Guest lists fill themselves before doors open.

Friday, 11 pm. The lineup post has two hundred comments saying LIST, the DMs are full of "can I bring three friends?" and "how much for a table?", and the promoter is copying names into a spreadsheet on their phone. Half the people who commented never hear back, a few get promised places that don't exist, and the door team scrolls a list nobody can trust. ChatinFlow answers every comment in a private message, asks how many people are on each name, stops at the capacity you set, hands out a one-time code for the door and sends table requests to your team with a deposit. This guide shows bars, lounges, clubs and promoters how to fill a night from Instagram: guest lists, door codes, tables, the full message, and how to bring the same crowd back next week.

How to make a guest list for a club night on Instagram

The old way is a comment thread and a spreadsheet. The automated way keeps the comment and removes the spreadsheet:

1. Post the night with "Comment LIST to get on the guest list". The keyword and the post are yours to choose.
2. Each comment gets a private reply within seconds, asking how many people are coming, with taps for just me, +1, +2 or +3.
3. A limited spots step gives the place in order and counts it against your capacity.
4. A one-time code goes to each guest, with the time the list closes and the dress code.
5. The list stops at your number. Everyone after that hears it's full, with the walk-up time.

A short public reply under each comment, such as "Check your DMs!", keeps the post busy and tells the next person that commenting works.

How to cap a guest list so you never promise a place you don't have

Overbooked lists are how a club loses trust: people queue, get turned away and never comment again. Set the capacity once in the limited spots step. Places are given in order, and the moment the list is full, everyone else follows the "full" path.

• Count names or people. Count each name as one place, or ask the party size first and plan the capacity in names you can actually let in.
• Someone who comes back keeps their spot, so a guest who comments twice doesn't take two places.
• Your team hears at 90% and when it's full, so the promoter can decide to open a second list or stop.
• Use the numbers in messages. "Only 12 places left" can be filled in from the step itself, which makes the post that announces it honest.

Guest list door codes: check guests in seconds

A name at the door is slow and easy to fake. A code is fast. Upload a code list, one code per place. Each guest gets a code from the list in their DM; someone who asks again gets the same code, so there are no duplicates. When the list runs low, the team hears about it.

At the door, the guest shows the code on their phone. Your door team checks it against the list, and a real place is confirmed in seconds instead of scrolling a spreadsheet.

Plus-ones: let guests add friends to their name

"Can I bring my friends?" is the second most common message after LIST. Ask it in the flow: "How many people are with you?" with taps for the numbers you allow. The number is saved with the contact, so the door sees the full party under one name and the promoter can see the real size of the night.

Set the limit you can manage. Lists that allow +1 only fill slower but turn away fewer people.

Nightclub table bookings and bottle service in the DMs

Table requests are the messages that pay for the night. They usually arrive as "how much for a table for 8 on Saturday?". A table flow asks:

• The night, as buttons for the next dates.
• The group size.
• The package, from your list of tables and bottle packages, with the minimum spend.
• The occasion, such as a birthday, so the host can prepare.

Then a Buy button with a fixed amount opens Stripe or PayPal checkout in the chat for the deposit, and the money goes straight to your account. When it clears, the request is tagged as paid and the host sees the booking before the night. A reserved table is a paid table.

What to say when the guest list is full

When the list is full, nobody should be left on read. The full message does three things:

• Says it clearly. "The list for Friday is full."
• Gives the next best option. The walk-up time, the door price, a table if there are any.
• Offers next week. "Want to be first for next week's list?" with a button.

People who tap yes are tagged, and next week's list goes to them before it goes on the post.

How to promote a club night on Instagram with comments

• Post the lineup with one call to action. "Comment LIST" beats "link in bio, DM for tables, tag your friends".
• Say the keyword in the story too. Story replies with LIST can start the same flow.
• Count down honestly. "Only 40 places left" in a story, from the real count.
• Repost the full post. A "list full" story makes next week's list fill faster.
• Thank the night. Photos the next day with "Comment LIST for next Friday".

