Short answer: give requests one front door, ask the same few questions every time, give every request a status, and set a reply rhythm you can keep. Write your common replies once and personalize the first line every time. The system handles the logistics so your attention goes to the part that matters: the idea, and the person behind it.
This guide works with any tool, from a notebook to a dedicated app. Inkkore, which publishes it, is one option among several and is mentioned near the end.
Key terms
- Inquiry (or request): a potential client's first message asking for a tattoo. It isn't a booking yet.
- Brief: the details you need to answer an inquiry: idea, placement, rough size, references, budget, availability.
- Status: where a request stands (new, needs info, quoted, booked…). One status per request, always.
- Books open / closed: whether you're currently accepting new requests.
Step 1: Pick one front door
Requests will come from everywhere: Instagram DMs, email, texts, people at the shop. You can't stop that. What you can do is decide where every request ends up.
Choose one:
- A form link (Google Forms, Jotform, Tally, Inkkore, or the form in your booking software). Clients fill it in, and everything lands in the same place.
- One email address, if you prefer email. Ask clients to send everything there, and use a saved reply that lists what to include.
- A form inside Instagram DMs, if your clients never leave Instagram. As of October 2026, Tattoodo offers a booking form that opens in the DM conversation.
Then make it visible:
- Put the link or address in your Instagram bio, and pin a post or story highlight that says how to book.
- When a request comes in through another channel, redirect it kindly (template below). Don't answer half of it in the DM and the other half in email.
It's fine to keep DMs for chatting. The rule is only that a request isn't "in" until it's in the front door.
Step 2: Ask the questions you need, and no more
The goal is to answer every request without a follow-up message. For custom work, that usually means:
| Question | Why it matters | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| What's your idea? | The core of the request | Ask for "a few sentences", not an essay |
| Where on your body? | Changes size, price and feasibility | Offer examples: forearm, calf, ribs… |
| Roughly how big? | Drives time and price | Use sizes people understand (small, palm-sized, half sleeve) and let them add inches |
| Color or black and grey? | Changes time, and whether it fits your style | Skip it if you only do one |
| Reference photos | Saves three messages | Optional; not everyone has references |
| Budget range | Lets you suggest what fits | Optional, with a reason ("helps me suggest a size") |
| Availability | Speeds up scheduling | Days of the week plus morning or evening is enough |
| First tattoo? | Tells you how much guidance they'll need | Optional |
| Name, email, phone, Instagram | So you can reach them | Ask once, at the top or the end |
A copy-ready version of these questions, with answer options and extra questions for cover-ups and lettering, is in the tattoo consultation form template. Why a little friction filters serious projects: our blog post on booking form questions.
What to leave for later: health questions, ID and consent belong closer to the appointment, not in the first request. Asking for them up front makes the form feel like paperwork and collects sensitive data you may never need.
Step 3: Give every request a status
This is the part most artists skip, and it's the part that stops requests from slipping through. Use a short, fixed list:
- New: arrived, not read yet.
- Needs info: you asked a question and you're waiting on the client.
- Quoted: you sent a price or a range, and they need to say yes.
- Waiting on deposit: they said yes and haven't paid yet.
- Booked: date set, deposit received (if you take one).
- Declined / not a fit: you said no (kindly).
- Waitlist (optional): a good project for later.
Rules that keep it working:
- Every request has exactly one status. If you can't say which one, it's "New".
- Check "Needs info" and "Quoted" weekly. That's where people quietly disappear. Send one nudge, then let it go.
- Archive, don't delete. "Declined" requests are useful later, when that person comes back with a project you'd love.
This works on paper, in a spreadsheet (one row per request, one column for status), or in a tool that does it for you.
Step 4: Set a reply rhythm you can keep
There's no industry standard for how fast to answer, and no reliable data on what clients "expect." What clients consistently dislike is not knowing. So:
- Pick reply days. For example: "I answer new requests on Mondays and Thursdays." Then answer them in one sitting instead of one at a time all week.
- Say it everywhere: in your bio, at the end of your form, and in your auto-acknowledgment if your tool sends one.
- Keep the promise. A slower reply that arrives when you said it would beats a fast one that sometimes never comes.
- When books are closed, say so in your bio and on your form or link. Tell people when they'll reopen, if you know.
