# How do I test my automation before my followers see it? Guide: https://instantdm.com/how-to/test-your-automation Section: Start here 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:** Use a second Instagram account, such as a friend's or another account you own. Comment your trigger word on the post as a normal comment, not a reply, then check that account's DMs, including the Requests folder. In InstantDM, open the post's All Comments tab to see what happened to that comment. The only real test is the one your followers will do: a different Instagram account leaves a comment, a story reply or a DM, and checks what arrives. InstantDM can't send a DM from your account to your own account, so testing from the same account never works. ## Before you start - A second Instagram account: a friend's, a team member's, or another account you own. - Make sure that account is **not** on your excluded list. People added under **Account Settings → Automation → Whitelist Contacts** (or excluded from **Contacts**) get no automations at all. - Your automation is published. You'll see "Automation is live" or the post shows the **Automated** tag. ## Steps 1. Open the post (or Reel) that has the automation, from the second account. 2. Write a new top-level comment that contains your trigger word, for example "GUIDE please". - Don't reply to another comment. Replies inside a comment thread never trigger an automation. 3. Wait a minute. If you set a **Reply Delay**, wait that long too. 4. Check the second account's DMs. If it doesn't follow you, look in the **Requests** folder as well. 5. Check the post: in InstantDM, open the post from **Quick Automation** → **Instagram** → **Posts** and look at its **All Comments** tab (called **Lead Gen Contacts** on a Lead Gen post). Your test comment shows a status such as **Sent**, **No automation configured**, **Rate limit reached** or **Instagram limit reached**. 6. If you turned on the follow gate and the second account doesn't follow you, you'll get the follow card first. Follow, tap **Started following you! 👍**, and check that the link arrives. 7. Delete the test comment in Instagram if you don't want it on your post. ## Testing other kinds of automation - **Story replies:** reply to your story with your word as text. Stickers, photos and reactions don't trigger anything. - **DM keywords:** send your keyword as a DM from the second account. If the automation is set to **First time only**, each account triggers it once, ever. - **Flows:** the editor's **Preview** shows how the messages will look. Still do one real test from a second account before you share the post. - **Lead Gen and questions:** answer each question the way a follower would. Try a phone number with spaces too, so you know what the error message says. See [which answers are accepted](https://instantdm.com/how-to/answer-rules-email-phone-name.md). ## On the phone app Testing works the same way: comment from a second account and check that account's DMs. If the DM doesn't arrive, open **Automation Recovery** in the app to see whether it failed. The per-comment status list is on the web app. ## Good to know - Every DM that goes out uses 1 credit, including tests. - On the Free plan, after your first week, DMs end with "|| Automation powered by InstantDM". Your test DM will show it too. - A test comment that gets **No automation configured** usually means the word didn't match. See [how trigger words work](https://instantdm.com/how-to/how-trigger-words-work.md). ## If it doesn't work - **Nothing arrived and the status is empty:** wait a minute and refresh. Then check that the post's automation is switched on. - **Status says Sent but the DM isn't there:** look in the **Requests** folder of the second account. - **Still nothing:** go through [Why didn't my automation send a DM?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-not-sending.md) ## Questions people also ask **Can I test by commenting on my own post?** No. Your account can't send a DM to itself, so a comment from the same account won't produce a DM. Use a second account. **Does a test use credits?** Yes. Every DM that goes out uses 1 credit, test or not. Public comment replies don't use credits. **Can I test the same automation many times?** For comments, yes: every new matching comment gets a new DM, even from the same account. For a DM automation set to First time only, each account triggers it once, so use another account or switch to Once a day while you test. **Will my followers see my test comment?** Yes, the comment and any public reply are visible like any other comment. Delete the test comment in Instagram afterwards if you don't want it there. ## Related guides - [How do I set up my first automation? (Start here)](https://instantdm.com/how-to/first-automation.md) - [How do I see who got my DM and what happened to each comment?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/see-who-got-my-dm.md) - [Why didn't my automation send a DM?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/automation-not-sending.md) - [How do I stop automations for a specific person?](https://instantdm.com/how-to/exclude-someone-from-automation.md)