Trigger When Post is Shared to DM

When someone shares your post, Reel, or carousel into a DM conversation with your account, InstantDM can reply to them automatically — no keyword needed.

What Is the Shared to DM Trigger?

Instagram lets users share posts, Reels, and carousels through Direct Messages using the paper-plane icon. When someone shares one of your posts to your account's DM inbox, the Shared to DM trigger detects it and automatically replies to that person in the same conversation.

This is different from comment-based automation. With comment triggers, someone has to type a keyword. With the Shared to DM trigger, sending the post to your DM is enough to start the automation. No keywords needed — just the share itself.

One important clarification: this trigger does not fire when someone shares your post with their friends. Those conversations are private, and Instagram does not notify apps about them. The automation runs only when the post lands in a DM conversation with your account.

Why Shares to Your DM Matter

When someone sends your post back to you in a DM, they're starting a conversation about that exact piece of content. There's no clearer buying or interest signal on Instagram.

Here's why you should automate the response:

• Highest intent — People usually share a post to your DM to ask about it: the price, the link, the details.
• Built-in context — The share tells you exactly which post they're asking about, so your reply can be specific.
• Instant response — Answer in seconds instead of hours, while the interest is still hot.
• Simple call to action — "Share this post to my DM" is an even lower-friction CTA than asking for a comment keyword.

How to Set Up the Shared to DM Trigger

1. Navigate to Instagram DM in the left sidebar.
2. Select the post or Reel you want to automate from the list.
3. Scroll down to the Post Shared to DM section.
4. Toggle the trigger ON.
5. Configure the reply that will be sent when someone shares the post to your DM (text, buttons, image, or audio).
6. Save your changes.

That's it. From now on, anyone who shares that specific post to your DM inbox will automatically receive your configured reply.

What the Reply Looks Like

When someone shares your post to your DM, your account replies right in that conversation. You have full control over what the reply looks like. Here are some ideas:

Connecting to a Flow

For more advanced automations, you can connect the Shared to DM trigger to a flow in the Flow Editor. This lets you:

• Ask follow-up questions and collect responses.
• Send a multi-message sequence with delays.
• Use conditional logic to personalize the conversation.
• Tag the contact for segmentation.
• Trigger webhooks to send data to your other tools.

To connect a flow, click Open Flow Editor on the post automation page and build your flow starting from the Shared to DM trigger node.

Use Cases

"Share This Post to My DM" Campaigns

Tell your audience in the caption: "Share this Reel to my DM and I'll send you the link." It's an even simpler call to action than a comment keyword — one tap on the paper-plane, select your account, done. The automation delivers the link instantly, and works even when a viral post brings in hundreds of shares at once.

Product Questions

People constantly share a product post back to a brand's DM to ask "how much is this?" or "is this available?". With the Shared to DM trigger, they get the price, link, and details the moment the share arrives — no waiting for you to check your inbox.

Content Upgrades

If your post is a teaser or summary, deliver the full version to anyone who sends it to your DM. For example, if you post a "5 Tips" carousel, reply with all 20 tips when someone shares it to you. This delivers extra value with zero manual work.

Lead Capture on Older Posts

Shares keep arriving long after a post stops getting comments. Someone discovering a six-month-old Reel can still share it to your DM and instantly get the right answer, without you re-reading old content to remember what they're asking about.

Plan Requirements

This trigger is not available on the Starter plan. Upgrade to Trendsetter from Settings → Subscription to unlock it.

Tips and Best Practices

• Answer the question they're really asking. Someone sharing your post to your DM usually wants the link, price, or details — lead with that.
• Put the CTA in your caption. "Share this post to my DM for the full guide" tells people exactly what to do, and the trigger handles the rest.
• Keep the reply specific to the post. The trigger is configured per post, so tailor each reply to that post's content instead of sending a generic message.
• Combine with comment triggers. Set up both comment-based automation and the Shared to DM trigger on the same post — some people comment, others share to your DM.
• Monitor your automation log. Check Dashboard → Recent Automation Log to see how many shares are triggering your automation and whether replies are being delivered successfully.

Testing the Trigger

1. Make sure the Shared to DM trigger is toggled ON and saved.
2. Open Instagram on a different account.
3. Find the automated post and tap the paper-plane icon (share button).
4. In the share sheet, search for your automated account and send the post to it via DM.
5. Stay in that DM conversation — the automated reply from your account should arrive within seconds.
6. If nothing happens, check Dashboard → Recent Automation Log for errors.

Next: Custom Reply When Instagram Blocks DM to Private Account →