Build an auto-reply

An auto-reply is one rule: when someone does something on Instagram, send them a message with a button. Press New auto-reply on the Auto-replies tab, or start from a template: Free guide, Book a call, Join the community, Event signup, Shop a product or Discount.

When someone

• Comments on a post: pick a post or reel, or Your next post.

• Comments on any post.

• DMs a keyword.

• Replies to a story.

• Mentions you in a story: answers every mention, at most once a week per person. Instagram only sends mentions from public accounts, or private ones you follow.

• Comments on your live video.

• Opens your link or QR code: Growth only.

Inbox replies (a welcome message, a default reply, ice breakers and a menu) are set up separately. See Auto-DM inbox settings.

Keywords

Add up to 10 keywords, 40 characters each. Matching ignores capitals, accents, punctuation and emoji, and works on whole words, so guide does not fire on misguided. A plural on the last word still matches, and a keyword of 5 or more letters forgives one typo as long as the first letter is right. Use Skip it when they also write for words that should stop it from firing. On comment triggers you can switch on Reply to any comment instead of using keywords. STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE and START are reserved and cannot be keywords.

Also match what people mean (Growth)

On Comments on a post and DMs a keyword, AI can catch people who ask for the thing without using your keyword. Write one sentence about what you are listening for (up to 200 characters) and up to 5 example phrases. It only runs when no keyword matched, and each check uses one AI credit, even when it finds nothing. The switch shows on every plan but can only be turned on with Growth.

The message and its steps

The first step is always a message with one button (button text up to 20 characters). A message holds up to 640 characters. On Free, the opening message ends with "Sent with Drry". Drry adds no other note, and anyone who replies STOP is still opted out. After the first message you can add:

• Send link and Follow check ("Only carry on if they follow me"): every plan.

• Ask for email (saved to your contacts and lists) and Tag: Creator and Growth. The email step's Consent line is optional: leave it blank and the question goes out on its own. If your community is in the EU, the EEA, the UK or Canada, no line is sent and replies are saved as Not opted in.

• Message, Question with quick replies (2 or 3 replies, each with its own short branch), Ask a question (saves the answer so a later message can say it back), Send an image (JPG, PNG or GIF), Wait (from 1 minute up to 12 hours) and Condition (has or lacks a tag, member or not): Growth.

Each path holds up to 8 steps and ends by sending the link. In the Send them to step, Message with the link is the text sent above the Open button, up to 640 characters. Use {first name} for their name, and saved answers can be said back. Leave it blank to send "Here's your link:".

Where the button goes

Any page in your community: a page, course, event, the community itself, a product page, your store, a booking page, a form, a guide, your blog, a challenge, an offer, a payment link or your join page. Growth and Creator can also send an outside link; Free cannot.

Extras

• Reply under their comment: a public reply under the comment, rotating through up to 10 versions you write. Post and any-post triggers only. On Growth, Write each reply with AI writes the public reply in your style once you have written at least 3; it never writes the DM.

• Follow up: "Remind them once if they don't open it", after 30 minutes, 1, 4 or 12 hours. Creator and Growth.

• Message versions: up to 4 wordings of the opening message, so you can see which works best. Growth.

• If they're already a member: "Send members a direct link instead". A member here means someone who joined from a link one of your DMs sent. Growth.

Go live

Everything you wrote is checked for safety when you turn an auto-reply live. Use the Live switch on the auto-reply's page to pause it any time. Each person gets one message per auto-reply: if they comment again, Activity shows it as already sent.

On Growth, Rewind answers people who commented on the post in the 7 days before the auto-reply went live. You confirm the number first, with Answer them.