# What do the words in InstantDM mean?

Guide: https://instantdm.com/how-to/instantdm-glossary  
Section: Start here  
Works on: Web app, iPhone app, Android app  
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:** This glossary explains InstantDM's words in plain language, from A to Z. For example, a trigger word is the word people comment to get your DM, a credit is one DM that Instagram accepted, and a flow is a multi-step chat with buttons and questions. Each entry links to the guide that covers it.

Words in **bold** are written the way they appear in the app. Where a feature has more than one name, the other names are listed so you can match what's on your screen.

## Numbers and A

- **24-hour and 7-day windows**: Instagram lets a business send one private reply to a comment within 7 days, and chat for 24 hours after someone messages you or taps a button. No tool can send outside these windows. See [Instagram's rules for automatic DMs](https://instantdm.com/how-to/instagram-dm-rules.md).
- **All comments** (in the app: **All Comments**): answer every top-level comment on a post, with no trigger word. Legend Pro and above. See [DM everyone who comments](https://instantdm.com/how-to/dm-everyone-who-comments.md).
- **All posts / All stories** (also **Global Posts Automation**, **Quick Global Automation**): one automation for every post or story, including ones you upload later. A post with its own automation keeps it. See [Automate all my posts](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automate-all-posts.md).
- **Also Include AI Comment Reply (to prevent comment spam)**: a checkbox that adds a built-in set of ready-made, varied public replies to yours. It does not write replies with AI. See [Public comment replies](https://instantdm.com/how-to/public-comment-replies.md).
- **AI Reply**: a step inside a flow that lets AI answer DMs, using your own OpenAI, Claude, Gemini or DeepSeek key. Trendsetter and above. See [AI replies to DMs](https://instantdm.com/how-to/ai-reply-to-dms.md).
- **API & MCP**: a page (button at the top right of **Home**) to connect InstantDM to other apps and to AI assistants. Trendsetter and above. See [Webhooks and API](https://instantdm.com/how-to/webhooks-and-api.md).
- **Automation**: a rule that says "when this happens, send that". For example: when someone comments GUIDE, send my PDF. See [Your first automation](https://instantdm.com/how-to/first-automation.md).
- **Automation Group** (tab **Group Automation**): one automation on several posts at once. See [One automation on many posts](https://instantdm.com/how-to/one-automation-many-posts.md).
- **Automation Recovery**: a page that lists DMs that didn't go out (**Message rejected**, **Out of credits**, **Flow stopped**, **Never finished**), with a **Resend** button. See [Resend missed DMs](https://instantdm.com/how-to/resend-missed-dms.md).
- **Automations / Hour**: the setting in **Account Settings → Safety & Limits** for how many new comment automations can start each hour. See [DMs per hour](https://instantdm.com/how-to/how-many-dms-per-hour.md).

## C

- **Caption code**: a short word you put in your next post's caption, so InstantDM knows which new post gets a **Next post** automation. Capitals don't matter. See [Set up an automation before I post](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automate-next-post.md).
- **Comment Pooling**: InstantDM checks a post itself for new comments for up to 12 hours at a time, in case Instagram didn't report some. Trendsetter and above. See [Make InstantDM answer missed comments](https://instantdm.com/how-to/rerun-missed-comments.md).
- **Comment Reply for Non-Followers**: the public comment InstantDM posts when Instagram won't let you DM someone who doesn't follow you. See [DMs to non-followers](https://instantdm.com/how-to/dms-to-non-followers.md).
- **Comment to DM**: someone comments on your post or Reel, and they get a DM. The first choice in **New Automation**. See [Send a DM when someone comments](https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-dm-when-someone-comments.md).
- **Contacts**: the list of people your flows and Lead Gen automations talked to, with their tags and answers. People who only got a Send Link DM don't appear here. See [Contacts page](https://instantdm.com/how-to/contacts-page.md).
- **Credit**: one DM that Instagram or Facebook accepted. Public replies and failed DMs don't use credits. See [How credits work](https://instantdm.com/how-to/how-credits-work.md).

