No website? Build your WhatsApp AI agent's knowledge base from the Instagram and Facebook posts you already wrote
Half the small businesses on WhatsApp have no website; they have an Instagram grid with three years of captions. Those captions already answer the questions customers ask: prices, what is included, how to order, delivery days, the one rule about deposits. The work is copying the right ones into plain text an agent can read.
Quick answer
Open your Instagram or Facebook page, and in thirty minutes copy into one plain-text note: your services or products with prices (from the posts where you listed them), hours and location, how to order and pay, delivery and policies, and the ten questions people ask most in comments and DMs with your best answer to each. Paste that note into the agent as its knowledge, test with ten real DMs, and add what is missing. Keep the note current by updating it when you post a price or policy change. ReplyKit accepts pasted text as a knowledge source and lets you add more sources any time.
What to copy out, in order
- Price posts. Search your grid for the posts where you listed prices or packages. Copy them as "Item: price, what's included" lines. Check they are current.
- Pinned posts and highlights. "How to order", "Delivery", "FAQ" highlights are usually your policies in your own words. Copy them.
- Hours and location. From the bio and any post about opening times.
- Comments and DMs. Scroll the last month of comments and DMs and write down the ten questions that recur, with your best answer. This is the most valuable step; the FAQ guide shows how to phrase them.
- Policies. Deposits, cancellations, returns, custom orders. If you have only ever said them in DMs, write them down now.
- About. Two sentences on who you are and what makes you different, from your bio.
Structure it as plain text
Use headings and one fact per line; the agent retrieves lines, so a clear line beats a paragraph:
SERVICES AND PRICES
Gel manicure: RM 68, includes removal.
Gel extension full set: RM 158.
...
HOURS: Tue to Sun 11 am to 8 pm. Closed Mon.
LOCATION: Lot 12, Jalan X, Bangsar. Parking at the back.
BOOKING: Deposit RM 20 by DuitNow to hold a slot; deducted from the bill.
FAQ
Q: Do you do nail art? A: Yes, from RM 10 per nail; send a photo for a quote.
Leave out hashtags, emoji strings, promotions that have ended, and anything you would not want quoted back to a customer. The general rules are in what to put in the knowledge base.
Photos and the catalogue
The agent cannot see your grid, so describe what matters in words: "Signature cake: 6-inch, RM 120, serves 8, flavours vanilla, chocolate, pandan." When a customer sends a screenshot of a post and asks "this one how much?", the agent describes the photo and matches it to the list if the description is clear enough; if not, it hands over. The product descriptions guide covers the format. Customers can also be told to send the post link, which the agent reads as text if the caption is in your note.
Keeping it current
- When you post a new price or policy, paste the same line into the knowledge note. Thirty seconds.
- Each month, read the agent's unanswered-questions list in the dashboard and add the answers; that is the teach loop.
- Remove ended promotions the day they end, or the agent will quote them.
- Once you do get a website, add it as a second source; the note still covers what the site does not say.
One honest note before the setup. ReplyKit connects to your number by QR pairing, the same linked-device mechanism as WhatsApp Web. It is live in minutes and needs no Meta approval, but Meta does not sanction automation this way, so a number can be restricted. We enforce limits of 30 replies an hour and 200 a day per number with a warm-up ramp for new numbers, reply to inbound messages only, and recommend a dedicated number rather than your main line. The full picture is in our ban guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI agent read my Instagram directly?
No. Instagram does not allow it. You copy the useful captions into a plain-text note, which takes about thirty minutes once.
What if a customer sends a screenshot of my post?
The agent describes the image and matches it to your list if the description is clear. If not, it hands over to you.
How do I keep it up to date?
Paste new prices or policies into the note when you post them, and add answers from the unanswered-questions list monthly.
Do I need a website later?
Not for the agent. If you get one, add it as a second source; the note keeps working.
What should I leave out?
Hashtags, ended promotions, anything you would not want quoted to a customer, and claims you cannot back.
From captions to an agent in thirty minutes
Paste your knowledge as text, test with real DMs, add sources any time. 7-day free trial, no card.
Sources and further reading
- Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (Oldroyd, McElheran, Elkington, 2011) · firms that responded within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify the lead
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · opt-in, opt-out and prohibited-use rules every business must follow
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for running a small business, not legal, financial or regulatory advice.