# How do I send a DM when someone comments on my post or Reel? Guide: https://instantdm.com/how-to/send-dm-when-someone-comments 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:** On Home, click New Automation, choose Comment to DM, pick your post under Existing posts, then choose Send Link & PDF. Add a trigger word such as LINK, write your DM with the link and click Publish. Everyone whose comment contains that word gets the DM. This works on all plans. ## Before you start - Your Instagram must be a professional account (Business or Creator) and connected to InstantDM. See [How do I connect my Instagram account?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/connect-instagram-account.md) - Choose the word people will comment, for example LINK or GUIDE. A **trigger word** is the word that makes InstantDM send your DM. Tell people the word in your caption: "Comment LINK and I'll DM you the link." - On the Free plan you can add up to 3 trigger words and 3 public replies per automation. ## Steps 1. On **Home**, click **New Automation** (top right). 2. Under "When should it run?", click **Comment to DM**. 3. Under "Which posts?", keep **Existing posts** and the **Instagram** pill. Click your post or Reel, then click **Next**. - **Next** stays grey until you pick a post. - If you pick 2 or more posts, you create an Automation Group. See [one automation on many posts](https://instantdm.com/how-to/one-automation-many-posts.md). 4. Under "What should it send?", click **Send Link & PDF**. The editor opens. 5. In the **Trigger** box, keep **Specific Comments**. Click **Expected Word**, type your word (for example LINK) and press Enter. - To add several words at once, separate them with commas: link, guide, pdf. 6. Decide about the public reply. **Reply with comment!** is on by default. It posts a public reply under each matching comment, so everyone can see it. - Click **Reply Comment**, type a line such as "Sent, check your DMs" and press Enter. Add a few different lines. - Or switch **Reply with comment!** off if you don't want public replies. 7. Under **Send a DM!**, choose **Text/Link** and type your message with the link. The box holds up to 700 characters. 8. Optional (Legend Pro and above): turn on **Welcome Message** or **Ask audience to follow you before sending link!**. 9. Click **Publish** (top right). - If you see "Recommended Setup for Better Engagement", click **Send link directly** to publish as it is, or **Edit Automation** to go back and turn on a Welcome Message. - You'll see "Automation is live" and return to **Home**. 10. Ask a friend to comment your word on the post from their own account, and check that the DM arrives. **Other way in, from the post itself:** open **Quick Automation**, click the **Instagram** tab, choose **Posts** and click your post. On the "Post Automations" page, click the **Send Link or PDF** card. The editor is the same, so follow steps 5 to 9. After **Publish** you see "Automated Successfully!" with an option to save the setup to your Library. ## On the phone app The app has no **New Automation** button. You set it up from the post: - Tap **Instagram** on Home, open the **Posts** tab and tap your post or Reel. - On **Manage Post**, tap the **Send Link or Images** card. This is the same automation as **Send Link & PDF** on the web. - In **Edit Automation**: under **Trigger Words** choose **Specific Words**, type your word and press enter. Under **Reply to Comments**, add replies or switch it off. Under **Send a DM!**, type your message. - Tap **Publish**. The post header shows **AUTOMATION ACTIVE**. - If this post has a Lead Gen automation that you made on the web, publishing from the app removes that Lead Gen. ## What your followers see - They comment your word. A few seconds later they get one private DM from your account, linked to their comment. - If public replies are on, one of your reply lines appears under their comment, picked at random. It is posted only when the DM went out. - With **Welcome Message** on, the first DM is a short message with a button. The link comes after they tap it. - If they don't follow you and Instagram refuses the DM, InstantDM posts a public comment under their comment asking them to follow. See [public comment replies](https://instantdm.com/how-to/public-comment-replies.md). - On the Free plan, after your first week, the DM ends with "|| Automation powered by InstantDM". Any paid plan removes this line. ## Good to know - Each DM that Instagram accepts uses 1 credit. Public replies and failed DMs don't. Legend Pro, Trendsetter and Trendsetter Pro have unlimited DMs, paced per hour. - Capital letters don't matter. "link" also matches "Links" but not "blink". Details: [How do trigger words work?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/how-trigger-words-work.md) - Only top-level comments count. A reply inside someone else's comment thread never triggers the DM. - Instagram decides whether the DM lands in the main inbox or in Message Requests. No tool controls this. - On a very busy post, comment DMs are paced by your plan's hourly limit. See [What should I do when a post goes viral?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/post-going-viral.md) ## What you can't do - Send a different link for each word on the same post with **Send Link & PDF**. One post has one DM for all its words. - Message people who did not comment. Instagram does not let any tool send DMs to people who never interacted with you. - Like the comment automatically. ## How to turn it off Open **Quick Automation** → **Instagram** → **Posts**, click the post and switch off the **Send Link or PDF** card, then click **Disable**. More in [turn off, edit or delete an automation](https://instantdm.com/how-to/turn-off-or-edit-automation.md). ## If it doesn't work - "Missing Trigger words": add at least one word in the **Trigger** box, or choose **All comments**. - "Missing DM text": write your message under **Send a DM!**. - "Missing Reply comments words": add a line with **Reply Comment**, or switch **Reply with comment!** off. - Your friend commented but got nothing: check the spelling of the word, check it was a new comment and not a reply in a thread, and look for the red banner "Instagram conection expired! Automation Stopped." at the top of the app. Full checklist: [Why didn't my automation send a DM?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-not-sending.md) ## Questions people also ask **Does the same person get the DM again if they comment twice?** Yes. Every new comment that contains your word gets another DM and another public reply. There is no once-per-person rule for comments. **How do I test it?** Ask a friend to comment your word from their own Instagram account, or use a second account of your own. Testing from the account you automated is not a reliable test. **Will people who commented before I set it up get the DM?** No. The automation answers new comments only. On Trendsetter and above you can use Re-run missed comments on that post to go back through older comments. **Do I need a Facebook Page for this?** No. Comment-to-DM on Instagram posts and Reels works with a normal Instagram connection. You only need a Facebook Page for Facebook posts, Messenger and ads. ## Related guides - [How do trigger words work?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/how-trigger-words-work.md) - [How do I reply publicly to comments without looking like spam?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/public-comment-replies.md) - [What is the Welcome Message and should I turn it on?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/welcome-message.md) - [Why didn't my automation send a DM?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-not-sending.md)