# How do trigger words work? Guide: https://instantdm.com/how-to/how-trigger-words-work Section: Auto-DM people who comment 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:** A trigger word is the word people comment to get your DM, like LINK. Capital letters and accents don't matter, and a word in the comment only has to start with your trigger word: LINK matches 'links' but not 'blink'. Emoji triggers match anywhere. The Free plan allows 3 trigger words per automation. ## Before you start - Trigger words belong to a comment automation. If you don't have one yet, start with [How do I send a DM when someone comments?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-dm-when-someone-comments.md) - Free plan: up to 3 trigger words per automation. Legend Pro and above: as many as you need. ## Steps 1. Open the post's automation editor: **Quick Automation** → **Instagram** → **Posts** → click the post → **Send Link or PDF** card. (Or create a new one with **New Automation** → **Comment to DM**.) 2. In the **Trigger** box, keep **Specific Comments** selected. 3. Click **Expected Word**, type a word and press Enter. - Type several words separated by commas to add them all at once: link, guide, pdf. 4. To remove a word, click the small × on its tag. 5. Click **Publish** to save the change. - If you hit the Free limit, you see "Trigger word Limit reached." instead of the add button. ## On the phone app In the post editor (**Send Link or Images** → **Edit Automation**), open **Trigger Words**, choose **Specific Words**, type a word and press enter. Commas add several words. The same 3-word limit applies on the Free plan. Tap **Publish** to save. ## What your followers see They don't see your list of words. They only get the DM if their comment matches. Tell them the word clearly in your caption or video, for example "Comment GUIDE". ## How matching works For **Send Link & PDF** (and the app's **Send Link or Images**), with the trigger word LINK: | Comment | Gets the DM? | Why | |---|---|---| | link | Yes | Capital letters don't matter | | Please send the LINK | Yes | The word can be anywhere in the comment | | Links? | Yes | A word that starts with "link" counts | | linkedin | Yes | It also starts with "link" | | blink | No | The word must start with "link" | | l i n k | No | Spaces break the word | - Accents are ignored: a trigger "cafe" matches "café". - Emoji triggers match anywhere, even inside other text. - If you have several words, the first one that matches is used. They all send the same DM. For **Lead Gen** and **Flow Automation** there is a **Match exact word only** box: - On: the whole comment must be only the word. "price" matches, "what is the price?" does not. - Off: the comment only has to contain the word somewhere. DM keyword automations follow their own rules. See [How do I auto-reply when someone DMs me a keyword?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/dm-keyword-auto-reply.md) ## Good to know - Pick a word that is short, easy to spell and not common. "in" or "hi" will match far too many comments. A word like GUIDE or PDF works better. - If a post's own words don't match, your all-posts automation (if you have one) gets a chance to answer. See [Which automation runs?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/which-automation-runs.md) - Someone who comments the word twice gets the DM twice. - Replies inside a comment thread never trigger, even if they contain the word. ## What you can't do - Exclude words. There is no "don't reply if the comment contains…" list. - Send a different DM per word on one post with **Send Link & PDF**. - Turn on exact-word matching for **Send Link & PDF**. That box exists only in Lead Gen and Flow Automation. ## How to turn it off Remove the word and publish again, or switch off the whole automation. See [turn off, edit or delete an automation](https://instantdm.com/how-to/turn-off-or-edit-automation.md). ## If it doesn't work - A friend's comment didn't match: check the spelling, and check their comment starts a word with your trigger word ("blink" won't match "link"). - Lead Gen ignores comments with extra text: **Match exact word only** is on. Turn it off. - "Trigger word Limit reached.": you are on the Free plan's 3-word limit. Remove a word or upgrade. - Still nothing: [Why didn't my automation send a DM?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-not-sending.md) ## Questions people also ask **Can I use emoji as a trigger?** Yes. An emoji trigger, like 🔥, matches when the emoji appears anywhere in the comment. **Can I use words in Hindi, Spanish or Arabic?** Yes, you can type a trigger word in any language. Accents are ignored, so 'guia' and 'guía' match each other. Always test a non-English word with a friend's comment before you rely on it. **Does the comment have to be only the word?** Not for Send Link & PDF. 'Please send the LINK' matches LINK. In Lead Gen and Flow Automation you can turn on Match exact word only, and then the comment must be just the word. **Can each word send a different DM?** Not with Send Link & PDF: one post sends the same DM for all its words. For a different reply per word, use Flow Automation (Trendsetter and above) with one flow per word. ## 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 I DM everyone who comments, without a keyword?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/dm-everyone-who-comments.md) - [A post has more than one automation. Which one runs?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/which-automation-runs.md) - [Why didn't my automation send a DM?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-not-sending.md)