Bring the same crowd back next week

A club lives on regulars. The people who were on Friday's list, who asked for a table or who missed out are the warmest audience you have. Tag each group: on-list, table, missed-out. When next week's list opens, send it to the tags first.

Be clear about the rules. On Instagram and Messenger, a broadcast reaches people who wrote to you in the last 24 hours. A guest who was on the list on Friday may be outside that window by the next Thursday. Two ways that work:

• Open the window. Post next week's night with the keyword, and the people who comment get the list straight away.
• Use a channel without the window. A Telegram bot reaches everyone who started it; WhatsApp reaches people who opted in, with a template Meta approved.

Every message goes out at a sensible hour in each person's own time zone, and opted-out contacts are always skipped.

Answer the questions every club gets

Write each answer once:

• "What's the dress code?"
• "What time does it close?"
• "How old do I need to be?"
• "Is there a cloakroom?"
• "How much is entry?"

A keyword reply sends the right answer the moment someone asks, at 2 am or at 2 pm. Anything unusual goes to the team in the shared inbox.

Birthdays and private events

Birthdays fill tables. A keyword such as BIRTHDAY can start a flow that asks the date, the group size and the package, then takes a deposit. Save the birthday date to the contact, and a date rule can invite them back for the next one, on a channel that can still reach them. Private hire questions, such as a whole floor for a company party, go straight to a person with the details already collected.

Is it allowed to reply to hundreds of Instagram comments?

Yes, through Meta's official messaging API. Each comment can get one private reply, within seven days of the comment, and the conversation continues normally once the person answers. Automation answers people who commented or wrote first; it doesn't message followers who never contacted you.

Measure a night from the DMs

The tags tell you how the night really did: how many names were on the list, how many were turned to the full path, how many asked for tables and how many tables paid a deposit. Compare nights by their tags and you'll see which lineups fill the list in an hour and which need a second post.

Is it right for your venue?

It suits bars, lounges and clubs that promote nights on Instagram, venues that run guest lists and table packages, and promoters who need a fair, capped list. It is not for venues that sell every entry through a ticketing platform only, events that need seat maps or ticket scanning, or anyone who wants to send unsolicited messages to followers.

A week-one plan for a bar or club

1. Day 1. Upload a code list and build the guest list flow with a limited spots step.
2. Day 2. Write the full message, with the walk-up time and the next-week button.
3. Day 3. Build the table flow with your packages and a deposit Buy button.
4. Day 4. Write the answers to the five questions everyone asks.
5. Day 5. Post the night with "Comment LIST" and test it from a friend's phone.
6. Night one. Watch the count; let the team check codes at the door.
7. Day 7. Post next week's night and send it to the tags first.

Guest list message templates

Common mistakes with club guest lists

• No cap. A list without a limit turns away people who were promised a place.
• Names without codes. Anyone can say a name at the door.
• Leaving the full list on read. Silence costs you next week's crowd.
• Tables without deposits. An unpaid table is an empty table at midnight.
• Treating Instagram like a mailing list. After 24 hours you can't message them there.

Nightclub guest list FAQ

Can the list stop at a set number?

Yes. A limited spots step gives places in order and stops at the number you set. Anyone after that goes down a full path, where you can share walk-up times or next week's date.

How does the door check who's on the list?

Each place comes with a one-time code from a code list you upload. The guest shows it at the door; asking again returns the same code.

Can people add friends to their name?

Yes. The flow asks how many people are coming and saves the number with the contact, so the door sees the full party under one name.

Can we take table deposits?

Yes. A Buy button with a fixed amount opens Stripe or PayPal checkout in the chat, and the money goes straight to your account.

Can several promoters share the same list?

Yes. One flow and one count, with every conversation in the shared inbox, so the list is the same for the whole team.

Sources

• Private Replies, Meta for Developers, on replying to a comment by DM within 7 days.
• Messenger Platform and IG Messaging API policy, Meta for Developers, on the 24-hour window.