How the DM runs and who gets it

How the private reply runs: welcome confirm, optional follow gate, optional lead capture, then your offer. Public replies on posts and Reels.

After a keyword matches, Send Link To Me does not drop the offer in one shot. It opens the chat first, then walks through a few short steps.

Panel title: Audience Reply in DM. Lede: Welcome message, follower requirement, and optional name, email, or phone before the DM.

Order of messages

Welcome confirm, on by default. Their tap opens Instagram's 24 hour chat window.

They tap Yes, send it over.

If Only DM people who follow you is on, people who do not follow (or when Instagram blocks the check) get Visit Profile and I'm Following.

If you enabled lead fields (Growth+), the chat asks Name, then Email, then Phone, only for the toggles you turned on.

The offer DM lands: your template or inline message.

Welcome and confirm

Section: Welcome & Confirm Message.

Default text: Thanks for reaching out! Tap below and we will send your link in a DM.

Default button (not editable): Yes, send it over.

Leave the field blank to use the default. Custom text max 640 characters.

Switch: Send a welcome message first (on by default).

On: after they tap Yes, send it over, we check follow (if on), then leads, then your link or DM.
Off, on a post, Reel or live: the first step goes as the reply to their comment. That is the follow prompt if they must follow you, else your first question, else the link or DM itself. Instagram allows only one message there, so a media DM sends just its caption and link.
Off, on a story: their story reply already opened the chat, so we go straight to the follow check, questions and your DM.

On the Shopify app, while Send offer is on the welcome stays on unless a lead question is on, because the offer and code are several messages and only a tap or reply opens the chat for them.

Switch: Send a follow-up if the link is not opened (on by default). About 10 minutes after your link lands, if they have not opened it, we send one reminder. Edit the text, or leave it blank for the default.

Instagram only allows this message within 24 hours of the person tapping a button or replying. So it is off and locked when the welcome message is off on a post, Reel or live and there is no follow step or question: nobody taps or replies before the link. It is also off and locked when your DM has no link, like plain text or a photo without a button: there is nothing to remind them about. Add a link button, or a link in the text or caption, to turn it on. If someone already follows you and skips the follow step, or the link went out as the reply to their comment, we skip the follow-up for them automatically.

Required Follower (all plans)

Switch: Only DM people who follow you.

Description: After they tap Yes, send it over, people who do not follow you get Visit Profile plus I'm Following. Same if Instagram blocks the follow check. Then we send leads and your offer.

Fixed copy (not editable in the editor):

Prompt: Tap Visit Profile to follow, then come back and tap I'm Following so we can send you the content.
Buttons: Visit Profile, I'm Following.
Nudge if they tap I'm Following too early: Please follow first with Visit Profile, then tap I'm Following again so we can send you the content.

Events can show Awaiting follow until they finish. Follow prompts do not count as a send.

Lead capture (Growth+)

Section: Lead capture. Toggles: Name, Email, Phone. All default off.

On Growth, Pro, or Scale: Ask for these after they tap Yes, send it over. If Required Follower is on, we ask after they follow. Then we send your link or DM.

On Basic the toggles are disabled. Hint: Available on Growth and above.

Default prompts (not editable):

Field	Prompt
Name	Awesome! Just one more quick step. Please reply with your name.
Email	Thanks! Please reply with your email.
Email retry	That email does not look right. Please reply with a valid email.
Phone	Thanks! Please reply with your phone number.
Phone retry	That phone number does not look right. Please reply with a valid phone number.

Collected values appear on Contacts. Viewing and export work on every plan. Collection in the DM is Growth+.

Lead questions do not count as a send.

The offer (DM content)

Panel: DM content. Lede: The offer they get after they confirm. Follow prompt and lead questions can appear first if you turn those on.

Use template: Reuse a saved DM template. Select a template. Empty: No templates created yet.
Inline message: Write the DM just for this automation.

Formats: Text, Text + link (buttons) (Up to 3 link buttons), Media, Carousel (Up to 10 product cards), and Carousel flow (card buttons open links or more carousels, see Carousel flow). Media, carousel and carousel flow show Growth+ and Upgrade needed on Basic. Gate body: Media DMs, Carousel DMs or Carousel flows need Growth or higher. Basic support text and text + link. New post and Schedule offer every format except Carousel flow.

Create flows start inline. See Templates.

A successful final offer DM is what Billing counts as a send.

Public reply (post and Reel only)

Title: Public reply. Hidden on story and live.

Lede: Posted under the matching comment on this post or reel. One phrase is chosen at random.

Create and edit require at least one phrase. Error: Add at least one public reply phrase. Add more with Add a reply phrase, then Add. One phrase is picked at random at send time.

This public comment is not a send.