---
title: "Send a private Messenger reply when someone comments"
url: https://www.mentbot.com/help/private-reply-to-commenters
description: "Message each person who comments on your posts, with a link or details, alongside the public reply. Set it up in a Rule."
updated: 2026-10-20
related:
  - https://www.mentbot.com/help/set-up-a-rule
  - https://www.mentbot.com/help/waiting-to-accept
  - https://www.mentbot.com/help/facebook-blocking-replies
---

# Send a private Messenger reply when someone comments

Write a message under **Send a message to the inbox** in a Rule. Everyone whose comment that Rule answers gets it in Messenger, along with the public reply. Links belong here, not in the public reply.

## Add a private reply to a Rule {#add-a-private-reply}

1. Open [Pages](https://app.mentbot.com/dashboard/pages), choose your Page, and press **Edit** on a Rule. For a new Rule, press **Add rule**.
2. Scroll to **Send a message to the inbox**.
3. Write the message. Type `{comment}` where you want the person's comment quoted back to them. A link is fine here.

   ![Rule form with badge 2 on the Send a message to the inbox heading and badge 3 on the message box, holding a thank-you with {comment} and a price-list link](https://www.mentbot.com/help/img/private-reply-to-commenters/inbox-message.webp "Each commenter gets this in Messenger, with their own comment quoted.")

4. Press **+ Add reply message** and write one or two other versions. Meta treats identical messages as spam, so Mentbot sends each person one version, picked at random.
5. Press **Save settings**.
6. Check that **Auto replies** at the top of the Page is **On**.

   ![Page settings with badge 6 on the Auto replies switch, turned on](https://www.mentbot.com/help/img/private-reply-to-commenters/auto-replies-on.webp "With Auto replies on, the Page's Rules start answering.")

To send a picture instead of text, switch a message from **Text** to **Image**. Facebook sends the picture on its own, without text.

> [!TIP]
> End the public reply with "Check your message requests". A Page's first message to someone lands there, not in their inbox.

## Facebook's rules for private replies {#facebook-rules}

- One private reply per comment. Only one Rule answers a comment, so Mentbot sends one message at most. If the comment already has one, Facebook refuses another and the comment shows **Facebook allows one private reply per comment, and this comment already got one.**
- Within 7 days of the comment. Mentbot answers new comments long before that, so this only matters when you catch up on old comments with Bulk reply. Comments older than 7 days get the public reply only, and the comment shows **Facebook’s private-reply window for this comment has closed.**
- About 50 a day while Facebook limits your Page. If Facebook restricts how many private replies a Page can send, the Page shows **Private replies paced** and the extra commenters get no message. See [Private replies paced](https://www.mentbot.com/help/facebook-blocking-replies#private-replies-paced).

## Where the message lands {#where-it-lands}

The person gets the message in Messenger. If they've never messaged your Page, it goes to their *message requests*, and the comment in Mentbot says it's waiting for them to accept. That's normal, and it reaches them when they open it: see [Private replies say "Waiting to accept"](https://www.mentbot.com/help/waiting-to-accept).

## Test it {#test-it}

1. Comment on a post the Rule covers, from your personal Facebook profile, not as the Page. Mentbot never answers the Page's own comments.
2. Use a word the Rule matches.
3. Open Messenger on that profile and look in **Message requests**.

Test again from a different profile, or on a different post. With **Reply once per person (per post)** ticked, your second comment on the same post gets no reply at all.

## On Instagram {#instagram}

- The message arrives in the person's Instagram messages. A first message usually lands in their message requests.
- It's text only. A message switched to **Image** isn't sent on Instagram.
- The same rules apply: one private reply per comment, within 7 days.
- Replies inside a comment thread get no answer, so they get no message either.

## If it still doesn't work {#still-not-working}

### The comment got a public reply but no message {#public-reply-only}

Open the comment in [Comments](https://app.mentbot.com/dashboard/comments): the detail says why. Often the Rule has no message, and the Rules list marks it **No private reply**. Otherwise the comment was older than 7 days, or Facebook refused the message (see [Facebook's rules](#facebook-rules)).

### The person says they never got it {#never-got-it}

Ask them to look in their message requests. See [Private replies say "Waiting to accept"](https://www.mentbot.com/help/waiting-to-accept).

### Only some commenters get the message {#only-some-get-it}

Check whether your Page shows **Private replies paced**. Facebook is limiting your Page's private replies, and Mentbot sends them at the rate Facebook allows. There's nothing to fix: see [Private replies paced](https://www.mentbot.com/help/facebook-blocking-replies#private-replies-paced).