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Auto DM new followers on Instagram: what is allowed, and what works instead
The short answer: only through a Meta beta that Meta switches on account by account. Here is what everyone can do.
First month of Starter free, no card. Then code LAUNCH100 takes ₹499 off your first payment.
Overview
A welcome DM to every new follower sounds like the obvious automation, and many people search for it. For most accounts it is not available. Meta lets a business message people who wrote to it first (a comment, a story reply or a DM); a DM on follow exists only as a Meta beta, which ManyChat has offered as "Follow to DM" since October 2025 and which Meta grants account by account. ViralDM is not part of that beta. A tool that promises a DM to every new follower any other way is not using the official API, and that is exactly the kind of activity Instagram restricts accounts for.
Watch it work
How it works
Auto DM new followers, in detail
The Meta beta, and who gets it
ManyChat's help centre sets out the rules (read 14 Oct 2026). Meta decides which accounts are eligible, and ManyChat says accounts under about 1,000 followers without significant engagement are likely not to be. The message goes once per follower, Meta allows one such message per person per week across all accounts, and anything after the first message needs the follower to reply or tap a button. ViralDM cannot send a DM on follow today; this page will say so when that changes.
Why other tools cannot
Outside that beta, Meta's Instagram messaging rules are built around consent: the person starts the conversation, and the business answers inside a time window. Following is not starting a conversation. Any other "auto DM on follow" needs an unofficial method — logging in with your password, or automating the app — which breaks Instagram's terms.
Four ways that work instead
- A keyword in your Reel: "Comment WELCOME and I will send you my free guide" — every commenter gets the DM.
- A story with a question or "reply YES": story replies trigger an auto DM.
- Your DM link in the bio: a link that opens a chat with you and starts your welcome automation — one tap and the DM arrives.
- A follow-first reward: when someone comments for a freebie, the DM can ask them to follow before it sends the link — so the follow and the conversation happen together.
Setting it up with ViralDM
Create an automation with the trigger "comment on a post", "story reply" or "DM keyword", write your welcome message, and switch it on. The Free plan runs one such automation with no cap on DMs; Starter (₹499 a month, first 30 days free) runs more and adds AI replies in the follower's language.
Can Instagram automatically message new followers?
Only for accounts Meta lets into its follow-to-DM beta, which ManyChat offers as Follow to DM. Every other account, on any tool, can auto DM only people who comment, reply to a story or message first.
Why do some tools claim they can?
A tool in Meta's beta can, within Meta's limits, for the accounts Meta picks; ManyChat says so and lists those limits. Others use your password or automate the Instagram app instead of the official API. That is against Instagram's terms and is a common reason accounts get action-blocked. Check whether a tool connects through Instagram's own login screen and is approved in Meta App Review.
What is the best alternative to a follow welcome DM?
A keyword call to action in a Reel or story ("comment GUIDE") — it reaches new and old followers alike, and the DM is sent within Meta's rules. Add a follow-first step if you want the follow too.
Try it on your own account
Your first month is free, no card needed. Then code LAUNCH100 takes ₹499 off your first payment.