## D

- **DM**: a direct message, the private chat in Instagram. Only that person sees it.
- **DM Automation** (also **Quick DM**): someone messages you a keyword, or anything at all, and gets an automatic reply. Legend Pro and above. See [Auto-reply to a DM keyword](https://instantdm.com/how-to/dm-keyword-auto-reply.md).
- **DM Insights**: sorts incoming DMs and story replies by what people want (for example a purchase or a collaboration). All plans. See [What is DM Insights?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/dm-insights.md)
- **DM Sequence**: several DMs in a row, up to 10, with a wait between them. Legend Pro and above. See [Send several DMs in a row](https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-several-dms-in-a-row.md).

## F

- **Facebook Login** (**Connect FB Page**, **Connect Instagram via FB Page**): connecting through your Facebook Page. Needed for Facebook Page automations and ad comments. See [Instagram or Facebook login?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/instagram-login-or-facebook-login.md)
- **First-week trial** (on Home: **PRO PLAN TRIAL**): for about your first week, paid features are unlocked in the web app with no card. See [Is InstantDM free?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/is-instantdm-free.md)
- **Flow Automation** (also **Flow Editor**, **Flow Builder**): a visual builder for chats with several steps, buttons, questions, branches, reminders and AI. Made live with **Set Live**. Trendsetter and above, computer only. See [What is Flow Automation?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/what-is-flow-automation.md)
- **Follow gate** (**Ask audience to follow you before sending link!**; in the app **Follow For Link**; in flows **Followers only**): people who don't follow you get a "follow first" card, and the link comes after they follow. Legend Pro and above. See [Make people follow before the link](https://instantdm.com/how-to/make-people-follow-before-link.md).

## G and H

- **Global** (in **Account Settings → Automation → Automation Controls**): the master on/off switch. Off pauses every automation. See [Automation settings](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-settings.md).
- **Human takeover**: stops the AI for one person so you can chat yourself. Switch the person to **Human** in **Contacts** or in the flow's contact list. The AI Reply step's **Human takeover** switch lets the AI hand a chat to you. See [Take over from the AI](https://instantdm.com/how-to/take-over-from-ai.md).

## I

- **Insights**: your numbers, like DMs sent and link clicks. See [What the numbers in Insights mean](https://instantdm.com/how-to/insights-explained.md).
- **Instagram Login** (**Connect your IG Account**, **Connect Instagram Directly**): connecting straight through Instagram, no Facebook Page needed. See [Connect your Instagram account](https://instantdm.com/how-to/connect-instagram-account.md).

## L

- **Lead Gen**: asks people for their name, email or phone number in the DM and saves the answers. No email-tool sync. Legend Pro and above. See [Collect emails and phone numbers](https://instantdm.com/how-to/collect-emails-in-instagram-dms.md).
- **Library** (tab **Saved Libraries**; **Save to Library**, **Copy Automation**): saved automations you can reuse on other posts. See [Save and reuse an automation](https://instantdm.com/how-to/save-and-reuse-automation.md).

## M and N

- **Match exact word only**: in Lead Gen, flows and DM automations, the whole message must be just the trigger word. See [How trigger words work](https://instantdm.com/how-to/how-trigger-words-work.md).
- **Meta Ads**: automations for comments on your Instagram ads. Needs Facebook Login. Trendsetter and above. See [Auto-reply to ad comments](https://instantdm.com/how-to/auto-reply-ad-comments.md).
- **New Automation**: the button on **Home** that walks you through When, Where and What to create an automation. See [Your first automation](https://instantdm.com/how-to/first-automation.md).
- **Next post** (also **Next Post Automation**): an automation for a post you haven't uploaded yet, matched by its caption code. Legend Pro and above. See [Set up an automation before I post](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automate-next-post.md).

## P

- **Professional account**: an Instagram Creator or Business account. InstantDM can't connect personal accounts. See [Switch to a professional account](https://instantdm.com/how-to/switch-to-professional-account.md).
- **Public reply** (**Reply with comment!**, **+ Reply Comment**): a reply posted under the person's comment, visible to everyone. On by default. See [Public comment replies](https://instantdm.com/how-to/public-comment-replies.md).
- **Publish** (flows: **Set Live**; Lead Gen: **Publish & Activate**): makes an automation live. In the wizard, **Publish Setup** only opens the editor; you still publish there. See [Turn off or edit an automation](https://instantdm.com/how-to/turn-off-or-edit-automation.md).

