How to Respond to Facebook and Instagram Reviews and Comments

For a lot of small businesses in Pakistan and India, Facebook and Instagram are where customers talk to you first. They leave a recommendation on your Page, ask "price?" under a reel, complain in the comments of an ad, or slide into your DMs at midnight.

Most of those are public conversations, and even the private ones get screenshotted. The way you reply tells the next hundred people what it's like to buy from you.

In this guide I'll explain how Facebook recommendations actually work, give you reply templates for the situations you'll see most (in English and Roman Urdu, with made-up names), and show you when to hide, restrict, filter or report instead of replying. Everything about features and settings comes from the Facebook Help Center, the Meta Business Help Center and the Instagram Help Center, checked on 24 October 2026.

First, how Facebook "reviews" work now

Facebook Pages use recommendations instead of the old star reviews (you may still see some older star-only reviews on your Page). When someone recommends a business, Facebook asks them to click Yes or No, and they can write a recommendation and pick tags like "friendly staff" or "slow service".

A few details from Facebook's help pages that change how you should think about them:

• Your Page rating comes only from public recommendations. People can choose who sees their recommendation. If they share it with Friends only, it doesn't count towards your overall rating.
• You need at least five reviews to show a rating. A Page may not have a rating at all until it gets five.
• Facebook doesn't verify purchases. Its help page says plainly that it doesn't check whether someone actually bought the product or used the service.
• Spam reviews get removed automatically, and your rating can change when they are.
• Recommendations may make your Page easier to find in Facebook search, according to Meta.

You can turn recommendations off in your Page settings (Settings & privacy > Settings, then toggle Allow others to view and leave reviews on your Page?). But Meta says turning them off removes your rating and reviews from the Page too, the good ones included. For most businesses I'd leave them on and manage them properly instead.

Facebook vs Instagram: what you're actually managing

So on Instagram, your "reviews" are really your comments and DMs. Treat them with the same care.

Set up one inbox before you reply to anything

If you manage both Facebook and Instagram, connect them in Meta Business Suite. Meta's best-practice page for comment moderation suggests going to Inbox in Business Suite to review both your Facebook and Instagram comments in one place.

Inside the Inbox you can mark a comment Move to done once it's handled, or use Mark as unread, Mark as spam or Follow up for anything you need to come back to. That simple habit is what stops comments slipping through on busy days.

Meta's own advice is to respond to both positive and negative comments, and to respond honestly and fairly. I agree. A reply under a positive comment tells people you're real. A calm reply under a negative one tells people you're safe to buy from.

The 4-line reply formula

Whether it's a recommendation, a comment or a DM, the structure is the same:

1. Use their name and thank them. Even if they're angry.
2. Mention the specific thing they said. This proves a human read it.
3. Fix it or explain what happens next. One clear step.
4. Move details to a private chat. Order numbers, phone numbers and addresses never go in public replies.

Keep it short. Two to four sentences is enough for almost everything.

Replies to Facebook recommendations

You'll find your recommendations on your Page's Reviews tab. Reply from your Page (not your personal profile) in the comments under the recommendation.

Positive recommendation

Thank you so much, Ayesha! We're really glad the stitching and fit were exactly what you wanted. See you for the Eid collection, and thanks for taking the time to recommend us.

"Not recommended" with a real complaint

Hi Bilal, I'm sorry your order arrived two days late. That's not the experience we want anyone to have. I've sent you a message on Messenger so we can sort out the delivery charge for you.

"Not recommended" with no details

Hi Sana, thank you for the feedback. I'd really like to understand what went wrong so we can fix it. Could you send us a message with a few details? We read every one.

Positive one in Roman Urdu

Bohat shukriya, Imran bhai! Khushi hui ke aap ko delivery time pe mili aur quality pasand aayi. Agli dafa bhi zaroor yaad rakhiye ga.

Negative one in Roman Urdu

Hamid sahab, maazrat chahte hain ke aap ka order ghalat size mein gaya. Hum ne aap ko Messenger pe message kiya hai, exchange ki pick-up hum khud arrange kar dein ge.

Reply in the language the customer used. If they wrote in Roman Urdu, an English reply can feel cold.

A recommendation that looks fake

If someone you've never served leaves a "not recommended" with no details, don't accuse them in public. Reply once, calmly:

Hi, we couldn't find an order or booking under this name. If you've visited us or ordered from us, please send us a message with the details so we can look into it.

Then report it if it breaks the rules. Facebook says you can report recommendations that don't follow its Community Standards: go to Reviews, click See all next to Recent reviews, click Options on the recommendation and follow the on-screen steps. Facebook reviews the report and may remove it. Keep in mind that recommendations with only a star rating can't be reported, and Facebook won't remove something just because it's negative.

For the same situation on Google, my guide on how to report a fake Google review walks through Google's process.

Replies to comments on posts, reels and ads

Comments are faster and more casual than recommendations, but they're also more public. A comment under an ad can be seen by everyone the ad reaches.

"Price?" (the most common comment of all)

Answer it in public if your prices are fixed. Hiding the price makes people scroll away.

Rs 3,450 with free delivery in Karachi, Ayesha! Sizes S to XL are in stock. I've also sent you the full catalogue on WhatsApp.

If your price depends on the order, say so in public and continue privately:

It depends on the size and quantity, Usman. I've sent you a DM so we can give you an exact quote.

If you sell over chat, it helps to have your catalogue ready. Here's my guide on setting up a WhatsApp Business catalogue.

A complaint under a post or ad

Hi Fahad, I'm sorry about this. That's not okay, and I want to fix it. I've sent you a DM, please share your order number there.

