How do I auto-reply when someone replies to my Instagram story?

Before you start

• Your Instagram account must be connected to InstantDM.
• Story automation is on Legend Pro and above.
• Decide which you need: one story that is up now (Current stories) or every story, including ones you post later (All stories).

Steps

1. On Home, click New Automation (top right). (The Story to DM card on Home opens the same window with step 2 already done.)
2. On “When should it run?”, choose Story to DM (“Someone replies to your story, they get a DM.”).
3. On “Which stories?”, choose one:
   • Current stories: click one or more stories that are live now.
   • All stories: every story, including stories you post later.
4. Click Next.
5. On “What should it send?”, click Send Link & PDF for one reply for everyone. (Pick Lead Gen if you want to ask for an email or phone number. See collect emails in DMs.)
   • If you picked 2 or more stories, type a Group name (optional) and click Publish Setup. This only opens the editor. Nothing is live yet.
6. In the editor, under the trigger, choose:
   • Specific DM Word: click Expected Word, type a word (for example “LINK”) and press Enter.
   • All DM for this story: every text reply gets the DM.
7. Under Send a DM!, write your message or add your link (up to 700 characters).
8. Optional: turn on Welcome Message or Ask audience to follow you before sending link!.
9. Click Publish. You’ll see “Automated Successfully!” or “Automation is live”.

On the phone app

1. Open Instagram and tap the Stories tab.
2. Tap a story, then tap the Send Link or Images card.
3. Under Trigger Words, choose Specific Words or All Replies.
4. Fill in Send a DM! and tap Publish.

For every story, tap Quick Global Automation, then + Add Stories Automation.

What your followers see

They reply to your story with a message, for example “link”. The DM arrives in the same chat with you. If you turned on Welcome Message, they first get a message with one button, and your link comes after they tap it. Story replies get no public comment.

Good to know

• Capital letters and accents don’t matter. The reply must contain a word that starts with your keyword: “link” matches “links” but not “blink”.
• A story that has its own automation keeps it, even when an All stories automation exists.
• Only stories that are still up show under Current stories. If you see “No active stories right now”, use All stories.

What you can’t do

• Reply to stickers, photos, quick reactions or likes on a story.
• Automate Facebook stories.
• Reply when someone mentions you in their story. See story mentions.

How to turn it off

Open the story in Quick Automation → Instagram → Stories and switch the Send Link or PDF card off. More in turn off or edit an automation.

If it doesn’t work

• Nobody got the DM: check the keyword spelling, and test from a second Instagram account with a typed reply, not an emoji.
• You were chatting with that person: if the story automation uses Lead Gen, Prevent In-Chat Trigger may have skipped it. See stop automations while chatting.
• Still nothing: see why didn’t my automation send a DM?.