# Send a DM automatically when someone comments Turn a keyword comment on one Instagram post into a private message with your link. 4 min read. Updated 21 Oct 2026. Pro and Max only. Walkthrough video (no sound): https://bucket.sociorolla.com/help/comment-to-dm-automation/428e6271a25c788e.mp4 ## Before you start - [Connect your social accounts](https://sociorolla.com/help/getting-started/connect-accounts) ## Steps 1. Open **Automations**. Each automation shows whether it is live, paused or a draft, with the people it triggered and the DMs it sent. ![Step 1: Automations lists every flow, its status and what it has done so far.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/8e7b50ef971b2159c3a99f1a54cc64489a28c1b4-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format) 2. Click **New automation**. A template fills in the steps for you and everything stays editable. This one starts from scratch. ![Step 2: Pick a template, or start from scratch.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/582270864f99951ecc73df649f6c83bde5829cf0-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format) 3. Open **When someone comments**, keep **Specific post** and choose the post people will comment on. The list is the account's own posts, including ones published outside the app. ![Step 3: Choose what starts it: a comment on one post.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/fafb2429ba32aafa9ab404bb1ba3e5b49f9ddb48-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format) 4. Leave the match type on **Contains** and add keywords one at a time. A comment with any of them starts the automation. ![Step 4: Add the words that set it off.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/12ba9766a7a9c4fc871fc36592a6056ecfb257eb-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format) 5. Open **Reply to their comment** and write what shows under the comment. Add variations: one is picked at random each time, so the replies don't repeat. ![Step 5: Answer the comment in public.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/138b637f5b2bd36c012f067eb94d2ef89b053f10-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format) 6. Click **Add a DM**, write the message, then give the button a label and a link. The preview on the right shows what the commenter receives. ![Step 6: Write the DM and give it a button.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/8b5b6576a43f314f0dc34e1744fdaab937fb5ecf-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format) 7. Click the name at the top and type a new one. ![Step 7: Name it so you can find it later.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/275e8788c98b56aa555e1d215a4d5d9788d3ce88-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format) 8. Click **Set live**. You land back on the list, where the new automation is **Live** and its counters start at zero. From then on, a matching comment on that post gets the public reply and the DM. ![Step 8: Set it live and it appears in the list.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/317ab68f522c3825d21efb7c6e28d78edde04dd0-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format) 9. Open **Inbox** and the conversation. A message sent by an automation carries its name, so nobody wonders who wrote it. ![Step 9: The DM lands in the Inbox with the automation's name on it.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/vy53y317/production/bcab7a2cdf23ce1e4f97308e24819c315fceccaf-2880x1800.png?w=1600&sharp=25&q=90&auto=format) ### Platforms and triggers Automations work on Instagram and Facebook, the two platforms that let you send a DM in answer to a comment. The trigger can be **Specific post**, **All Reels**, **All posts**, or **Story reply** (Instagram only). ### Matching keywords **Contains** matches a keyword anywhere in the comment, **Exact match** needs the whole comment to be the keyword, and **Starts with** needs the keyword first. Capital letters don't matter. Leave the keywords empty and every comment matches. ### One DM per person Each person gets the DM once per automation, however many times they comment. ### The public reply The reply under the comment is optional. Add variations and one is picked at random each time. Leave out the DM and the automation only replies in public. ### How the DM is sent The DM goes out as a private reply to the comment, so Meta's private reply rules apply to it. ### The numbers The list shows how many comments an automation caught, how many DMs it sent and its click rate. A click is counted when someone opens the DM's button. ### Plans Automations are on the Pro and Max plans. ## Related articles - [Reply to story replies and collect emails automatically](https://sociorolla.com/help/inbox-and-automations/story-reply-and-email) - [Reply to direct messages from the inbox](https://sociorolla.com/help/inbox-and-automations/reply-to-messages) Source: https://sociorolla.com/help/inbox-and-automations/comment-to-dm-automation