Med spa DM scripts are short, approved replies to the 20 questions new patients ask in Instagram messages. Each one answers in plain words, gives no medical advice and ends by offering a time. Questions about health, pregnancy or fit get a handoff line that passes them to a licensed provider at your clinic.
This is how to respond to Instagram DMs at a med spa without making it up each time. Fill in the blanks once. Then whoever answers, person or AI, gives the same reply at 2pm or 10pm. Business chats happen at huge scale. Meta says people have more than 1 billion active chat threads with business accounts every day (Meta, 2025).
What should every med spa DM reply do?
Every reply passes four checks.
- Fast. Answer within minutes. The person is still holding their phone. In one older study of phone calls to web leads, the odds of reaching a lead dropped 100 times when the first call came at 30 minutes instead of 5 (InsideSales.com and MIT, 2007).
- Specific. Give the number, the name or the time. "The consult is [$price]" beats "very affordable."
- Non-clinical. Talk about the offer, price, visit and place. Health and fit belong to a licensed provider.
- Ends with a next step. Close with an easy question, such as "Thursday at 5:30 or Saturday at 11?" A reply that ends with "let me know" ends the chat.
Keep each message to two or three short sentences.
Fill in these blanks first
Brackets mark facts only you can decide.
- [Offer name] and [$price]. One front-end offer (the first thing a new patient buys) with one price. See how to build a med spa new patient offer.
- [What's included] and what is not.
- [Name] and [licensed title] of the person who treats.
- [Hours], [address], [parking] and [visit length].
- [Cancellation window], [late fee], [financing] and [payment methods].
- [Handoff owner] and [reply deadline] for health questions.
Have your clinician approve every line about comfort, downtime or safety. Save the answers as saved replies so anyone covering the DMs says the same thing.
The 20 med spa DM scripts, with who answers each
Here are all 20 questions, grouped by type. The last column says who answers: front desk, AI receptionist, or clinician (your licensed provider).
| Patient asks | Send this | Who answers |
|---|---|---|
| Offer questions | ||
| How much is it? | "The [offer name] is [$price]. That includes [what's included]. Want me to check times this week?" | AI or front desk |
| What's included? | "You get [consult, one area]. Not included: [extras]. Want a time?" | AI or front desk |
| Who does the treatment? | "[Name], our [licensed title]. You'll meet them at your consult." | AI or front desk |
| Can I see before-and-after photos? | "Yes. Our [highlight name] highlight shows real patients, shared with their written consent. Every result is different." | AI or front desk |
| Do you offer financing? | "Yes, through [option] for treatments over [$amount]." | AI or front desk |
| Do you take insurance? | "We don't bill insurance for [treatment]. We take [payment methods]." | AI or front desk |
| Logistics questions | ||
| What are your hours? | "We're open [days], [hours]. I have [time A] or [time B]. Does either work?" | AI or front desk |
| Anything this week? | "Yes. [Day, time] or [day, time]. Want one?" | AI or front desk |
| Where do I park? | "We're at [address]. Free parking in [lot]." | AI or front desk |
| How long does it take? | "The consult is [30] minutes. With same-day treatment, plan on [60]." | AI or front desk |
| Can I bring a friend? | "Of course. I can book them a consult right after yours." | AI or front desk |
| Fit and safety questions | ||
| Does it hurt? | Approved line only, such as "[Name] uses numbing cream first." | AI or front desk, in the clinician's words |
| What's the downtime? | Approved line only. No line means a handoff. | AI or front desk, in the clinician's words |
| Is it safe? | "[Name] reviews your health history first. I'll pass any health question to them." | AI or front desk, then clinician |
| Is this right for me? | Fit handoff (below). | AI or front desk, then clinician |
| Can I combine it with [other treatment]? | "Your provider plans that with you at the consult. I'll add a note." | Clinician |
| I'm pregnant. Can I still do it? | Health handoff (below). Do not book until a clinician replies. | Clinician |
| Booking and policy questions | ||
| Do you need a deposit? | "We hold your slot with a card on file. No charge today. A [$fee] fee applies only if you cancel inside [24] hours." | AI or front desk |
| What if I need to cancel or reschedule? | "Reply here up to [24] hours before and I'll move or cancel it free." | AI or front desk |
| How do I book? | "I can book you right here. [Time A] or [time B]?" | AI or front desk |
When a new question shows up three times in a month, add a row.
