Create an automation

Create a Send Link To Me automation from scratch or from a recipe. Pick Post or Reel comments, Story replies, Live comments, or DM keywords, then set the DM, keywords, and name.

An automation is a keyword rule on one Instagram account. When someone comments a keyword on your post or Reel, replies to your story, comments during your live, or sends you a keyword in DMs, Send Link To Me sends them your DM.

Before you start

You need a connected Instagram account. See Connect Instagram.

Active automations count toward your plan per Instagram account:

Plan	Active automations
Basic	1
Growth	30
Pro and Scale	Unlimited

Off and Ended automations do not count. At the limit, New automation opens You're at your plan's automation limit, where you can turn one off or upgrade. Inside the wizard the banner reads Active automation limit reached.

Start a new automation

Open the Instagram account and go to Automations.

Choose New automation to start from scratch, or Start from a recipe for a ready-made one.

The wizard opens on step 1, Type: Pick a trigger. Next steps match the type you choose.

The steps are Type, Select, DM, Audience, Keywords, Name, and Review. Next saves a draft and moves on. Create on the last step writes the automation.

Other buttons on Automations: New post (publish a post with a keyword DM), Schedule (opens Schedules), and DM setup (Ice Breakers and the menu in Direct).

Start from a recipe

Recipes are ready-made automations with the keywords and the DM filled in.

On Automations, choose Start from a recipe.

Each card shows the trigger, the keywords (or Any comment), Their DM, and extras such as Asks for their email or Replies under the comment too.

Choose Use this recipe. New automation opens with the trigger, keywords, and DM filled in.

Check each step, change what you like, and create it.

Website recipes include Send a link when someone comments LINK, Share a free guide for an email, Price on request, Live: send the link to everyone who comments, Story reply: send the offer, and DM keyword: menu. The Shopify app has its own set, such as Send these products when someone comments SHOP and Offer code for followers.

When a recipe uses something your plan does not include, its card names the plan it needs. Start from scratch opens an empty New automation.

Continue where you left off?

Each Next saves your unfinished automation as a draft for this Instagram account. The next time you choose New automation, you are asked Continue where you left off?

The card shows the draft's post or trigger, its keywords, where you stopped (for example Stopped at: DM, step 3 of 7), and when you last edited it.
Continue picks up the draft where you stopped.
Start over deletes the draft and opens step 1.

If you came from a recipe or a link with keywords, the buttons read Continue draft (keeps your draft and ignores the recipe) and Start new automation.

New automation never brings back a draft without asking.

Choose a trigger

Card	What it listens to	Next
Post or Reel comments	Someone comments a keyword on your post or Reel. You DM the link automatically.	Post and Reel
Story replies	Reply to any story in a time window, or attach rules to one live story.	Story
Live comments	Set a time window. Matching live comments trigger a DM during that window.	Live
DM keywords	Someone sends you a keyword in Direct, like PRICE. You reply with the link, follow check and lead questions automatically.	DM keywords

Cancel leaves the wizard. If you already did some work, it asks before leaving.

Keyword clash warning

Each keyword can belong to only one automation in the same place: the same post, the same story, your stories window, your live videos, or your DMs.

While you type keywords, a warning shows under the field as soon as one is taken, for example: 'link' is already used by Summer drop on this post. The automation name is a link, so you can open it and change it there.

Create still checks on its own. If a keyword is taken when you create, the wizard opens Keywords and names the keyword, for example Keyword "link" is already used by another automation on this post. See Keywords and triggers.

AI help while you build

On the DM, Audience, and Keywords steps you can use Write, Rewrite, Suggest keywords, and Suggest replies. Nothing is added until you pick it. See AI writing help.

What every automation needs

Every automation needs:

A surface: post or Reel, story, live, or DMs.
A trigger: one or more keywords, or Send DM to all comments. See Keywords and triggers.
A DM: a saved template or an inline message. See DM and audience.

Name is required. Max 120 characters. Placeholder: Summer drop comments.

Active from and Active to are optional:

Leave both blank to keep this on (Always on).
Fill only Active from to start later.
Fill only Active to to stop later.
This is when comments can get the DM, not when a post is published.

Errors: Enter a valid date and time. Active to must be after active from.

Post and Reel automations also need at least one public reply phrase. Story and live stay Direct only.

After you create

The toast Automation is live says Comments from your own account are ignored. Test from a different Instagram account. The automation's page opens. It shows On while it is turned on and still inside its window. From there you can edit or duplicate, turn it off or delete, or open All events.

For a single first win, use Your first automation.

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