Ecommerce Keywords: SIZE, RESTOCK, and PRICE

Ecommerce comments cluster into three jobs: what size, when is it back, and how much. If you bind all three to one LINK automation, you will send a product URL to someone who needed a restock date and a restock date to someone who needed a measurement. This article is keyword design for catalogues — not the product-drop playbook of countdown Stories and upcoming-post arming.

You still need a Professional account, Meta login, and a post- or Reel-scoped automation. Mechanics sit in comment-to-DM and matching rules in keyword match types.

PRICE is not SIZE

PRICE should send money, tax clarity, and a checkout URL. SIZE should send a chart, fabric stretch notes, and a return line. Combining them into “check the site” trains shoppers to ignore DMs.

Catalogue trick: bind PRICE automations per SKU Reel. A dress Reel and a belt Reel should not share a global PRICE rule that names the wrong item. If you run a grid of many products, prefer per-media automations over one account-wide PRICE.

SIZE — measurements beat vanity labels

Example DM: “For this jean, SIZE is the waist in inches. 28–36 in the carousel. Chart: https://example.com/jean-chart. If you are between sizes, reply HIP and your measurement — a human will pick.”

Keywords to consider: SIZE, SIZING, “will this fit”, and common typos you actually see. Prefer exact SIZE so you do not match “sizable following” jokes; add contains “size chart” if your audience writes sentences.

Exclude “what size is the file” on a PDF magnet post if that post also uses GUIDE. Different posts, different exclude lists.

RESTOCK — say the truth, including “we don’t know”

Restock comments are where shops lie. If the factory date is unknown, the DM should say unknown and offer a waitlist URL. A fake Friday date in an automated DM becomes a pile of angry replies next week.

Example DM (known date): “Black / M is due 14 September. I’ll send the same checkout link the morning it is live: https://example.com/waitlist. Commenting RESTOCK does not reserve a unit.”

Example DM (unknown): “No date yet for this colour. Join the waitlist: https://example.com/waitlist. When packing starts we email that list first — we won’t DM-blast everyone who ever commented.”

Contains “restock” will also match “when do you restock packaging.” Use excludes or exact RESTOCK if the grid is noisy. Add “sold out” as a keyword only if the DM is actually the waitlist, not a second PRICE list.

A three-automation map on one product Reel

1. Automation A — exact PRICE, contains “how much”. DM: price + checkout.
2. Automation B — exact SIZE, contains “fit”. DM: chart + returns.
3. Automation C — exact RESTOCK, contains “sold out”. DM: date or waitlist.
4. Optional public replies, one line each, pointing at Message Requests.
5. Do not also run catch-all on that Reel unless you want to DM compliments.

If two automations could match one comment (“sold out, what’s the price”), decide a priority in your head and use excludes so only one sends. Double DMs feel like a broken shop.

Inventory and the hourly cap

A restock announcement Reel can pull thousands of RESTOCK comments. Native Comment to Message typically drops once Instagram’s hourly automated DM cap is hit. CommentLink paces around ~200 Instagram DMs per hour in the safety queue. Neither creates extra quota. Prioritise the keyword you care about; do not catch-all during a restock storm.

What not to copy from drop culture

Drops use mystery, countdowns, and “comment NOW.” Catalogues need durable keywords that still make sense on a six-month-old Reel. Do not retire SIZE because last month’s drop used DROP as the only word. Old product Reels keep getting comments. Leave the automations on or turn them off on purpose — do not forget them.

COLOR, MATERIAL, and WHOLESALE as extra intents

If the grid is fashion, COLOR comments are not PRICE. Send swatches or the remaining colourways URL. MATERIAL should send care and fabric, not checkout. WHOLESALE should collect email or send a line-sheet gate, not the retail SKU. Each extra keyword is another automation to test. Add them when the thread actually contains those words, not because a blog listed them.

Contains “color” will match “colorway” and also “color me impressed.” Start exact COLOR, add contains only after you see sentence comments. Same discipline as LINK versus LINKPLEASE.

