Create your first campaign
A campaign is one trigger plus one message. The builder shows eight steps, but only two of them are required — here is what each does and which ones you can ignore on day one.
The most common campaign, and the one to start with, is comment-to-DM: someone comments a word on your post, and they instantly get a DM from you. Everything else in the builder is a variation on that idea.
Pick what starts it
On Campaigns, New campaign, you choose the trigger first. It cannot be changed later without rebuilding, so it is worth a moment's thought.
| Trigger | Starts when | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Comment on a post or reel | Someone comments on the post you choose | Free |
| User DMs you | Someone sends your account a DM | Free |
| Comment on a live stream | Someone comments during a live broadcast | Free |
| Reply to your story | Someone replies to your story | Pro |
The eight steps, and which ones matter
1. Select a Post or Reel
Choose the specific post the automation watches. There is an Any post or reel switch at the top right, which makes it run on everything you have published and everything you publish later. That is powerful and easy to regret — start with one post.
2. Setup Keywords
The word someone has to comment. Keep it to one word, no punctuation, and something people can spell without thinking. GUIDE works. Send Me The Guide does not. There is also an Any keyword switch, which fires on every comment, useful for a giveaway and noisy for anything else.
3. Public Reply to Comments — optional
A short public reply under their comment, so everyone scrolling can see the automation worked. It also nudges people who have not commented yet.
4. Opening Message — optional
The first DM they get, before your actual offer. Its real job is to open Instagram's messaging window so the rest of the flow can run. You can leave it off on any plan.
5. Ask to Follow Before Sending DM — Pro
The follow gate. It holds your link back until the person follows you. It has its own guide, linked at the bottom of this page.
6. Send a DM — required
The message they came for. Write the text, add up to three buttons with links, and optionally an image. This is the one step you cannot skip.
7. Follow-Up to Re-engage — Pro
A second message later, for people who did not reply the first time.
8. Collect Info in DM — Pro
Ask for an email or other details inside the conversation before the link is delivered, turning the DM into a lead form.
Go live
New campaigns save as Draft, and a draft sends nothing at all. This catches almost everyone once. Set the campaign to Active before you go and promote the keyword.
Put the keyword in the caption and pin it as the first comment. People who read neither still see it, and you get comments from both halves of your audience.
Common questions
How many steps do I have to fill in to launch a campaign?
Two. Select a Post or Reel and Send a DM are the only required steps. Keywords have an Any keyword switch, and everything else — public reply, opening message, follow gate, follow-up and collecting info — is optional or on Pro.
Why is my new campaign not sending anything?
New campaigns save as Draft, and a draft sends nothing. Open the campaign and set it to Active. If it is already Active and still silent, work through the checks in the Why your DM did not send guide.
What makes a good trigger keyword?
One word, no punctuation, and easy to spell without thinking. GUIDE or LINK work well; a phrase like Send Me The Guide does not, because people mistype it. You can also use the Any keyword switch so every comment triggers the automation, which suits giveaways.
Next
Still stuck?
Tell us what you were trying to do and what happened instead. A real person reads it.
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