Roman Urdu complaint

Kashif bhai, maazrat. Aap ne DM mein order number bhej diya to hum aaj hi check kar ke aap ko update kar dein ge.

Positive comment

Thank you, Hina! The new colours are coming next week. Stay tuned.

Spam, scams and fake "DM me for followers" accounts

Don't reply. Hide, delete or report (more on that below).

Replies to DMs

DMs are where most sales actually close. A few rules I'd follow:

• Reply fast during business hours, and set expectations outside them. An auto-reply that says when you'll be back is better than silence.
• Answer the question in the first message. If someone asks the price, don't reply "Hi! How can I help you?" Give the price.
• Use saved replies for the top five questions (price, delivery time, sizes, location, payment methods), then personalise the first line.
• Never ask for card details or passwords in a DM, and tell customers you never will, so they know a request like that isn't from you.

If your DMs are coming from ads, my guide to click-to-WhatsApp ads covers how to set up those conversations so they turn into sales.

When to hide, delete, restrict or report

Not every comment deserves a reply. Here's how I'd decide.

Hide (Facebook and Instagram)

Use hide for comments that are rude, off-topic or spam but not dangerous.

• On Facebook, when you hide a comment on your Page's post, it's still visible to the person who wrote it and their friends, and hidden for everyone else. Replies to that comment are hidden too. Meta says the person won't know you've hidden it, which helps avoid an argument.
• On Instagram, you can manually hide comments only on your own posts, from the mobile app. Hidden comments stay visible to you and the person who wrote them, they still count in your total comment count, and the person won't know they've been hidden.

Don't hide genuine complaints. If a real customer has a real problem, reply. Hiding it makes the problem look bigger when they post again somewhere else.

Delete

Delete removes the comment from the post. Save it for things like personal information, scams, or content that shouldn't be there at all.

Filter words automatically

This is the setting most businesses never touch, and it saves hours.

• Facebook: in your Page's Settings, go to Followers and public content > Hide comments containing certain words from your Page. You can add up to 1,000 keywords in any language (words, phrases or emojis), and Facebook automatically hides common variations, misspellings and versions with numbers or symbols. There's also a profanity filter in the same area.
• Instagram: go to Settings > How others can interact with you > Hidden Words. "Hide unwanted comments" is on by default. Add your own list under Manage custom words and phrases, separated by commas.

What to add: abusive words in English, Urdu and Roman Urdu, competitor spam phrases, "DM for followers", fake giveaway terms, and any slurs you've seen before. Meta says these filters are set at the Page or profile level and also apply to ads from that Page or profile.

Restrict (Instagram)

If one person keeps leaving nasty comments, Restrict them. Their new comments will only be visible to them unless you approve them, you won't get notifications for their comments, and their DMs move to Message requests. You can restrict someone by tapping and holding their comment and choosing Restrict account.

Ban or block (Facebook)

For repeat abusers on Facebook, you can ban them from your Page. Meta says banned people can no longer publish to your Page, comment on your posts, message your Page or like it.

Report

Report anything that breaks Meta's Community Standards: hate, harassment, threats, scams or impersonation. Report the comment, recommendation or account directly from the three-dot menu next to it.

A 10-minute daily routine

If you're already handling Google reviews too, my online reputation management routine for small businesses puts all of it into one weekly 30-minute slot.

Mistakes to avoid

• Arguing in public. You won't win, even when you're right.
• Copy-pasting the same reply under every comment. People notice, and it looks automated.
• Posting order numbers, phone numbers or addresses in replies. Move them to DMs.
• Hiding every negative comment. Hide abuse and spam, answer real complaints.
• Turning off recommendations after one bad one. You lose all the good ones too.
• Offering discounts in exchange for recommendations. It cheapens the good ones. On Google, incentives for reviews are against the rules, as I explain in my guide to getting more Google reviews.

If you want help writing replies faster, the prompts in my guide on replying to Google reviews with ChatGPT work just as well for Facebook recommendations. And for tougher situations, see 12 examples of replies to negative Google reviews.

You'll find more guides like this on my blog, and more about me on my home page.

FAQ

Can I delete a bad Facebook recommendation?

Facebook's help pages don't give Pages a way to delete someone else's recommendation. You can reply to it, and you can report it if it doesn't follow Facebook's Community Standards. Facebook reviews reports and may remove recommendations that break the rules. Recommendations with only a star rating can't be reported.

Should I turn off Facebook recommendations?

Usually not. Meta says turning recommendations off removes your rating and all your reviews from the Page, including the positive ones. It's better to reply to every recommendation and report the ones that break the rules.

Why doesn't my Facebook Page show a rating?

Facebook says a Page may not have a rating until it has at least five reviews, and only public recommendations count towards it. Recommendations shared with Friends only don't affect the rating.

Does Instagram have reviews for businesses?

No. Instagram doesn't have a reviews feature, so your public feedback is in comments and your private feedback is in DMs. Reply to both, and use Hidden Words, hide and Restrict for spam and abuse.

What happens when I hide a comment on Facebook or Instagram?

On Facebook, a hidden comment stays visible to the person who wrote it and their friends but is hidden for everyone else. On Instagram, it stays visible to you and the commenter. In both cases the person isn't told it was hidden.

Should I reply to comments in Roman Urdu?

Yes, if the customer wrote in Roman Urdu. Replying in the same language feels more personal. Keep the reply short and polite, and move order details to a private message.

Keep reading

• How to respond to negative Google reviews (12 examples you can copy)
• How to reply to Google reviews with ChatGPT (with copy-paste prompts)
• Online reputation management for small businesses: a weekly 30-minute routine
• How to report (and remove) a fake Google review
• Click-to-WhatsApp ads: how to turn chats into sales
• See all posts on the blog
• Back to my home page