Automations
Automations run on their own when a trigger fires, such as a comment keyword, a Story reply or an incoming message, and then take the steps you choose.
Triggers
| Trigger | When it runs | Goals that use it |
|---|---|---|
| Comment to DM | Someone comments your keyword on a post or Reel you chose, or on any post | Deliver something, Book an appointment, Get more sales, Answer questions |
| Story reply | Someone replies to your Story with the keyword | Deliver something, Book an appointment, Grow your audience, Get more sales |
| DM keyword | Someone sends you a DM that contains the keyword | Get more sales, Answer questions |
What an automation can do next
Opening DM with a button
The first message has a button, such as Send me the guide. The next step goes out when the person taps it or replies.
Follow to unlock
Ask people to follow before they get the content. Askenly checks with Instagram, people who already follow never see the ask, and if Instagram can’t say, the content is sent anyway.
Send links
Your links go out as buttons with your own labels.
Collect an email
Get more sales asks for an email in the chat, confirms it, and starts a short email sequence that stops when someone clicks.
Offer appointment times
Book an appointment offers your next three open times. The person replies 1, 2 or 3 to book.
Follow up
Up to two follow-up DMs, sent only inside Instagram’s 24-hour messaging window.
Hand off to a person
When someone asks for a person, the chat moves to Assigned in your Inbox and automations pause for them for 24 hours.
How keyword matching works
Matching ignores capitals and the words around the keyword, so GUIDE, guide and “can I get the guide please” all match. Add plurals and common misspellings as extra keywords. Comments from your own account never start an automation.
Switch on, test and review
Every automation can be switched on and off from Automations. Open one to see its workflow, the posts it runs on and its results for the last 30 days: DMs delivered and failed, qualified leads and appointments. Test automation shows a dry-run preview of the DM, and nothing is sent.
Automations created by an AI assistant through MCP start paused, unless you give the assistant full access.