# What should I do when a post goes viral?

Guide: https://instantdm.com/how-to/post-going-viral  
Section: Instagram rules and safety  
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:** Check your hourly pace in Safety & Limits, then watch the post's All Comments tab. On Trendsetter and the Multi plans, extra comments wait in a queue, and Comment Limit / Hour can pause public replies while DMs continue. Afterwards, use Re-run missed comments or Comment Pooling (Trendsetter and above) and Resend in Automation Recovery.

## Before you start

- **On Free, credits can run out.** You start with 500, and each DM uses one. When they run out, nothing is sent: no DM and no public reply.
- The tools you have depend on your plan:

| Tool | What it does | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| **Automations / Hour** | Your hourly pace for comment automations | All plans |
| Queue (Viral Mode) | Comments over your pace wait and are answered later, instead of being skipped | Trendsetter and Multi plans |
| **Comment Limit / Hour** (Smart Mode) | Above this number per hour, public replies pause and DMs continue | Trendsetter and Multi plans |
| **Comment Pooling** | InstantDM checks a post itself for new comments Instagram didn't report, for up to 12 hours | Trendsetter and above |
| **Re-run missed comments** | Goes back over one post's comments and answers the ones never handled | Trendsetter and above |
| **Resend** in Automation Recovery | Sends DMs that Instagram refused again | All plans (uses credits) |

## Steps

1. Click **Account Settings** → **Safety & Limits** and choose your **Automations / Hour**. A higher pace answers more people per hour. A lower pace is gentler on your account. Click **Save**.
2. On Trendsetter or a Multi plan, set **Comment Limit / Hour** in the same tab (default 250; 0 currently works like 250, so enter a higher number to keep public replies going longer). Click **Save**.
3. Open the post: **Quick Automation** → the **Instagram** tab → **Posts** → click the post → **All Comments** tab. Read the tags on each comment:
   - **Sent** and **Replied**: done.
   - **Scheduled** ("Waiting in Queue"): queued, it will be answered later.
   - **Rate limit reached**: over your hourly pace and not answered.
   - **Instagram limit reached**: Instagram asked your account to slow down. InstantDM retries after your **Rate Limit Retry** time.
4. If new comments are not showing up at all, start Comment Pooling: **Automation Recovery** → **Comment Pooling** → **Pool a post**. Pick the post, **How often to check** and **Keep checking for**, then click **Start pooling**.
5. When the rush slows, click **Re-run missed comments** on the post page, then **Continue**. See [re-run missed comments](https://instantdm.com/how-to/rerun-missed-comments.md).
6. Open **Automation Recovery** → **Missed & Failed** and click **Resend** on DMs that Instagram refused. See [resend missed DMs](https://instantdm.com/how-to/resend-missed-dms.md).

## On the phone app

- Hourly pace and Comment Limit / Hour: profile photo → **Settings** → **Safety & Limits** → **Save Changes**.
- Re-run: Home → **Instagram** → **Posts** → tap the post → **Re-run missed comments**.
- Resend: Home → **Automation Recovery** → **Missed & Failed**.
- Comment Pooling is not in the app. Use the web app at app.instantdm.com.

## What your followers see

- Queued comments: the DM arrives later than usual.
- Over the pace on Free or Legend Pro: no DM and no public reply. Those comments are not answered automatically later, and Re-run is only on Trendsetter and above.
- Smart Mode on: they get the DM but no public reply.

## Good to know

- Comment Pooling watches up to 3 posts at once, for at most 12 hours per start. "Only comments posted after you start are picked up, so nobody who commented earlier gets messaged."
- Re-run works on one post or Reel at a time, not on stories, all-posts or next-post automations.
- Instagram allows a private reply only within 7 days of the comment. Older comments can't be answered.
- Each item in Missed & Failed can be resent up to 3 times, 10 minutes apart, and up to 200 at once.
- Varied public replies look less repetitive. Add several of your own, or tick **Also Include AI Comment Reply (to prevent comment spam)**, which adds ready-made reply lines to yours.
- The hourly count is approximate. Don't plan around an exact number.

## What you can't do

- Switch the queue (Viral Mode) on or off, or choose how fast it empties.
- Re-run or pool stories or DMs.
- Reply to comments older than 7 days.

## If it doesn't work

- **"Re-running a post is available on Trendsetter and above"**: Re-run is not on your plan. This includes the free first week.
- **"Available on Trendsetter and above"** on Comment Pooling: same reason.
- **"Rate limited by Instagram/Facebook — try again in 30–60 minutes"**: Instagram is limiting requests. Try again later.
- A pooled post shows **Cooling off** ("Rate limited — cooling off (30–60 min). Pooling resumes automatically."): nothing to do. Pooling restarts by itself.

## Questions people also ask

**What is Viral Mode?**

On Trendsetter and the Multi plans, comments that arrive after you reach your hourly pace wait in a queue and are answered later, instead of being skipped. It switches on by itself. You can't turn it on or off.

**What is Smart Mode?**

On Trendsetter and the Multi plans, when a post passes your Comment Limit / Hour, public comment replies pause for that hour and DMs keep going. Replies come back when the hourly count drops.

**Will everyone get the DM on Legend Pro?**

Not always. On Free and Legend Pro, comments above your hourly pace are not answered automatically and are not listed in Automation Recovery. Trendsetter queues them instead.

**Can I answer people who commented last week?**

Only within 7 days of their comment, because Instagram allows one private reply per comment for 7 days. Re-run missed comments (Trendsetter and above) goes back over a post's comments.

## Related guides

- [How many DMs can InstantDM send per hour?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/how-many-dms-per-hour.md)
- [How do I make InstantDM answer comments it missed on a post?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/rerun-missed-comments.md)
- [How do I resend DMs that failed or were missed?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/resend-missed-dms.md)
- [What do the Safety & Limits settings do?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/safety-and-limits-settings.md)