Step 5: Say no kindly (and quickly)
You'll decline a lot of requests: wrong style, too small to be worth the setup, cover-ups you don't do, dates you don't have. Saying no fast is a courtesy. Saying it kindly protects your reputation.
A good no is short, specific and points somewhere:
Hi Jamie, thank you for thinking of me for this! Realistic portraits aren't my strength, and I'd rather you get the best version of it. I'd look for an artist who specializes in black and grey realism. Good luck with it, it's a beautiful idea.
Hi Sam, thanks for the request! A piece this small would be over too quickly for me to do it justice with my setup. If you ever want something palm-sized or bigger, I'd love to see it.
Hi Alex, I love this, but I'm booked through spring and don't want to keep you waiting that long. If you're okay waiting, I can put you on my list for when I reopen. Just say the word.
Step 6: Templates that still sound like you
Write these once. Then change the first line every time: name the idea, the placement, one thing you liked. That single sentence is the personal touch, and it takes ten seconds.
Redirecting a DM to your front door:
Hey! Love this idea. So I can give you a real answer on size, price and timing, could you send it through my request form? Two minutes, and you can attach your references: [link]. I read every one myself.
Asking for missing info:
Thanks Taylor, that's a fun one! Two quick things before I can quote: where on your body, and roughly how big (palm-sized, half sleeve…)? A reference photo helps too if you have one.
Sending a quote:
Here's what I'm thinking: [short description of your approach]. For this size and placement, I'd estimate [price range / hours]. If that works for you, I'll send a couple of dates. Any questions, just ask.
Offering dates:
I can do [date A], [date B] or [date C]. Which works best? Once you pick, I'll send the deposit details to lock it in.
Deposit reminder (one nudge only):
Hi Morgan, just checking you saw the deposit details for [date]. I'm holding the spot until [day]. After that I'll offer it to someone on my list. No worries either way!
Books closed:
Thanks so much for reaching out! My books are closed right now. I reopen in [month] and will announce it on my stories, so keep an eye out. I'd love to see your idea then.
More scripts (price-only DMs, budget lower than your estimate, late reschedules, cancelling on a client, declining for other reasons) are in how to respond to tattoo inquiries. For what your deposit message should point to, see how to write a tattoo deposit policy.
Keeping the personal touch
The fear with any system is that it turns you into a booking desk. It doesn't have to:
- Automate the logistics, never the relationship. Questions, statuses and templates are logistics. Your opinion of their idea is the relationship.
- Always add one real sentence to every template.
- Explain your form in your own words at the top ("I ask these so I can give you a real answer").
- Reply yourself. Clients can tell.
- Let regulars skip the line. A returning client can still DM you. Just log the request in your system afterward.
Tool options, from free to dedicated
| Setup | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Notebook or spreadsheet + saved replies | A small volume of requests, zero cost | Statuses only exist if you update them; everything else is copy-paste |
| Google Forms + Google Sheets | Free, neutral, familiar | Clients must sign in to Google to upload photos; no payments; status tracking is manual |
| Jotform | Tattoo templates, e-signature consent forms, card deposits in the form | Free plan limits (100 submissions, 10 payments a month); the conversation still happens elsewhere |
| Booking software (Porter, Venue.ink, CO:CREATE, Tattoodo…) | Self-booking, card deposits, reminders | Subscriptions, client fees or commissions depending on the tool; more to set up than a form |
| Inkkore | A request link, statuses, and a client chat in one place | No payments, no self-booking, no SMS, no Instagram integration |
Where Inkkore fits. Inkkore covers steps 1 to 3 and the conversation that follows:
- One link with a tattoo request form: project type, placement, optional budget, description, up to five optional reference photos, and your own questions on the Solo plan.
- A pipeline by status, with a record per client.
- A private client page with chat, no client account needed.
- Quotes, offered time slots and deposit requests from the same thread. Deposits are paid directly to you, with 0% commission.
It doesn't reply or follow up for you, and it isn't the right fit if you want clients to book and pay by card on their own. See booking software vs. inquiry management.
Checklist
- One front door, visible in your bio
- A short form or checklist of questions (idea, placement, size, references, budget, availability)
- A fixed list of statuses, and one per request
- Reply days, stated publicly
- Templates for redirect, missing info, quote, dates, deposit, no, books closed
- A weekly 15-minute check of "Needs info" and "Quoted"