Building an automation: every option explained
Trigger, match type, the DM itself, and the extra rules around it.
How it works
The New Auto-DM dialog is split into "When this happens" (the trigger) and "Then we send this" (the DM), plus a shared "Extra rules" panel.
Trigger on: Post or Incoming DM are free on every plan. Reel is free too. Story/Mention is free too. Ad (Dark Post) triggers require the Pro plan. If you pick Post or Reel you can optionally narrow the trigger to one specific post (pick it from your last 20) or leave it as "Any post" to match the keyword everywhere.
Match: choose "Contains keyword" (comment includes any of your comma-separated keywords), "Exact match" (comment must equal a keyword exactly), or "Any comment" (fires on everything, no keywords needed).
The DM message is the text sent back. You can also attach a link by choosing None, a Custom URL, a Product from your store, or a Product carousel with up to 10 products followers can browse in the DM and tap to open checkout. Product options appear after you link this Instagram account to a knit.bio page and require a Pro or Studio plan. You can also set a Public reply, which Instagram posts under the trigger comment. The default is "Check your inbox! 📩".
Extra rules include Tag contacts and Only for contacts tagged. Tag contacts adds comma-separated tags, such as interest:beginner_fitness, to matching contacts so you can find them on the Instagram tab of Submissions. Only for contacts tagged makes the automation run only for people with a chosen tag, such as "superfan" from Superfan Detection or a tag added by another automation. Follower gate and Capture email start on Essentials.
Set it up
- 1
Name it
Give the automation an internal name, such as "Free workout PDF". Followers never see this name.
- 2
Set the trigger
Pick where it fires (post, reel, story, ad, or DM), optionally the exact post, and how comments should match your keywords.
- 3
Write the DM
Write the message, attach a link, product, or product carousel if relevant, and set the public reply. Click Create automation.
- 4
Add extra rules if needed
Tag contacts for segmentation, require a tag to narrow who it fires for, or turn on the follower gate / email capture (Essentials and up).
Tips to get the most out of it
- Follower gate relies on an honor system. Instagram has no API to verify a follow, so it asks the person to follow you and tap "Unlocked". Use it for light-touch gating, not strict enforcement.
- Capture email asks for an email address inside the DM conversation before releasing the link, useful for building an email list straight from Instagram engagement.
- Point the "Which post?" picker at your best-performing post so a keyword campaign scopes to exactly the content that’s driving comments.
- Combine Capture email with a Product carousel. The follower gives you their email before seeing the carousel. Their reply also keeps the checkout link working if they take a while to buy, because Instagram’s 24-hour DM window resets with each message they send you.