DM keywords
Reply automatically when someone sends you a keyword in Direct, when they share your post or Reel to your DMs, or when they tap an Ice Breaker or the menu. Every plan.
DM keyword automations answer people who start in Direct instead of the comments. Someone sends PRICE, LINK or any keyword you choose, and they get your DM. Every plan.
Create one
You can create as many as your plan's automation limit allows.
How replies work
- A DM with one of your keywords starts that automation. See Keywords and triggers for Exact, Whole word, Contains and Close enough.
- DMs that match none of your DM automations get no reply.
- Each person gets the same DM automation at most once a day, so typing the keyword again does not spam them. Events show those as skipped with a cooldown.
- If someone is answering one of your lead questions, their message goes to that question, not to a keyword.
- Human takeover: if you replied to someone yourself, from the inbox or the Instagram app, DM automations stay quiet for that person for 30 minutes. Change or turn this off in DM setup.
Shared posts and Reels
People often send your own post or Reel back to you asking for the link. Every post and Reel automation has a switch, on by default: Also reply when someone shares this post to your DMs. When it is on, they get that post's DM, no comment needed.
DM setup page
Open Automations, then DM setup.
Ice Breakers. Up to 4 questions people can tap when they open a new chat with you, like “What does it cost?”. Each one starts one of your automations right in the chat: a DM keyword automation, or a post, Reel, story or live one. Publish to Instagram sends them to Instagram. They show in the Instagram app, not on desktop, and can take a few minutes to appear.
Menu in Direct. Up to 5 items that stay in every chat with you. Each starts one of your automations (any type) or opens a link that starts with https.
If Instagram does not accept a change, the page says why and offers Try again. Your list stays saved either way.
Already set somewhere else? DM setup checks what Instagram shows right now. If your account already has Ice Breakers or a menu, for example from another tool, or they differ from what is saved here, a notice lists them. Load into the editor copies them in so you can keep and edit them; items from another tool need a DM automation picked before you publish. Publishing here replaces what Instagram has. If you already have a list here, Publish ours again puts yours back. To clear the old ones instead, use Remove next to either list, or Remove both from Instagram. You confirm first, and the lists saved on this page are not changed.
Missed demand. The most common short DMs that none of your DM automations answer, over the last 90 days, with how many times and from how many people. Turn into keyword starts a new DM automation with that phrase, or adds it to an existing one. Hide removes a phrase from the list.
Settings.
- Stay quiet after you reply by hand: minutes, default 30, 0 turns it off.
- Suggest your keywords when a DM matches nothing: off by default. When on, someone whose short DM matches nothing gets your keywords as tap buttons, at most once a day. Buttons show in the Instagram app only.
Analytics
The Analytics page shows Where conversations start: comments, stories, live, DMs, shared posts, Ice Breakers, menu and quick reply taps. A DM automation's own page counts DMs instead of comments.
Related
Live automations
Create a Send Link To Me live automation. Set a 2-hour window by default, a keyword or every comment, and the Direct reply.
Keywords and triggers
Set keyword pills or Send DM to all comments, and pick how keywords match, including Close enough for typos. Matching is case insensitive. Nested replies are skipped.