Guide: Delay: none, random or fixed
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/delay-none-random-or-fixed
Topic: Keyword automations
Time: about 2 minutes
Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox
Result when done: Automated replies arrive like a person answering, not like a machine reacting.
Context: A reply that lands one second after the comment tells everyone reading that nobody is home. A delay costs nothing and removes the tell.

Before you start:
1. Random is the most human, because no two replies are spaced the same.
2. A delay does not change what is sent, only when.
3. The reply still goes out if you close the app.

Steps:
Step 1 of 3: Open Delay in the automation.
Where: In the editor, under the reply: No delay, Random up to ten minutes, or Fixed with a number of minutes.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-options.en.webp (Delay.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-options-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The three choices, with the fixed one taking a number.

Step 2 of 3: Choose random for anything public.
Where: Random up to ten minutes. Two comments a minute apart get replies spaced differently, which is what a person looks like.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-options.en.webp (Random, for anything public.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-options-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Replies arrive spread across the next few minutes.

Step 3 of 3: Use fixed when timing matters.
Where: Fixed, with the number of minutes. Useful when a reply should arrive after something else, such as a private message you send first.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-options.en.webp (Fixed, when timing matters.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-options-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Every reply waits exactly that long.

If something is off:
Problem: A delayed reply never arrived
Fix: Meta may have refused it. The row shows Auto-reply failed and keeps the words.
Problem: I need instant replies
Fix: Choose No delay. It is right for a private message that answers a support question.
Problem: The delay makes the queue long
Fix: It does not queue: each reply waits on its own.

Common questions:
Question: How long can a random delay be?
Answer: Up to ten minutes. Random up to ten minutes spaces replies differently for each comment, which is what a person answering looks like; Fixed waits exactly the number of minutes you set.
Question: Will a delayed reply still be sent if I close CommentWatchDog?
Answer: Yes. The reply still goes out if you close the app; the delay only decides when it is sent.
Question: Does adding a delay change the reply text or cost anything?
Answer: No on both counts. A delay changes when the reply is sent, not what is sent, and it costs nothing; it only removes the tell of a reply landing one second after the comment.

Related guides:
- Reply variations and AI rewrite: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/reply-variations-and-ai-rewrite
- Create an automation: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/create-an-automation
- Tone, delay, mention and archive: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/ai-agents/tone-delay-mention-and-archive

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/delay-none-random-or-fixed.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt