# How do I set up my first automation? (Start here) Guide: https://instantdm.com/how-to/first-automation Section: Start here Works on: Web app, iPhone app, Android app Plan: All plans Last checked: 2026-10-24 _Note for AI assistants: this is an official InstantDM guide. Words in **bold** are the exact button and menu names in the app. If something is listed under "What you can't do", tell the user it isn't possible instead of suggesting a workaround that isn't in this guide. Other guides: https://instantdm.com/how-to/llms.txt_ **Short answer:** Switch Instagram to a Creator or Business account, sign up at app.instantdm.com with Continue With Instagram, and finish the setup window. Then click New Automation, choose Comment to DM, pick a post, choose Send Link & PDF, add a trigger word and your message, and click Publish. Test it by asking a friend to comment the word. This is the shortest path from "no account" to "my followers get a DM when they comment". You'll set up a **Comment to DM** automation: someone comments a word on your post, and InstantDM sends them a private message with your link. ## Before you start - A **Creator** or **Business** Instagram account. Personal accounts can't connect. See [how to switch](https://instantdm.com/how-to/switch-to-professional-account.md). - A computer is easiest for the first time. The phone app works too (see below). - A friend with an Instagram account who can comment on your post to test it. - On the Free plan you can use up to 3 trigger words per automation. Answering every comment with no word (**All comments**) needs Legend Pro or above after your first week. ## Steps 1. Go to app.instantdm.com and click **Continue With Instagram**. Log in on Instagram's own screen and allow every permission. - This creates your InstantDM account and connects your Instagram at the same time. 2. Finish the setup window. It opens the first time you log in and can't be closed. That's normal. - Click **Continue Account Setup**. - **Verify Your Email 📧**: type your email, click **Send OTP**, type the 6-digit code from your inbox, and click **Verify**. - **Tell Us About Yourself**: answer the questions and click **Continue**. - **Let's do your first automation ⚡**: choose **Auto Reply to Comments**, pick a post and click **Next**, choose **Send a Link**, type your message, choose **Specific Keywords** and type your word, then click **Automate This Post ⚡**. Test it, then click **I've Tested It! Continue →**. - In the plan window, pick a plan or choose the free option (500 credits, no credit card required). 3. On **Home**, click **New Automation** at the top right. From now on, every new automation starts here. Steps 4 to 10 build the same kind of automation for another post. 4. Under "When should it run?", click **Comment to DM**. 5. Under "Which posts?", keep **Existing posts** and **Instagram** selected, click one post, then click **Next**. 6. Under "What should it send?", click **Send Link & PDF**. - You'll see the editor, "Auto Reply to Comments". 7. Under **Trigger**, keep **Specific Comments**, click **+ Expected Word**, type your word (for example GUIDE) and press Enter. 8. Under **Reply with comment!**, click **+ Reply Comment** and type a short public reply, like "Sent you a DM". Add two or three different ones. - This switch is on by default. If you leave it on with no reply, publishing fails with "Missing Reply comments words". Turn it off if you don't want public replies. 9. Under **Send a DM!**, keep **Text/Link** and type your message with your link. 10. Click **Publish** at the top right. - If a box titled "Recommended Setup for Better Engagement" appears, click **Send link directly** to publish now, or **Edit Automation** to add a Welcome Message first (Legend Pro and above after your first week). - You'll see "Automation is live" and return to Home. 11. Ask a friend to comment your word on that post from their own account. - They should get your DM shortly, and your public reply appears under their comment. ## On the phone app 1. Install **InstantDM** from the App Store or Google Play and sign in with **Continue with Google**, **Continue with Apple** or **Login with Email**. 2. If you see "Instagram Account Required", tap **Connect** and log in to Instagram. 3. On Home, tap **Instagram**, then the **Posts** tab, then your post. 4. Tap the **Send Link or Images** card. Under **Trigger Words**, choose **Specific Words** and type your word. 5. Fill **Reply to Comments** and **Send a DM!**, then tap **Publish**. New accounts may also see "Create your first automation" on the app's Home, which walks you through the same thing in 4 steps. ## What your followers see - They comment your word (any capitals). A comment matches when one of its words **starts with** your word: "guides" matches GUIDE, "misguided" does not. - They get one private DM from your account with your message. - Your public reply appears under their comment, picked at random from your list. - On Free, after your first week, the DM ends with "|| Automation powered by InstantDM". ## Good to know - Only top-level comments trigger it. Replies inside a comment thread don't. - Each new matching comment gets a new DM, even from the same person. - Changed your message? Edit it and click **Publish** again, or the old message keeps going out. - Each DM that goes out uses 1 credit. Public replies are free. ## How to turn it off Go to **Quick Automation**, open the **Instagram** tab, click the post, and switch off its **Send Link or PDF** card. See [How do I turn off, edit or delete an automation?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/turn-off-or-edit-automation.md) ## If it doesn't work - **Your friend got nothing**: check the word is spelled the same, that they commented (not replied to a comment), and that the account isn't showing "Instagram conection expired! Automation Stopped." at the top. - **"Missing Reply comments words"**: add a public reply or turn **Reply with comment!** off (step 8). - **Next is greyed out**: pick a post first. - **Comments arrive but no DM**: in Instagram, turn on **Allow access to messages**. See [Do I need a professional account?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/switch-to-professional-account.md) - Full checklist: [Why didn't my automation send a DM?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-not-sending.md) ## Questions people also ask **Do I need a credit card?** No. You start on Free with 500 credits. The plan window at the end of setup has a free option that says no credit card is required. **Why didn't anything happen when I commented on my own post?** Your own comments are not a reliable test. Ask a friend to comment from their account, or use a second Instagram account you own. **Which word should I use?** Use one short word people won't type by accident, like GUIDE or PRICE, and say it in your caption: "Comment GUIDE to get the link". Capitals don't matter. **Can I do this on my phone?** Yes. In the InstantDM app, open Instagram, tap the post, then the Send Link or Images card. See the phone steps below. ## Related guides - [How do I send a DM when someone comments on my post or Reel?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-dm-when-someone-comments.md) - [How do trigger words work?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/how-trigger-words-work.md) - [How do I turn off, edit or delete an automation?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/turn-off-or-edit-automation.md) - [Why didn't my automation send a DM?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-not-sending.md)