How do I schedule a post with comment-to-DM already set up?

Before you start

• Scheduling is on Legend Pro and above.
• Read How do I schedule a post, Reel, carousel or story? if you haven’t scheduled a post before.

Steps

1. Click Later in the sidebar, then New Schedule.
2. Set up the post: type, time, media and caption. Click Schedule.
3. A popup appears: “Scheduled, Next Automate Comments” and “The post is Scheduled!”. Click Setup Automation.
   • For a story it says “Scheduled, Next Automate Story Replies” and “The story is Scheduled!”.
4. The automation editor opens, the same one you use for live posts. Add your trigger words (or choose all comments), your public replies and your DM.
5. Click Publish.
6. Back in Later, the post shows a lightning icon. That means an automation is attached.

If you closed the popup, click the post in the calendar. In the Comment Automation box (Story DM Automation for stories), click Go to Automation Setup. If an automation is already attached, the box says Automation attached and has Edit Automation.

On the phone app

Tap Later on Home and schedule an image, carousel or Reel. In the “Post Scheduled!” popup tap Setup Automation, or Maybe Later. To come back to it, tap the scheduled post and use its Comment Automation banner.

What your followers see

Nothing changes for them. When the post goes live and someone comments your trigger word, they get your public reply and DM, as with any automated post.

Good to know

• The automation moves to the real post at publish time “with no delay”.
• To change it before publishing, open the post in Later and click Edit Automation.
• Posts can go out a minute or two early, and edits in the last 10 minutes may not be used. Finish both the post and the automation early.
• A Next post automation with a caption code is another way to prepare an automation before you post. See How do I set up an automation before I post?

What you can’t do

• Attach a Flow Automation to a post that isn’t published yet.
• Schedule Facebook Page posts.

How to turn it off

Open the post in Later, click Edit Automation, and switch off the Send Link or PDF card. After publishing, use How do I turn off, edit or delete an automation?

If it doesn’t work

• The post is live but comments get no DM → the automation may not have moved over. Open the published post in Quick Automation and set up its automation there.
• Other causes → Why didn’t my automation send a DM?