Instagram. Turn comments into conversations.
Send a DM to everyone who comments a keyword on your posts and reels, optionally after they follow you, with follow-ups and results per rule. Link an agent and it also answers DMs around the clock.
On this page
Connect your account
Your Instagram account must be a Business or Creator profile. One Instagram account can be connected to one SimplyBoost account.
- 1Open Instagram in the sidebar (or Channels → Instagram DM automation) and choose Connect Instagram.
- 2Sign in to Instagram and allow SimplyBoost to manage messages, see comments and see your profile and posts.
- 3Choose Standalone (rules only) or link one of your agents so it answers DMs that no rule covers. Then Save and continue.
The workspace has six tabs: Posts, Rules, Inbox, Contacts, Performance and Agent.
Create a comment-to-DM rule
- 1Open Rules and choose New rule, or start from a template (send a link, share a discount code, answer a price question, send a free guide, book an appointment, giveaway entry).
- 2When someone comments: choose A keyword and type your keywords, or Anything for every comment.
- 3Send them this DM: write the message (use
{username}for their name) and optionally a button with a link. - 4Where it applies: Any post (including future ones) or Chosen posts (up to 200).
- 5Optionally Also reply publicly to the comment (on by default) and add Follow-ups.
- 6Choose Save rule. It runs straight away.
| Behaviour | Detail |
|---|---|
| Keyword matching | Whole words, any letter case: "info" does not match "infographic". Keywords with punctuation or emoji, such as "link!", "#promo" or "🔥", work. |
| One DM per person | Per rule, per post, per 24 hours. A second comment from the same person gets no second DM or public reply. |
| One rule per comment | When several rules match, only one answers. |
| Follow-ups | Up to 6 messages, sent only if the person has not replied, within 23 hours in total. Any DM from them stops the sequence. |
| Stories | Rules run on posts and reels, not on stories. |
Ask non-followers to follow first
Switch on Ask non-followers to follow first at the top of the workspace (per Instagram account). A person who is not following you gets your follow-first message with Follow and I'm following buttons, and their DM is held. It is sent as soon as they follow, checked when they tap I'm following, send a DM or comment again. Held DMs expire after 7 days. If Instagram cannot confirm whether they follow, the DM is sent.
Inbox, contacts and results
- Inbox: every DM thread, marked From a comment or Needs you. Reply directly (up to 1,000 characters).
- Contacts: everyone who commented or messaged, as Subscribed or Converted.
- Performance: comments and DMs handled, leads captured, your top rule, and how many followed to get the DM. Per rule: matches, DMs sent, replies, leads and when it last fired. Per post: comments, DMs sent and DM rate.
The AI agent in DMs
On the Agent tab, link an agent and keep Answer DMs with AI around the clock on. The agent answers DMs that no rule covers, from its knowledge, in plain text, within Instagram's 24-hour window. Your team can take over from Conversations. If a thread receives a burst of messages, AI replies pause to avoid loops with other bots.
STOP, disconnect and delete
- STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE or OPT OUT stops all automated messages to that person (rule DMs, public replies, follow-ups); START subscribes them again.
- Disconnect pauses your rules and lead capture until you reconnect.
- Permanently delete all Instagram data (owners only, after typing
delete everything) erases your account's Instagram conversations, leads, comment history and rules.