Check before asking
Followers should never be asked to follow. Askenly checks Instagram’s follow status first.
How to grow Instagram followers with DM automation
Follow to unlock asks people to follow before a freebie arrives. Done well, it turns a popular post into new followers. Done badly, it nags the people who already follow you. Here is how to do it well.
How follow to unlock works
Someone comments your keyword. Before sending the link, the automation checks whether they follow you. If they do, the link goes out straight away. If not, they get a message asking them to follow, with a button to open your profile and a button to say they’ve followed.
When they tap the second button, the automation checks again. If the follow is confirmed, the link arrives. If not, they’re asked once more, and then the chat is handed to you.
Doing it fairly
Deliver when the check fails
If Instagram can’t answer the follow check, Askenly sends the link anyway. A post should deliver what it promised.
Ask at most twice
Repeated asking feels like a trap. After two asks, a person takes over.
Make the freebie worth it
People follow when the thing behind the follow is genuinely useful.
Pair it with content worth following
Follow to unlock brings people to your profile. Whether they stay depends on what they find there. Posts that deliver the same kind of value as the freebie give new followers a reason to stay.
It also helps to ask for an email alongside the follow on your biggest offers, so you can reach the people who came for the freebie even if they later unfollow.
Growth questions
Is follow to unlock allowed on Instagram?
Asking people to follow is allowed. Askenly checks follow status through Meta’s official API and never withholds the content if the check fails.
Do people who already follow me see the ask?
No. A confirmed follower gets the link straight away.
Which plan includes follow to unlock?
Every plan, Free included.
Why the follow check matters
Instagram can tell a connected tool whether someone follows your account. Using that answer before asking is what separates a fair follow gate from an annoying one. Your existing audience gets the freebie straight away, which keeps them happy to comment on the next post too.
When Instagram can’t answer, Askenly treats the person as if they passed. Withholding a promised freebie because of a technical problem would cost you more goodwill than the follow is worth.
Run a follower growth post
Choose a freebie worth a follow
Something people would happily follow for: a template, a guide, a preset pack.
Create a Grow audience automation
It adds the follow check before the content.
Write a friendly follow ask
Say what they get once they follow, in one line.
Post with a clear keyword
Mention it in the video, caption and a pinned comment.
Check the automation’s results
Follow confirmations count as qualified leads on its detail page.
What to avoid
Don’t ask existing followers to follow. It tells them the tool doesn’t know who they are. Askenly’s follow check prevents this.
Don’t withhold the freebie forever. If the follow can’t be confirmed after two asks, a person should step in rather than leaving someone stuck. Askenly hands the chat to you at that point.
Don’t run follow to unlock on every post. Save it for your best offers, and let everyday posts deliver straight away.
More growth questions
Can I collect an email and ask for a follow on the same post?
Yes. Use the Get more sales goal with follow to unlock switched on.
What does the follow ask look like?
A short message with a Follow button that opens your profile and an I’m following button that checks again.
Start free today
Connect Instagram and publish your first automation in a few minutes. No card needed.