How do I put someone's name or answer into a message?

A variable is a placeholder in curly brackets, like {{username}}. When the message is sent, InstantDM replaces it with that person’s value.

Before you start

• You need Trendsetter and above and a flow open in the editor.
• Answers you want to reuse must be saved first, for example with a Question step. See ask questions in a flow.

Steps

1. Click a text box that shows “type {{ for variables”, for example a message in a DM Reply step.
2. Type {{. A list opens with three groups: Built-in, Collected in this flow and Standard.
3. Click a variable. It’s added to your text, for example {{username}}.
4. Add a fallback word after a pipe | and before the closing brackets: {{username|there}}.
5. Click Preview to read the message, then Set Live.

Variables you can use

Variable	What it inserts
{{username}}	Their Instagram username. On Facebook: their display name (Facebook has no username)
{{full_name}}	Their display name
{{follower_count}}	Their follower count (Instagram only; on Facebook the fallback is used)
{{id}}	Their Instagram or Facebook ID number
Your Save answer as names, for example {{budget}}	The answer from a Question, Set Field or HTTP Request step in this flow (group Collected in this flow)
{{name}}, {{email}}, {{phone}}, {{text}}, {{address}}, {{bool}}, {{number}}, {{date}}, {{rating}}	Answers already collected by InstantDM in any flow on this account (group Standard)

Examples:

• “Hey {{username|there}}, here’s your guide.”
• “Thanks {{name|friend}}! We’ll write to {{email}} soon.”
• “Your order total starts at ₹999 / $12. Reply here, {{full_name|there}}, if you have questions.”

Where variables work

Message text, smart replies, button names, button links (URLs), question text, choices, skip text, the welcome message description and button text, public comment replies, HTTP Request URL, headers and body, and Set Field values.

On the phone app

You can’t edit flow messages in the InstantDM app. Use the web app at app.instantdm.com on a computer.

What your followers see

The real value, not the brackets. With {{username|there}}, a person without a known username reads “Hey there”.

Good to know

• Values come from this account’s contacts only. An answer collected on one Instagram account is not available on another.
• Answers are saved as text, exactly as the person typed them.
• If you see a variable in the list but the person never answered that question, the fallback is used.
• On Facebook flows, {{username}} and {{full_name}} both give the display name.

What you can’t do

• Change formatting (uppercase, first name only).
• Do math, or insert today’s date.
• Use answers from a different InstantDM account.

If it doesn’t work

• The message shows a blank space → the value was missing and there was no fallback. Add one: {{name|there}}.
• It’s blank even though they answered → the variable name doesn’t match the Save answer as name exactly. Type {{ and pick it from the list instead of typing it.
• The list doesn’t open → that box doesn’t support variables. Use them in the message text instead.