How to take bookings through Instagram DMs

1. Use a professional account

Switch to an Instagram business or creator account (Settings, then Account type and tools). It’s free, and it unlocks the tools below: your contact buttons, saved replies, frequently asked questions in the chat and insights on your posts.

Put your town, your services and how to book in your bio, for example “Lashes in Leeds · DM to book”. People can’t book a time they can’t find.

2. Answer the questions everyone asks before they ask

Most booking DMs ask the same three things: how much, how long and when you’re free. Pin a price list post or a Story highlight with your services, prices and how long each takes, and keep it up to date.

Set up frequently asked questions for your chat in Instagram’s settings (they show when someone opens a new chat with you), and saved replies for answers you type every day, like your aftercare or your deposit rule.

3. Reply fast, or make sure someone does

A client asking about an appointment is often asking two or three people at once, and many book with whoever answers first. If you’re mid-appointment, evenings are busy or you take a day off, those messages wait.

Fixes that work: check DMs between every client, not just at the end of the day; turn on notifications for message requests so new clients don’t get buried; or use a tool that answers for you. Whatever you choose, never leave a “how much is a full set?” for a day.

4. Ask for everything you need in one go

Every extra message is a chance for the client to drift off. Once they’ve picked a time, ask for everything in one question: “Lovely, that’s a classic full set on Friday at 10am, £45. Can I take your full name and mobile?”

Say the service and the price back to them when they agree to a time. It stops “I thought it was an infill” arguments on the day.

5. Take a deposit before the slot is theirs

A deposit is the most reliable way to cut no-shows. Decide a fixed amount or a percentage, and hold the slot only for a set time while it’s paid, for example 24 hours for a bank transfer.

Don’t type your bank details into DMs: Instagram’s and Facebook’s messaging policies don’t allow financial account numbers in messages. Send a link to a payment page instead, or use a card payment link.

6. Write down your cancellation policy

Clients accept a policy far more easily when it’s written down before they book. Keep it simple: whether the deposit is refundable, what cancelling inside 48 or 24 hours costs, and what happens with a no-show.

Put it in a highlight and in your booking confirmation. Then when someone cancels late, you’re pointing at a rule, not starting an argument.

7. Send a reminder the day before

A text the day before, with the day, time and what the appointment is, catches the clients who simply forgot. A text is more likely to be seen than another DM.

Use your mobile, a reminder app or your booking software, but send it every time. Doing it by hand is the step that slips on busy weeks.

8. Keep your diary in one place

Double bookings happen when bookings live in two places: your DMs and a paper diary, or two apps. Whatever you use, every booking from every channel should go into the same diary straight away.