How do I send a reminder if someone doesn't reply?

A follow-up is a reminder that goes only to people who didn’t respond. It’s different from a Delay, which makes everyone wait.

Before you start

• You need Trendsetter and above and a flow open in the editor.
• Follow-ups work on three kinds of steps: a DM Reply step with a Button message, a Question step, and a Followers only step.

Steps

1. Click the step that should get a reminder.
2. Set the wait:
   • DM Reply with a Button message: under Follow Up, type a number and pick Seconds, Minutes or Hour.
   • Question: under Follow up if not answered, type a number and pick a unit.
   • Followers only: under Follow up after.
3. Look at the card. You’ll see a dot labelled “If no reply in 30 min” (or your wait), or “If contact has not responded”.
4. Add a new DM Reply step and write the reminder, for example “Hi {{username|there}}, did you see the guide? Tap below to get it.”
5. Drag from the follow-up dot to the reminder step.
6. Click Set Live.

On the phone app

You can’t set reminders in the InstantDM app. Use the web app at app.instantdm.com on a computer.

What your followers see

• If they tap a Regular button, answer the question, or tap the “Started Following you” button in time, they never see the reminder.
• If they don’t, the reminder arrives after your wait.
• Tapping a URL button (a link) sends nothing back, so they still get the reminder.

Reminders can’t wait longer than 24 hours. Even if you choose days, InstantDM cuts the wait to 24 hours.

Good to know

• The default wait is 30 minutes. To stop a reminder, delete the line from the follow-up dot. Don’t rely on a wait of 0: while the dot is connected, the reminder can still go out right away.
• Link taps don’t cancel reminders. Add a Regular button such as “Got it” or “I booked” next to your link so people can stop the reminder.
• A Text message with smart replies shows Follow Up settings, but its card has no follow-up dot, so nothing is sent. Use a Button message or a Question instead.
• Each dot leads to one reminder. For a second reminder, give the reminder step its own Button or Question with a follow-up.
• An AI Reply step sends its own follow-ups. The AI decides when, at most 2 per conversation, each within 24 hours. There is no setting for them.
• Reminders, like all flow messages, are normal DMs from your account.

What you can’t do

• Wait more than 24 hours.
• Run a multi-day sequence or broadcast to people who never replied.
• Use a Delay step as a reminder. A Delay sends to everyone.

How to turn it off

Delete the line from the follow-up dot. Then click Set Live again.

If it doesn’t work

• The reminder never goes out → nothing is connected to the follow-up dot, or the step is a Text message with smart replies. Connect the dot from a Button message or Question.
• People who clicked still got it → they tapped a URL button. Add a Regular button.
• The reminder came a day early → waits over 24 hours are cut to 24 hours.