What is Flow Automation and when do I need it?

A flow is a conversation you draw on a canvas. Each box is a step: send a message, ask a question, check something, wait, tag the person, or let AI reply. Lines between the boxes decide what happens next.

Before you start

• You need Trendsetter and above. On lower plans, New Flow Automation shows “Upgrade to unlock the Flow Editor” with See plans and Not now. New accounts can try it during their first-week trial.
• Use a laptop or computer. On a narrow screen the flow list shows “Please open on a laptop or computer for the best experience.”
• Your Instagram account must be connected. For Facebook flows you also need a connected Facebook Page (see connect your Facebook Page).

When to use a flow

You want to…	Use
Send the same link, text or PDF to everyone who comments	Send Link & PDF
Ask for a name, email or phone in a straight line, no other apps	Lead Gen
Ask questions and send different messages based on the answers	Flow Automation
Remind people who don’t reply	Flow Automation
Let AI answer DMs with your own AI key	Flow Automation
Send collected emails to Mailchimp, Kit or Klaviyo	Flow Automation

More detail: Send Link, Lead Gen or Flow: which one should I pick?

Steps

1. Click Flow Automation in the left sidebar. You’ll see the page Flow Automations with your flows split into Live and Drafts.
2. Click New Flow Automation.
3. In the window “Which platform is this automation for?”, click Instagram or Facebook.
4. Choose how to start:
   • Type what you want into the box at the top and click Build with AI (see build a flow with AI).
   • Click Start from scratch for an empty canvas.
   • Pick a template under Or start from a template and click Use this template (see create a flow from a template).
5. Click the Trigger card and choose what starts the flow: Comment Reply, DM Reply or Story Reply.
6. Add steps from the toolbar at the bottom and connect them. You’ll see each step as a card on the canvas.
7. Click Set Live at the top right. Until you do, nothing is sent. See turn a flow on.

On the phone app

In the InstantDM app you can open Flows on Home to see your flows, the people in each flow and their answers. You can’t create, edit or publish flows in the app. Use the web app at app.instantdm.com on a computer.

What your followers see

• Comment flows: the person first gets one DM with your welcome text and a single button. Nothing else is sent until they tap that button. Then the rest of the flow runs.
• DM and story reply flows: the first step is sent straight away, with no welcome button.
• All messages come from your own Instagram account or Facebook Page.

Good to know

• Everything you change saves as a draft automatically. Drafts never reach your followers.
• A flow has one Trigger card. You can’t delete it, and you can’t add a second one.
• Waits and reminders inside a flow can’t be longer than 24 hours.
• Question answers are saved on the contact, so you can see them later in Contacts and reuse them in messages.
• Folders, duplicates and sharing: see organize and copy flows and share a flow.

What you can’t do

• Build or edit flows in the phone app.
• Send broadcasts or message people who never contacted you.
• Wait more than 24 hours between steps.
• Send video messages from a flow.

How to turn it off

Open Flow Automation and switch off the flow’s row, then confirm Yes, Unpublish. Details in turn a flow on or off.

If it doesn’t work

• “Upgrade to unlock the Flow Editor” → your plan doesn’t include flows. Click See plans, or see which plan do I need.
• The flow is live but nobody gets a DM → see why didn’t my automation send a DM?
• People got the first DM but nothing after → in comment flows they must tap the welcome button first. Make the welcome text tell them to tap it.