How to set up automated replies for your Facebook Page

Automations answer people who message your business, or comment on a post, without you being there. They work for Facebook Pages, Instagram business accounts and WhatsApp Business accounts connected to Meta Business Suite. The templates Meta lists:

Sources: Meta Business Help Centre: About Inbox automations in Meta Business Suite Inbox, checked 15 October 2026; Meta Business Help Centre: Set up Inbox automations in Meta Business Suite on desktop, checked 15 October 2026

These steps are for Business Suite on a computer. First make sure the right business portfolio is selected in the drop-down at the top left of the Business Suite home page.

1. Go to Inbox in Meta Business Suite.
2. Click Automations.
3. Click Create automation in the top right.
4. Click the automation you want, such as Auto reply or Away message.
5. Click Create automation and complete the on-screen steps.
6. Use the toggle below Status to turn it on or off, and click Edit to change it later.

Source: Meta Business Help Centre: Set up Inbox automations in Meta Business Suite on desktop, checked 15 October 2026

A keyword automation answers messages that contain specific words, such as a reply about your current offer whenever someone writes sale. Meta's rules: up to five keywords or phrases per automation, keywords are case sensitive and must match exactly, and each keyword can only be used in one automation. Replies can include photos, videos, buttons and links. Meta says Inbox sends a keyword reply after 15 minutes unless you answer first. To build one from scratch:

1. In Inbox, click Automations, then Create automation and Start from scratch.
2. Name the automation and tick the channels it should run on.
3. Choose a condition: Message is assigned, Label is added or New message received, and add any extra conditions.
4. Choose actions: Send message (and write it), Add labels or Mark as.
5. Click Save changes.

Sources: Meta Business Help Centre: About Inbox automations in Meta Business Suite Inbox, checked 15 October 2026; Meta Business Help Centre: Set up Inbox automations in Meta Business Suite on desktop, checked 15 October 2026

Meta's two help pages describe this differently. The overview says that when a custom keyword automation and a template automation are both triggered, only the template reply is sent; its example is an away message winning over a keyword reply. The desktop setup page says custom automations are prioritised over other automations and sent first. Test with a second account before relying on either, and avoid overlapping rules where you can.

Both pages agree that turning on Meta Business Agent pauses your existing automations, such as away messages and instant replies.

Sources: Meta Business Help Centre: About Inbox automations in Meta Business Suite Inbox, checked 15 October 2026; Meta Business Help Centre: Set up Inbox automations in Meta Business Suite on desktop, checked 15 October 2026

Check these first:

• The wrong business portfolio is selected at the top left of Business Suite.
• The keyword's capitals don't match the message exactly.
• Someone replied within the 15 minutes before a keyword reply would have sent.
• Meta Business Agent is on, which pauses existing automations.
• You're on the mobile app: keyword and comment automations are desktop only.
• Your business or customers are in Europe or Japan, where Meta says some organic messaging features are unavailable.
• It's new: Meta says an automation can take a few minutes to appear, and you may need to refresh.

Sources: Meta Business Help Centre: Set up Inbox automations in Meta Business Suite on desktop, checked 15 October 2026; Meta Business Help Centre: About Inbox automations in Meta Business Suite Inbox, checked 15 October 2026

Zolyp is our product, so weigh this section with that in mind. Zolyp has no social inbox, so automations and replies stay in Business Suite. Zolyp handles the posts that make people message you in the first place, and an FAQ automation is a good place to repeat the details your posts mention most, like hours and booking links.

Zolyp plans the week across your content themes, writes the captions and designs the visuals against your Brand Brain (your tone, colours and rules, saved once), then schedules and publishes to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You review and approve the week, and Autopilot lets you hand off publishing theme by theme once you trust the output. Plans that create the posts start at $29 a month, with a 3-day free trial and no card required.