How to answer price questions in a DM
Give the price in the first reply. If you answer "how much?" with "come in for a consult," they message the next clinic.
A hypothetical filled-in example: "The lip filler consult is $50, and it comes off your treatment if you go ahead that day. I have Thursday at 5:30 or Saturday at 11. Which works?"
Handoff wording for pregnancy, health and fit questions
A handoff passes the question to a clinician and tells the person when to expect a reply. Use these word for word.
Health or pregnancy handoff. "Thanks for telling me. That's a question for [Name], our [licensed title], and I don't want to guess. They'll reply here by [time]."
Fit handoff (for "is this right for me," "what do I need" or a photo of their face). "That's exactly what the consult is for. [Name] will look in person and tell you straight. [Time A] or [time B]?"
Rules for both:
- Name a person and a time. "Someone will get back to you" means nobody does.
- Never guess. No "you should be fine" or "you'd be a great candidate."
- Never push a booking on a medical question. If someone says they are pregnant, send the handoff line and nothing else.
Booking scripts: card on file, cancellations, rescheduling
A card on file means the patient gives card details to hold the slot. Nothing is charged unless the policy says so. Before you ask for the card, state the policy in one sentence and say when a charge would happen.
Book inside the chat in five steps:
- Offer two specific times.
- Confirm the one they pick.
- Ask for name, phone and email. A DM gives you a username, not contact details.
- Send the card-on-file line, then the secure link to add the card.
- Confirm the date, time, address and reschedule rule.
Our guide to using a card on file to cut no-shows covers the fee and the window.
Mistakes that lose the booking
- "DM for pricing" with no price. They already sent the DM. Give the number.
- "When are you free?" It makes them do the work. Offer two slots.
- Clinical promises. "No downtime" is a clinical claim. Leave it to the provider.
How an AI receptionist uses med spa DM scripts
An AI receptionist uses your answers as its rulebook. Your handoff lines mark where it stops and passes the chat to a person. Read what to check before using an AI receptionist for med spas.
At Ryder Scale, we run the AI only on DMs that start from the ads we manage for your one offer. It answers questions about that offer. It asks non-clinical qualifying questions (simple checks that the person fits the offer). Then it offers times and takes a card on file to hold the slot. It writes the confirmed consult into Boulevard, Zenoti, Vagaro, Mindbody, Aesthetic Record or Square. Anything else, including every fit and safety question, goes to your team. The rest of your inbox is untouched. Five states have AI disclosure laws: California, Illinois, Maine, Utah and Colorado. There, its first reply says it is an AI assistant.
Before any AI goes live, mark which table rows it may answer.
Frequently asked questions
How fast should a med spa reply to Instagram DMs?
Within minutes during your coverage hours. The person messaged while scrolling, and their attention moves on fast. If nobody can answer at night or on weekends, pause ads during those hours or use a tool that replies for you. Write down who covers which hours.
Should a med spa give prices in DMs?
Yes, for the offer you advertise. Give the price of your front-end offer in the first reply, then offer two times. If the total changes per person, say why, such as units or areas. Add that the provider confirms it before treatment. A clear number keeps the chat going.
Can the front desk answer medical questions in a DM?
No. The front desk can answer questions about the offer, price, visit and policies. Questions about pregnancy, health history, medicines, safety for that person or which treatment they need go to a licensed provider. The front desk sends the handoff line, names the clinician and tells the person when to expect a reply.
Can I use these med spa Instagram message templates word for word?
Yes, once the brackets hold your real facts. Have your medical director read the fit and safety rows first, because they set what your team will and will not say. Ask your attorney about your state's rules on AI disclosure and on advertising medical treatments.
For the ads that start these chats, read our guide to click-to-DM ads for med spas. Ryder Scale runs those ads and the AI on their DMs with no retainer. You pay only per qualified booked consult. Book a free 20-minute audit to see if it fits your clinic.
