Messaging within the boundaries of Meta’s policies is crucial for ensuring compliance and maintaining a positive customer experience. The 24-hour and 7-day messaging windows define the primary frameworks for engaging with users after their initial interaction. However, there are scenarios where businesses may need to reach out beyond these timeframes while still adhering to Meta’s guidelines.
In this article, we’ll explore the strategies and tools available in Manychat to send messages outside of these windows effectively. Whether you're looking to re-engage customers or deliver time-sensitive information, this guide will empower you to use Manychat’s features while staying aligned with Meta’s standards.
- Overview of Meta's 24-hour messaging rule
- The 7-day messaging window and Human Agent tag
- Using Message Tags for compliance and efficiency
- Post-Purchase Update tag
- Confirmed Event Update tag
- Account Update tag
- Best practices for proper use of Message tags
- Messenger and DM Lists
- One-Time Notifications (OTNs)
Overview of Meta's 24-hour messaging rule
What is the 24-hour rule?
The 24-hour rule is a policy enforced by Meta to prevent businesses from sending unsolicited or spammy messages to users. After 24 hours have passed since a contact’s last interaction with your business, you are no longer allowed to send them promotional or non-essential messages, unless they fall under specific conditions explained later in this article.
Why does the 24-hour rule exist?
The primary reason behind the 24-hour rule is to protect users from spam. By enforcing this rule, Meta aims to create a better user experience where people are not bombarded with excessive promotional messages. This policy helps businesses maintain good relationships with their audience.
In practice, when businesses respect the 24-hour rule, it increases the likelihood that their messages will be opened, read, and engaged with by users. In essence, it's about quality over quantity: fewer, more relevant messages are more likely to build trust and encourage interaction.
What happens if you ignore the 24-hour rule?
Ignoring the 24-hour rule can lead to serious consequences for businesses using Messenger and Instagram for communication. Violating these policies can result in:
- Warnings from Meta
- Limited features on your page
- Being permanently blocked from sending messages on Messenger or Instagram
If you violate the 24-hour rule, Meta will send you a warning. Repeated infractions can lead to your page being blocked from sending messages, which could severely impact your communication strategy.
How does Manychat protect you?
Manychat helps ensure that you stay compliant with the 24-hour rule. If a subscriber falls outside the 24-hour window and you have messages scheduled for them, Manychat will automatically prevent those messages from being sent. This automated protection helps you avoid violating Meta’s policies without having to manually track every subscriber's time window.
Warnings and appeals
It’s important to regularly monitor your page for any policy violations in Page setup > Page status settings section of your Facebook page, and Manychat will also notify you via your sign-up email if there are any potential issues.
If you do get blocked from sending messages, don’t panic. Meta allows you to appeal the decision. After submitting an appeal, you will have the opportunity to speak with a Meta representative who will review your case. Be sure to check your warnings and carefully follow the appeal process if you find yourself in this situation.
The 7-day messaging window and Human Agent tag
The 7-day window represents the period during which you can send messages to a contact outside of the standard 24-hour window, as long as the message is being sent manually by a human agent. This window begins immediately after the contact’s last interaction with your business, and it allows for continued support when an issue cannot be resolved within the 24-hour period.
This feature is specifically intended for human agent support in cases where a contact’s issue requires more than 24 hours to resolve. This could occur, for example, when the business is closed for the weekend, or when the issue at hand requires extended time to resolve beyond the standard messaging window.
The Human Agent tag is available for both Instagram and Messenger and is automatically applied to messages sent manually by a human agent via Manychat’s live chat, so you don’t need to manually select this tag when replying outside the 24-hour window.
Automated messages are not allowed during this 7-day window; only messages sent by a human agent are permissible.
The Human Agent tag can be used for up to 7 days after the contact’s last interaction with your business.
Once the 7-day period has expired as shown in the screenshot above from Manychat’s live chat, you will need to use other options, such as Message Tags, Messenger Lists, or DM Lists to reach out to those contacts.
Using Message tags for compliance and efficiency
Message tags are predefined reasons provided by Facebook Messenger that allow businesses to send non-promotional messages to contacts outside the standard 24-hour messaging window. These tags are essential for ensuring compliance with Meta’s messaging policies.
These are designed to support specific non-promotional use cases, such as providing important updates or assisting users with relevant information. It is crucial to ensure that the content of your message aligns with the purpose of the selected Message tag.
Promotional content, including product announcements, event invitations for unregistered users, cart abandonment reminders, or notifications about new blog posts, cannot be sent using Message tags. Examples of promotional messages include:
- Announcing a product launch or drop.
