How to reply to comments on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Internet users have the power! Their comments on your page can cost the company dearly if it doesn’t handle these opinions in the right way, or if censorship is used by the professional account against the consumer. It’s therefore important to optimize your presence on social networks.

Social media is there to engage your community in conversation. On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even TikTok, you have to offer to open a dialogue with your community, provide a quick explanation for whatever remark your subscriber adds.

Good or bad experience, customer reviews require you to establish a specific response scheme to anticipate without ever making a mistake in your communication. Follow the guide!

Should you reply to comments on your posts?

No matter what, many entrepreneurs and community managers regularly ask themselves whether or not they should respond to a comment left by an internet user.

It’s best to respond in any case. The bare minimum is to “like” the comment to thank the person for their contribution.

If the text is negative, commenting is even inevitable! This is your best chance to show the entire internet community that you’re listening to your prospects’ needs.

When should you say something? How should you respond? Learn today how to preserve your company’s e-reputation!

Is the comment positive or negative?

Alert! Your e-reputation monitoring software, your social network account or your smartphone displays a notification. Someone has left a comment about the photo of your last publication... Find out and check if it’s good or bad.

If the comment is positive

Verify that the fact mentioned is true. If it is, simply thank them for their contribution. If they are wrong, thank them anyway, but correct them gently.

If the comment is negative

The situation gets more complicated. Here are the different situations to avoid mistakes on social networks:

• If the person has a profile, blog, or site dedicated to bashing, avoid responding to a specific post but still monitor the information and comments so you can correct just in case. Ditto if a user is trying to be funny with a joke or is using satire.
• If the information mentioned is false, provide accurate information and include links to your sources to justify your responses.
• If it’s a disgruntled consumer following a bad experience with your company, rectify the situation if possible. If not, try to assist them or send them directly to customer service if the issue is a bit more confidential or sensitive. If the problem is resolved privately, you can afford to ask the user to clarify, in public, whether the problem is resolved. Generally, if they’re satisfied with your assistance, they’ll be happy to do so.
• If the user is not a troll or a comedian, is not disgruntled, and is not giving incorrect information, ask yourself if a response from you will aid the individual or your community as a whole. If not, you do not need to respond. If it will, you can respond based on the following criteria...

How should you reply to a comment on social networks?

Here are five notions to take into account when you react on social networks:

• Ensure transparency of information. Show your connection with the company. You must be clearly identified as the person managing the brand page. And don’t try to soothe the user with false claims. If they find out, it’ll only be worse for your e-reputation.
• Stick to the facts. There’s no need to jump in with an additional argument if the user hasn’t mentioned it. And cite your sources with links.
• Be as responsive as possible and try to post your reaction within a few minutes on the post, especially since Facebook publicly displays your average response time. Be sure to formulate a fair text and to have it validated before publishing if it’s a sensitive subject. The difficulty is here: ensuring reactivity while not rushing to provide the correct reaction...
• Find a tone that reflects your personality and the brand’s mission and values.
• Remain polite and respectful, even if the person annoys you. You represent the company’s image on the web. A foolproof tip: write your text, even if it’s negative, without publishing it. Wait a few minutes, delete it and start again. You’ll see that you’ll be calmer and able to write and publish a respectful answer.

How should you reply to a comment on Instagram?

Instagram has become an interactive business card for brands. Thus, the comments associated with posts are essential because they’ll allow new prospects to learn more about the relationship the brand has with the audience.

Feedback on Insta is like a review on Tripadvisor: it reflects the reality of consumers. Deleting comments may be acceptable if they’re irrelevant, for example if an account is advertising its own business or if you’re contacted by a commercial account that wants to DM you about yet another company based on the other side of the world, as if you were a budding influencer.

When it comes to questions, emojis, compliments, but also criticism: answer them!

How should you reply to a positive comment on Instagram?

There are several scenarios that may occur:

• If a user comments with a mini-message and/or several positive emojis, such as hearts or a thumbs-up, you can respond to their compliment with a “Thank you so much!" followed by one or more emojis that convey your mood. Depending on your company’s news, feel free to open the conversation with this user by talking about, for example, your current offers.
• If an account asks you a personalized question, construct your text like a small email: “Hello @[name], thank you for your question! [Don’t hesitate to contact our team [...] Have a nice day! Avoid sweeping the question under the rug with a simple “check out our site and our FAQ page,” which is too reductive and doesn’t build loyalty.

How should you reply to a negative comment on Instagram?

Negative comments are never pleasant to deal with. Nonetheless, you need to deal with them in a cool manner.

• If a buyer criticizes one of your products/services, direct the discussion toward the consumer. You understand them, you hear their point of view, you take note in order to improve, and you invite them to contact you directly by email to see what you can do. And above all, be polite!
• If the user expresses a general opinion about your platform, answer it with courtesy. If the comment is well founded, you can agree with it to “improve.” If it’s based on false information, bring proof of your good faith and propose a quick phone call to discuss the reasons for the comment.