are not distinguished. It doesn't reply to replies on other posts, or to posts where your account was only mentioned somewhere. It doesn't reply to replies from your own account either.
The reply is "written by AI" or "a fixed text"
You can choose between two ways of making the reply for each setting.
| How it replies | What it does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| AI writes | AI reads each reply and writes a text for it. You can set the tone and what it must not write | Posts where replies vary, such as impressions and questions |
| Fixed text | Replies from texts you prepared (up to 5). Repeats from the top in order, or picks at random | Posts where you only want to say thanks, or announce a gift |
When AI writes, it doesn't reply if it judges from the content that it's better not to. It also doesn't produce text containing a URL you didn't ask for. If you want to point to a page, enter it in "Include URL" in the setting and it is added at the end of the text. The language of the reply is the post language set for the company or brand.
For fixed texts, we recommend preparing 2 to 5 so the same text doesn't repeat every time. Keep the length within 140 full-width characters for X and 500 characters for Threads.
Hours, limits and approval prevent over-sending
The biggest worries when replying automatically are sending too many replies in the middle of the night, and sending more than expected and using too many credits. In the settings you decide these three things.
Reply hours are set like 9:00 to 21:00 Japan time. You can also set hours that cross midnight, like 22:00 to 6:00, and choose "All day". Replies that arrive outside the hours aren't answered.
The daily limit starts at 30. When AI writes, you can raise it to 500, and with fixed texts to 1,000. On a day when the limit is reached, no more replies are sent.
You can choose between "Send after approval" and "Send as is". If you choose send after approval, the text before sending appears under "Awaiting approval / failed", and you can fix it and choose "Send this reply", or choose "Don't reply". Credits for replies you don't send are returned. When you're starting out, check the quality of the text with approval first, then switch to sending as is once you're used to it.
What was and wasn't replied to stays in the record
"History" on the settings page lists the replies sent and the replies not sent, with reasons. Reasons such as "keyword wasn't included", "outside hours" and "limit reached" help when you review the keyword or limits.
How often replies are read depends on the plan: every hour on Professional and every 15 minutes on Enterprise. On lower plans you can try it with your monthly credits. Plan differences are on the pricing page. The credits used per reply appear on the settings screen.
How it works step by step
Open "Auto replies" from "Engage" in the left menu and create a setting. Decide the name, account, how to reply, hours, daily limit and reply text, go on to "Review", check the contents and save. After saving you're asked "Create a post that uses this auto-reply?", and if you do, the composer opens with the keyword sentence already included.
Step-by-step screens are in the help guides Add Auto-Reply to a Post, Create an Auto-Reply Setting and Check and Send Replies.
Combining with other features
When you want to send guidance by DM instead of a public reply to people who replied, use auto DM. To combine with a prize draw, campaigns are the better fit. Settings can be reused, so you can attach the same "thank you reply" to your weekly posts.
Frequently asked questions
Which networks can I use it on?
X and Threads. It can't be used on other networks.
Can it reply to replies on a post that doesn't include a keyword?
No. Auto-reply answers only replies containing the keyword on a post where you set a keyword. This keeps it to doing only what the post promised.
Does auto-reply apply to the partner account in a cross-post?
No. Even when you cross-post to X and Threads, auto-reply attaches only to the main post you set on the composer.
What if a reply text turns out wrong?
If you set it to "Send after approval", you can fix the text or choose not to reply before it goes out. For replies that were sent as is, delete them from the network's own screen.
How high can the daily limit go?
500 when AI writes, and 1,000 for fixed texts.
Can I change the setting after the post is out?
Yes. Auto-reply settings are reusable, so you can fix the text and hours afterwards. However, you can't change the account of a setting that is already in use.
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