Your reel took off. Two hundred comments. Half of them are a single word — "price", "link", "info". You cannot reply to two hundred people by hand, and by the time you do, they have moved on.
The fix is comment-to-DM automation. Set a keyword, write a reply, attach it to the post. From then on, anyone who types that word gets a DM — plus a short public reply under their comment, so everyone else can see that questions get answered here.
Which size do you need? I will check stock.
Three things before you start
- A professional account — Instagram Business or Creator. The API does not work on a personal account.
- A post or reel people actually comment on.
- Something to give — a price list, a catalogue link, a coupon, a PDF. Anything.
Step 1: Connect the account
Open Accounts, press "Connect Instagram" and hit Allow on Instagram's consent screen. This is Meta's official API — your password never goes to anyone, and Disconnect takes the access back whenever you want.
Step 2: Pick the keyword (this is where people go wrong)
The biggest mistake is picking a word that is too common. "hi" and "nice" appear in every comment section, so the automation starts DMing everybody — and that is exactly what feels like spam.
A good keyword signals intent:
- PRICE — intent to buy
- LINK — wants to see something
- GUIDE or PDF — wants the freebie
- BOOK — wants an appointment
Keep two or three keywords per automation, not fifteen. And say it plainly in the caption: "Comment PRICE and I will DM it to you." Automation only runs when people know what to type.
Step 3: Write the reply — it has two halves
Every comment-to-DM has two parts, and both matter:
- The public reply under the comment. Keep it short — "Sent it to your DM". It tells everyone reading that this account answers.
- The DM. This is the real one. Open with their name, deliver the thing in one line, and ask exactly one question.
Hi {{name}}! Here is the full price list — [your link]
Which size do you need? Tell me and I will check stock.
Notice that the DM ends on a question. Without one the conversation stops there, and Instagram's 24-hour window closes with it.
Step 4: Attach it to a post
- One specific post — when a single reel is running. Cleanest option.
- All posts — when older reels still pull comments. Then the keyword has to be more specific.
One thing most people do not know: you can attach an automation to a post that has not been published yet. Schedule the reel in Post Scheduler and attach the automation to it — the second it goes live, the answer to "price?" is already waiting.
Step 5: Ask for a follow, or not
The "follow first, then I will send it" option does grow followers, but it does not belong everywhere. Use it on a freebie. Do not use it on someone asking a price — never put a condition in front of a person who came to buy.
Step 6: Test it yourself
From a second account, comment that keyword on your own post. Within seconds you should see the public reply and receive the DM. If nothing happens, check three things: is the account connected, is the automation ON, and is the keyword spelled exactly the same.
What the first week looks like
- Reply time drops from minutes to seconds.
- People who used to give up now land in your DMs.
- You can see, in one place, which reel produced how many DMs.
Safety, in one paragraph
The automation runs on the official Meta API (not scraping), there are natural delays between replies, nothing goes out at night, and there is a cap on how many DMs can be sent in a day. No tool can promise your account will never be touched — stay away from any that does. The full rate-control rules are here.
What next
Once this works, the next steps are taking payment over UPI inside the DM, or booking a slot inside the DM. The first month is free, no card — get your first automation live today.