- Promoting an upcoming event that the contact hasn’t signed up for.
- Sharing new content like a blog post or video.
Inside the Flow Builder, you can select the appropriate Message tag as a reason for sending a message outside of the 24-hour window. It’s important to carefully choose the tag that best matches the purpose of your message to ensure compliance with Meta’s policies.
Let's now delve into each Message tag in detail, exploring what types of messages are permitted and which are not.
Post-Purchase Update tag
The Post-Purchase Update tag allows you to notify users about their recent purchases with updates like receipts, shipping notifications, or payment-related information such as refunds or returns. However, it's strictly prohibited to include cross-sell or upsell promotions within the same message that uses this tag. You can also use it to request critical details required to complete the purchase, such as a delivery address or order confirmation.
You may include links in your messages to direct users to external resources or other automations, but these messages must avoid showcasing or referencing specific products. For instance:
- “Your refund has been processed. For more details, click here or visit our website.”
- “Your return request has been approved. Please follow this link for instructions on sending the item back.”
- “We’ve updated your subscription. Here’s the invoice for your records. For further assistance, click here.”
- “Your order has shipped! Track your package using this code: 4789XYZ. Click here for detailed tracking updates.”
One key benefit of including a link that leads to another Manychat automation as in the last example is that it reopens the 24-hour messaging window. This allows you to design more engaging and creative automations that can effectively introduce cross-sell or upsell opportunities outside the original message.
Confirmed Event Update tag
The Confirmed Event Update tag is designed for sending reminders or updates about events users have explicitly signed up for, such as by purchasing tickets or completing a registration form. This tag is applicable only to upcoming events or those currently in progress.
The tag can only be used when the user has clearly registered for the event. If the user hasn’t explicitly signed up, you cannot send reminders or updates using this tag.
For example, a user accepting a calendar invitation or completing a registration flow demonstrates proactive confirmation.
To ensure your use of this tag complies with Meta’s policies and passes automated checks, follow these strategies:
1. Engage users during the registration process:
For example, when someone registers for your event via email, include a link to Messenger in the confirmation email. The message might say: “You’re confirmed for this event! Would you like to receive reminders on Messenger?”
Alternatively, if your event uses a landing page, create a sign-up flow using Messenger instead of email. Include clear messaging like: “You’re registered! We’ll notify you before the event starts.”
This creates a visible interaction in the Messenger thread, demonstrating to reviewers that the user opted into event-related updates.
2. Be specific and explicit in your reminders:
Reference the event and the user’s registration clearly. For instance:
- “Hi [First Name], this is your reminder for the event you signed up for on [registration date]. It’s happening in 30 minutes!”
- “This is a follow-up for the event you registered for. Don’t forget, it’s on [event date] at [time]!”
If available, include additional context like an order or confirmation number to further validate the registration.
3. Stay focused on upcoming or ongoing events:
This tag cannot be used to send promotional messages or post-event follow-ups. For example, avoid messages like:
- “Hi [First Name], you attended our concert yesterday. Buy tickets for next week’s concert!”
- “Get your merch from the conference you attended!”
These messages are non-compliant because they promote unrelated items and refer to events that have already ended.
By adhering to these practices, you can ensure your use of the Confirmed Event Update tag is both compliant and effective. Always make it crystal clear in your messaging that the user has registered, and where possible, include specific details about the event and their registration.
Account Update tag
The Account Update tag is intended for notifying users about a non-recurring change to their account or application.
The critical word here is “non-recurring.” You can use this tag to notify a user of a one-time change, such as a password update. However, you cannot use this tag for notifications about recurring activities, like informing users every time their loyalty points increase after making a purchase.
These changes refer to modifications directly affecting the account itself, not the activities associated with it. For instance, if you operate a Shopify store and customers can add products to a “favorites” list, you cannot use the Account Update tag to notify users when an item from their favorites goes out of stock.
However, account-specific changes—such as a declined credit card, an updated password, or changes to account settings—are valid uses for this tag.
To maximize effectiveness and compliance, it’s important to provide context and clarity in your messages. Meta doesn’t favor vague notifications that lack sufficient details, such as a simple message stating, “Jim, your password has changed. Click here for more information.”
Instead, aim to provide useful context, explaining the reason for the change, when it occurred, what exactly changed, and what the user should do next.
For example, a more effective message would be: “Hi Jim, this is Acme Inc. We’re notifying you that your password was updated yesterday. If you didn’t make this change, please let us know immediately. You can also reset your password using the link below.”
