When you respond to a user who started a conversation with you on Instagram, your response is considered an outbound message.

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Types of Outbound Messages

1. Text Message
2. Image Message
3. Video Message
4. Audio Message
5. Sticker Message
6. PDF File Message
7. Share a Published Post Message
8. Send Message Action
9. Template Messages:
   1. Quick Replies
   2. Button Template
   3. Card Template
   4. Carousel Template

Text, Sticker & Media Messages

Text Message: A message that contains text or a link, Message text must be UTF-8 and be 1000 bytes or less. Links must be valid formatted URLs.

Sticker Message: a heart sticker Message

Media Messages: Messages that include the following Media types: Image, audio, video or file

Share Published Post Message

Send a Message that includes the Meta ID of a published post you own.

Send Message Action

Respond with a send action to a message you have received.

Supported send actions include:

• Adding a heart (love) reaction to a message.
• Removing a reaction from a message.
• Marking a message as seen.

Template Messages

Template Messages are structured message that includes images, text and buttons that can be on the following forms:

Quick Replies Template Messages

Quick replies provide a way to present a set of buttons in-conversation for users to reply with. A maximum of 13 quick replies are supported and each quick reply allows up to 20 characters before being truncated. Quick replies only support plain text.

When a quick reply is tapped, the buttons are dismissed, and the title of the tapped button is posted to the conversation as a message. An Instagram messages event notification is sent to your webhook server that contains the button title and an optional payload.

Limitations: This feature is currently not available on desktop.

Button Template

A button template message allows you to send a message that contains text and up to three attached buttons that allow the message recipient to choose from different options. The buttons can open web pages in the in-app browser or send the recipient's selection to you via the messaging_postback webhook notification. You can then send information about the selection back to the recipient.

Button types

• URL Button
  The URL Button opens a web page in the in-app browser. This allows you to enrich the conversation with a web-based experience, where you have the full development flexibility of the web. For example, you might display a product summary in-conversation, then use the URL button to open the full product page on your website.
• Postback Button
  The postback button sends a messaging_postbacks event to your webhook with the string set in the payload property. This allows you to take arbitrary actions when the button is tapped. For example, you might display a list of products, then send the product ID in the postback to your webhook, where it can be used to query your database and return the product details as a structured message.

Card Messages

• A card is a single structured message that must contain a title and at least one additional property (subtitle, image, default action, or buttons).
• Each card can include up to three buttons.

Carousel Messages:

A carousel is a horizontally scrollable set of cards that allows users to browse and interact with multiple items in a single message.
You can include multiple cards, each with its own title, subtitle, image, default action, and up to three buttons.

Limitations: This feature is currently not available on desktop

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Forms of outbound messages

Direct Messages

Reply with a direct message to a user who started a conversation with you within the last 24 hours either by sending a direct message to your account or by replying to a live story.

Limitations

Private Replies to Comments

Send a private reply to a user who commented on your post or reel.

Limitations