Client onboarding checklist for Instagram automation
Most agency headaches with Instagram automation start in the first week: wrong account type, an assistant's personal login, a price list from last year. A checklist prevents nearly all of them.
Use the one below for every client, and adapt it to your service.
Stage 1: access and ownership
- Confirm the client owns the Instagram account and has the login.
- Agree that the automation tool is held in the client's name.
- Decide what access your team gets and how the client removes it.
- Record who has access in a shared sheet.
Stage 2: account checks
- The account is a professional account (creator or business).
- Message access for connected tools is turned on.
- Two-factor authentication is on, with the client holding the codes.
- Any old automation tools are listed so they can be switched off.
Stage 3: connect the tool
- The client signs up for the tool and connects through Instagram Login on their side.
- No passwords are shared by message or email.
- Test that the tool can read comments and send a DM.
Stage 4: gather content
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Top ten customer questions | First keyword automations |
| Current prices and offers | Accurate replies |
| Links: booking, menu, products | Next steps in DMs |
| Tone of voice examples | DMs that sound like the brand |
| Topics to never automate | Compliance and complaints |
Stage 5: build, test, go live
- Build five automations for the most common questions.
- Write three to five rotating public replies.
- Test every keyword from a second account.
- Walk the client through the results before switching on.
- Go live on one post, check the first day, then expand.
Common first-week problems
- The account is a personal account and must be switched to professional first.
- The person with the login is on holiday: agree a contact before you start.
- Old automation tools still answering: switch them off to avoid double replies.
- Price lists out of date: confirm every figure before it goes into a DM.
The first report
After two weeks, send a short report: enquiries handled, leads captured, links clicked, and one recommendation. It sets the tone for the relationship and shows value early.
Regulated clients
For clinics, financial advisors and similar clients, add a compliance review of every automated message before go-live, and a rule that clinical or personal advice questions always go to a person. If your business is in a regulated category, follow Meta's WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy and Commerce Policy, and keep medical, health and investment claims out of your messages.
Offboarding, planned from day one
Write down how the client removes your access and what documentation you hand over. Clients trust agencies that make leaving easy.
Tool limits to plan for
Tadlo does not offer team seats with role-based permissions, white-label reporting or client billing. Tadlo's plans cover one Instagram account on Free and Creator and up to three on Pro. Keep a client login register and a standard report template to save time.
Our pick: Tadlo AI
Tadlo AI
Our top pick
Best for: Client onboarding
Tadlo AI connects through Instagram Login on the client's side with no Facebook Page, has unlimited DMs on every plan, and its analytics give you the numbers for monthly reports. Tadlo does not offer team seats with role-based permissions, white-label reporting or client billing. Tadlo's plans cover one Instagram account on Free and Creator and up to three on Pro.
Price: Free forever plan with no card needed. Paid plans start at ₹249 a month in India or $5 a month elsewhere. Every plan, including Free, has unlimited automations and unlimited DMs (no monthly DM quota and no per-contact charge; sends are paced within Instagram's limits).
Strengths
- Unlimited DMs and automations on every plan, including Free, so a viral reel never raises your bill
- Verified follow gate: checks through Instagram's API whether the commenter really follows you before sending the link
- Comment-to-DM on any comment or chosen keywords, story reply automation and DM keyword flows in a visual flow builder
- Email capture, comment-to-product carousels and a link-in-bio page in the same tool
- Connects with Instagram Business Login on the official API, so no Facebook Page is needed
- AI reel analysis and analytics on paid plans
Limitations
- Facebook comment-to-DM and Messenger keyword replies are still being added
- Newer than ManyChat, so the template library and tutorial community are smaller
- The Free plan covers one Instagram account
- The Free plan adds a "via Tadlo" line to DMs and limits lead export to 100 leads
Frequently asked questions
What should be on an Instagram automation onboarding checklist?
Access and ownership, account checks, tool connection, content gathering, then building, testing and going live.
Should clients share their Instagram password with the agency?
No. The client connects the tool through Instagram Login and grants access they can remove.
How long does onboarding take?
Usually a week or two, depending on how quickly the client provides content and approvals.
What if the client already uses another tool?
List it in stage two, agree a switch-over date, and turn it off before going live so customers do not get two replies.
What should the first report include?
Enquiries handled, leads captured, links clicked and one recommendation.
Sources
- tadlo.ai: Tadlo AI plans and features. Plans, follow gate, A/B testing, carousels and analytics checked 16 October 2026.
- Instagram Messaging API (Meta),
developers.facebook.com/documentation/instagram-platform/instagram-api-with-instagram-login/messaging-api. Messaging window and requests folder; updated 28 September 2026. - Instagram private replies (Meta),
developers.facebook.com/documentation/instagram-platform/private-replies. Updated 30 June 2026. - Instagram API with Instagram Login (Meta),
developers.facebook.com/documentation/instagram-platform/instagram-api-with-instagram-login. - WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy,
whatsappbusiness.com/policy/. Last updated 23 September 2026.