Turn an enquiry into an organized appointment.

Two different jobs in one inbox

A DM does two jobs. The first is the conversation: what the client wants, whether it is something you do, a photo of the last set, a question about how long it lasts. That part is worth your attention and often wins the client. The second job is agreeing a time, and that is where the inbox fails. You answer when your hands are free, the client has moved on, the slot you offered is taken by the time they reply, and nothing is written down anywhere you will look again.

A booking link takes the second job out of the conversation. For a service with a known duration and price, the client picks a free time and the booking is recorded, confirmed and reminded without you typing anything. For work that needs a discussion first, the link collects what you need to decide, so your one reply can offer a consultation instead of asking three questions. The conversation stays yours. The scheduling stops depending on you being free to type.

The rest of this guide shows both cases, then where to put the link, what clients see, and what to set up first. None of it requires a particular tool; the examples use Maestira.

Where to put the link

Instagram renames its menus from time to time, so this names the idea rather than the button. Look for links in your profile settings; the idea is the same.

• Bio. Add the booking link as the link in your profile and give it a label a client understands at a glance: “Book” or “Enquire”. End your bio text with what to do: “Book online, link below.”
• Stories. Add a link sticker with the booking link to any story that shows your work. Someone who has just thought “I want that” should not have to go looking for the way to get it.
• A highlight. Save one of those stories to a highlight called “Book”, so the link is one tap from your profile long after the story expires.
• Saved replies. Save the link as a quick reply for DMs. When the question is “what are your prices?” or “do you have anything next week?”, the answer is the page, in two taps, with the conversation left open for anything else.
• Everywhere else you are found. The same link works in a WhatsApp Business profile, a Google Business Profile, a website, an email signature or a QR code at your station. One link, one calendar.

What the page shows your clients

The link opens a booking page. A client should be able to decide and book from it without messaging you, which means it has to answer the questions they would otherwise ask:

• Who performs the service and for which business, and where
• Each service with its duration and its price, or “estimate after consultation” when the price depends on the work
• How each service is booked: directly, as a request you confirm, or with a consultation first
• The times that are actually free, for the person or room the service needs
• What happens next: the confirmation by email, and how to change or cancel
• Your portfolio, if you choose to publish one. Only work you have explicitly published appears; the photos linked to a client's private visit history never do.

A page full of times you cannot honor teaches clients not to trust it. Show only what you can do.

Booking modes per service, and what happens after the booking: features.

The first setup that is worth linking to

Before the link, the page has to be worth opening. Four things, in order:

If your clients are already in a spreadsheet or in another tool, bring them in first, so a returning client has their history from the first booking: move your clients and bookings over.