SKU hygiene across many Reels

One automation per media for PRICE is boring and correct. Account-wide PRICE that names “the oak table” on a ceramic bowl Reel is how you get chargebacks. When you duplicate a Reel for ads, duplicate or re-bind the automation. Upcoming-post arming is for drops; catalogues that stay evergreen should be checked monthly for dead checkout URLs.

If you take a SKU down, pause the automation on that media the same day. A RESTOCK DM that still promises September after you discontinued the colour is worse than no automation.

Returns, COD, and India-shaped questions

Shoppers will comment COD, RETURN, and “open box.” Those are not SIZE. Either add keywords with honest policy URLs or answer in public once so the thread teaches lurkers. Automating a fake “yes we do COD” on a Reel for a market where you do not is a commerce failure the API will happily send.

Keep policy DMs short and linked. The hourly cap is too expensive to spend on a 400-word terms of service in ten bubbles.

Testing catalogue keywords

Second account. One comment per keyword. Confirm the right DM, not merely “a DM arrived.” Wrong SKU copy is a failed test. If SIZE and PRICE both fired, fix excludes. Full procedure: test comment-to-DM with a second account.

Build a tiny matrix in a note: media URL, keyword typed, expected first line of the DM, expected URL. Have a teammate execute the matrix without watching you click. Catalogue mistakes are copy bound to the wrong Reel, not mysterious API failures. Include one non-matching comment so you prove catch-all is off. Include one excluded phrase if you rely on excludes to stop double sends. Date the matrix so nobody treats a six-month-old pass as current after a price change. Repeat it when you duplicate a Reel for ads, because the new object is not automatically watching the old automation.

When you add RESTOCK, test a sold-out colour and an in-stock colour if the DMs differ. If they share a DM that says “no date,” you will anger people who can still buy. Split automations or use a condition in a flow only after the simple split is painful.

Re-test after a price change. PRICE automations with a hard-coded number in the bubble go stale faster than a URL to a live product page. Prefer “current price is on this page” plus the number you will honour today. If you must put a number in the DM, calendar the update. A viral old Reel with last year’s price is a customer-service pile, not a marketing win. The same pass should confirm RESTOCK dates and SIZE charts still match the SKU on that media. Pause SIZE if the chart URL is dead. A 404 in a DM trains shoppers to ignore the next PRICE message too.

FAQ

Should SHOP be a fourth keyword?

Only if the DM is a storefront URL and it does not collide with PRICE. Three clear intents beat five synonyms.

Can one flow branch on SIZE versus RESTOCK?

Yes, with conditions, if you insist on one trigger. Separate automations are easier to test and pause. Use a flow when you must collect email after RESTOCK.

Do follow-gates belong on SIZE?

Rarely. Shoppers asking fit questions are mid-purchase. Gate the discount code, not the size chart, unless you have a reason.

Is this allowed?

Official APIs, people who commented, Professional account. Yes in that category. Misleading stock dates are a commerce problem, not an API feature. See is comment automation allowed.

Should I use catch-all on a catalogue Reel?

Almost never. You will DM compliments and spend the hourly cap on people who wanted nothing. SIZE, RESTOCK, and PRICE exist so the rest of the thread can stay human. Catch-all is for launches and giveaways that already told everyone to comment anything.

What if the same person comments PRICE then SIZE?

That is two events. Two automations may send two DMs. That can be correct. If it feels noisy, exclude SIZE on the PRICE rule or combine in a flow with a condition. Test both comments from a second account before you boost.

Do I need a follow-gate on RESTOCK?

Only if non-followers are burning the waitlist. Shoppers who already follow you will hate an extra tap. Use the gate on viral giveaway Reels, not on a restock story told to an existing audience.

How do I keep old Reels from sending dead links?

Calendar a monthly pass: open each live automation, click the checkout URL, pause if the SKU is gone. Upcoming-post tools are for drops. Evergreen catalogues rot. Dead PRICE DMs are worse than no automation.

Related reading

• Comment-to-DM