Comment keyword ideas for Instagram auto DMs
The keyword is the smallest part of a comment-to-DM automation and the one people notice first. A good one is easy to type, hard to type by accident and tells people what they’ll get.
What makes a good comment keyword
A good keyword is one word, easy to spell on a phone, and connected to what the person will receive. GUIDE for a guide. RECIPE for a recipe. BOOK for an appointment.
It should also be uncommon in normal comments. If your keyword is YES, every “yes this is so true” comment gets a DM it didn’t ask for. Specific words avoid that.
Askenly matches whole words and ignores capitals, so “send me the GUIDE please” still counts. Plurals and common misspellings are different words, so add GUIDES or GIUDE as extra keywords on the same automation.
Keyword ideas by goal
| Goal | Keyword ideas | Caption line |
|---|---|---|
| Free guide or checklist | GUIDE, CHECKLIST, PDF | Comment GUIDE and I’ll DM you the checklist. |
| Product link | LINK, SHOP, WANT | Comment LINK for the exact one I’m wearing. |
| Discount code | CODE, SAVE | Comment CODE for 10% off this week. |
| Booking | BOOK, SLOT, CALL | Comment BOOK and I’ll send my open times. |
| Recipe or tutorial | RECIPE, STEPS | Comment RECIPE for the full method. |
| Event or class | CLASS, SEAT | Comment SEAT to save your spot. |
| Price question | PRICE, MENU | Comment PRICE for our full menu. |
The discount figure in the example caption is a placeholder for your own offer.
Caption tips that get more comments
- Put the keyword in capitals so it stands out.
- Say what they’ll get: the guide, the link, the times.
- Mention it in the video or the first line of the caption, not only at the end.
- Pin a comment that repeats the instruction.
- Use the same keyword on Stories to catch people who watch but don’t comment.
One keyword or many?
One keyword per offer keeps things clear. If you run several offers at once, give each its own keyword and its own automation, so each DM sends the right thing.
For evergreen offers, such as your booking link or your newsletter, set the automation to any post. Then the keyword works on every post you publish, including old ones that still get comments.
Keyword questions
Do keywords need to be in capitals?
No. Askenly matches the keyword whatever the capitals. Capitals in your caption just make it easier to spot.
Can I use emojis as keywords?
Use words. They’re easier to type and to match reliably.
Can one post have several keywords?
Yes. Add several keywords to one automation, or use separate automations for different offers.
Keywords to avoid
- Everyday words like YES, LOVE, WOW or NEED, which appear in ordinary comments.
- Words longer than about eight letters, which people mistype on phones.
- Emojis, which are stripped out before matching.
- Keywords already used by another automation on the same post.
How Askenly matches keywords
Askenly looks for your keyword as a whole word anywhere in the comment, ignoring capitals and punctuation. “GUIDE!”, “guide please” and “can I get the guide?” all match GUIDE. “Guidebook” does not, because it’s a different word.
That makes short, distinct words the safest choice. It also means you don’t need to list every sentence people might write, only the different words they might use, such as GUIDE and GUIDES.
Comments from your own account never trigger an automation, so you can reply publicly under the post without sending yourself a DM.
Keywords on Stories and in DMs
The same keyword can work beyond comments. On a Story, ask people to reply with the word. In your bio or highlights, tell people to DM you the word. One automation can cover comments, Story replies and DMs, so the offer works wherever someone finds it.
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