By providing clear, actionable information, you ensure that users understand the update and have the necessary context to take any required steps.
Best practices for proper use of Message tags
1. No surveys or polls unrelated to previous interactions
You cannot prompt users for surveys, polls, ratings, or reviews unrelated to a prior conversation in Messenger. You can ask for a review after a purchase but not randomly ask users about shoe preferences without prior interaction.
If you’ve previously assisted a customer in choosing a product and they made a purchase, you can use the Post-Purchase Update tag to follow up and ask for a review, as there is a documented, preexisting interaction.
2. No promotional content
Message tags cannot be used for any form of promotional content, including deals, promotions, discounts, or coupons. Selling or marketing activities, such as offering a sale, are also prohibited when using Message tags. Even if your message doesn’t appear overtly promotional, if it falls outside the allowed Message tag use cases, it will likely be flagged.
For example, if you use the Account Update tag to notify users about a declined credit card but also mention a sale or discount, this would violate the policy.
3. Provide context in your messages
To avoid violations, it’s essential to include as much context as possible in your messages, detailing the who, why, when, and where related to your message. While this may make your messages slightly longer, it ensures you stay within the guidelines and reduces the risk of your content being flagged.
4. Avoid violating the 24-hour rule
Meta's 24-hour rule aims to prevent spam and promotional content. If you violate this rule, you will receive a warning from Meta, and subsequent violations may result in your page being blocked. The improper use of Message tags is a common reason for policy violations, so it’s crucial to use them only for their specific, approved use cases.
5. If you receive a warning
In case of warnings from Meta, review your automations to ensure Message ttags are used correctly. If necessary, consider using other communication methods, such as SMS, Email, or One-Time Notifications, and Messenger lists, to stay compliant.
Messenger and DM Lists
The Messenger List enables your business to re-engage customers daily, with prior consent, after 24 hours have passed since their last interaction. This feature is explained in detail in their respective article.
Starting January 31, 2023, Meta deprecated the notification_messages_frequency, meaning message frequency will no longer be required when sending opt-in requests for marketing messages.
Notification tokens created before January 31, 2023, for weekly and monthly frequencies will still be supported. The message frequency for these tokens will remain unchanged, and the notification_messages_frequency will continue to appear in the messaging opt-in webhook notification.
Moreover, starting August 10, 2023, notification tokens will no longer expire, meaning that re-opt-in requests and opt-out reminders will no longer be sent.
⚠️ Note: Instagram DM Lists worked the same way as Messenger Lists, but it's important to note that in February, 2024, Meta paused the allowlisting of accounts for the Instagram DM List Beta. Only those who have already been approved will be able to use this feature and will see it in their Manychat accounts.
One-Time Notifications (OTNs)
One-Time Notifications are similar to Messenger Lists but are designed to allow businesses to send a single message to a subscriber after obtaining their explicit consent. OTNs are particularly useful for sending messages outside of the 24-hour window, but it’s important to note that they can only be used to send one message and must relate to the specific topic the customer opted in for.
Due to Meta’s decision to deprecate the frequency feature of Messenger Lists, OTNs have largely become obsolete, and may not be available for most Manychat accounts.
To ensure compliance, the message sent via an OTN must be directly related to the topic the subscriber originally opted in for. For example, if a customer subscribes to an OTN for a product drop, you cannot use the same OTN to send them an update about a webinar.
Additionally, you should avoid adding unrelated content in the same OTN. For instance, if you use an OTN to notify customers about a T-shirt sale, you cannot repurpose that OTN for sales on shoes or sweaters. Violating this rule can result in your account being blocked by Meta.
To use an OTN properly, you must first request and obtain the subscriber’s consent to receive a message. This is done through the Messenger List setup, as OTNs are only available for Messenger automation. When creating a new Messenger List, you can select "One-Time Notification" as the frequency setting, which will allow you to send the OTN once the subscriber has granted permission.
Remember to review the rules on OTNs carefully to ensure your messages comply with Meta's guidelines and avoid any risk of account suspension.
In all cases, the key to success is obtaining clear consent from your subscribers, providing relevant content, and following the rules set by Meta to avoid any penalties. By understanding and implementing these tools correctly, you can continue to nurture relationships with your audience while respecting the guidelines that help keep communication meaningful and non-intrusive.
Always stay updated on any changes to Meta’s policies to ensure your messaging strategies remain compliant and effective.
If you're encountering issues with any of these features, please contact our Support Team.