## Q and R

- **Quick Automation**: the menu for one-step automations on posts, stories, ads and DMs, for Instagram and Facebook. It replaced **Instagram DM** and **Facebook DM**. See [Where did things move?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/where-did-things-move.md)
- **Re-run missed comments**: checks a post again and answers comments InstantDM never received. Trendsetter and above. See [Answer missed comments](https://instantdm.com/how-to/rerun-missed-comments.md).
- **Reply Delay**: waits 10 seconds to about a minute before sending. Legend Pro and above. See [Add a delay](https://instantdm.com/how-to/delay-the-dm.md).
- **Requests folder**: where Instagram may put DMs from accounts people don't follow. Instagram decides this, not InstantDM. See [DMs to non-followers](https://instantdm.com/how-to/dms-to-non-followers.md).

## S

- **Send Link & PDF** (on the post page: **Send Link or PDF**; in the app: **Send Link or Images**): one reply for everyone, such as a link, price list or PDF. See [Send Link, Lead Gen or Flow?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-link-lead-gen-or-flow.md)
- **Story to DM**: someone replies to your story with text and gets a DM. Instagram only. Legend Pro and above. See [Auto-reply to story replies](https://instantdm.com/how-to/auto-reply-story-replies.md).
- **Sub-account**: an extra InstantDM account under your login, with its own Instagram, plan and credits. See [Add another Instagram account](https://instantdm.com/how-to/add-another-instagram-account.md).

## T

- **Track link clicks**: swaps your link for a short InstantDM link so it can count clicks. See [Track link clicks](https://instantdm.com/how-to/track-link-clicks.md).
- **Trigger word** (also **Expected Word**, **Specific Comments**, **Custom Keywords**, **Trigger Words**): the word people comment or send to get your DM. Free: up to 3 per automation. See [How trigger words work](https://instantdm.com/how-to/how-trigger-words-work.md).

## V and W

- **Viral Mode** (on the plans: "Viral Mode activator"): on Trendsetter and Multi plans, when a busy post hits the hourly limit, new comments wait in a queue and are answered later. See [When a post goes viral](https://instantdm.com/how-to/post-going-viral.md).
- **Watermark** ("|| Automation powered by InstantDM"): a line added to Send Link DMs on Free after the first week. Any paid plan removes it. See [Is InstantDM free?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/is-instantdm-free.md)
- **Webhook**: sends InstantDM events to another app, like Make or Zapier. Trendsetter and above. See [Webhooks and API](https://instantdm.com/how-to/webhooks-and-api.md).
- **Welcome Message**: a first DM with one button. The person taps it, then gets your content. Legend Pro and above. See [What is the Welcome Message?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/welcome-message.md)
- **Whitelist Contacts**: people who never get any automation, such as friends or your own test account. In **Account Settings → Automation**. See [Stop automations for one person](https://instantdm.com/how-to/exclude-someone-from-automation.md).
- **Workspace** (team): lets people you invite work in your InstantDM account. See [Accounts, workspaces and team members](https://instantdm.com/how-to/accounts-workspaces-team.md).

## Questions people also ask

**Are Quick Automation and Flow Automation the same thing?**

No. Quick Automation holds the simple editors (Send Link & PDF, Lead Gen, DM keyword replies). Flow Automation is the visual builder for multi-step chats with branches.

**Why does the phone app use different names?**

Some screens were named separately. In the app, Send Link & PDF is called Send Link or Images, the follow gate is Follow For Link, and the plans Legend Pro and Trendsetter are called Starter and Brand.

**Does "Also Include AI Comment Reply" use AI?**

No. It adds a built-in set of ready-made, varied public replies to the ones you wrote.

## Related guides

- [What is InstantDM and what can it do?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/what-is-instantdm.md)
- [How do I set up my first automation? (Start here)](https://instantdm.com/how-to/first-automation.md)
- [Where did Instagram DM, Facebook DM, Team and API & MCP go?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/where-did-things-move.md)
- [Send Link, Lead Gen or Flow: which one should I pick?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-link-lead-gen-or-flow.md)