# Instagram DM automation: auto DM everyone who comments your keyword

> You create a rule with your keywords (up to 20) and write the public reply and the DM. When someone comments one of them, HeyMark replies on the post and sends the direct message. It's included on every plan and spends no credits.

By HeyMark · Reviewed by Crescente Martinez, CMO and co-founder of HeyMark · Updated September 25, 2026

"Comment MENU and I'll DM it to you." If you've ever written that under a reel, you know what comes next: two hundred identical comments and an afternoon pasting the same link. Instagram DM automation takes that off your plate. Everyone who comments the keyword gets a reply on the post and a direct message with what you promised, while you do something else. You'll also see it called comment-to-DM, or auto DM for Instagram comments.

## How Instagram DM automation works for comments

A rule has three parts: the keywords that trigger it, the public reply and the DM. In HeyMark:

- Each rule takes up to 20 keywords.
- It runs on one post or across the whole brand. Per post works for a campaign; brand-wide works for the question you always get.
- The public reply and the DM work on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. On LinkedIn and YouTube, the rule posts the public reply.
- There are DM rules too: when someone sends you the keyword in a direct message, they get an automatic reply. These work on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
- All of it comes with every plan and spends no AI credits.

These two rules cover the repeats, and AI covers the rest, as you'll see below. Here's what HeyMark's automations generated in the first 58 days of its inbox:

- **8,599** leads generated by comment and message automations in those same 58 days (Case study published by Zernio, HeyMark's integrations provider, https://zernio.com/customers/heymark).

## How to auto DM Instagram comments, step by step

### Connect your Instagram account
One account per network on each brand. HeyMark pulls in your posts, so the rule can go on one that's already live.

### Choose where the rule runs
On one post, like the new dish reel or the launch post, or across the whole brand.

### Write the keywords
Think about how people actually type it and add the variants: singular and plural, with and without "the", common misspellings. You get up to 20.

### Write the public reply and the DM
The public reply confirms the message is on its way. The DM delivers what you promised: the link, the code or the date.

### Turn it on and test it
Comment the keyword from another account and check that both replies arrive.

You can also ask Mark, which builds your message automations, or Claude or ChatGPT through the [Instagram MCP](https://heymark.ai/en/mcp/instagram/). From your assistant, any automation change shows you a preview before it goes live.

## Three examples by industry

| Business | Keywords | Public reply | DM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant, on the new dish reel | menu, the menu, menus | "Sending it to your DMs." | "Here's this season's menu (link). Weekend reservations open on Wednesdays." |
| Online clothing store, on the launch post | code, discount, promo | "Check your messages, your code is there." | "Your code is WELCOME15 and works on the new collection through Sunday (link to the store)." |
| Course or webinar, on the syllabus carousel | seat, signup, sign up | "We've sent you the link by DM." | "The live class is Thursday at 7 p.m. Sign up here (link). If you can't make it, you'll get the recording." |

In all three, the DM carries a single next step: a link, a code or a date.

## Comments that were already on the post

Sometimes the rule comes late: the reel went up yesterday and 40 people have already commented "menu". HeyMark can process those earlier comments, not just new ones. It first shows you which ones the rule covers, you approve, and then you see the progress and the result. Without your approval, it doesn't answer any of them.

## Keyword rules or AI replies

Keyword rules send fixed text. They're predictable, spend no credits, and they're the best fit for a specific promise: a link, a code, a date.

AI DM automation is a different thing. It reads what someone wrote and replies with new words in your brand's voice, with no pre-built reply tree. It covers what you can't predict, like "do you have vegan options?" or "do you ship to other cities?". It's set per brand, and each reply uses 1 credit. More in [AI comment replies](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/ai-comment-replies/).

What we recommend: rules for the promises in your posts, AI for everything else, and the [unified social inbox](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/unified-social-inbox/) for anything that needs a person.

## HeyMark, ManyChat or Metricool Flows

All three reply by keyword to people who comment on Instagram. What changes is the price, the networks and what comes with it.

| Fact | HeyMark | ManyChat | Metricool |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comment-to-DM automation | Included on every plan, no credits spent: keyword public reply and DM on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok; public reply also on LinkedIn and YouTube | Yes, it's its specialty: keyword flows | Flows (since September 2026): keyword replies with up to 3 fixed texts, on Instagram and TikTok. Free for a limited time, then a paid add-on |
| AI on comments and DMs | Replies to comments and DMs with AI in your brand's voice, with approval and handoff to a person. On every plan | AI-powered conversations on the Pro plan | No documented AI replies in the inbox. Its assistant drafts copy with 5 to 35 credits per brand a month |
| Starting price | $12 USD a month (Creator: 1 brand, 1 person). Company: $30 USD with 3 brands and 5 people | Free up to 25 active contacts a month. Essential from $14 USD a month billed yearly (250 contacts) and Pro with AI from $29 (2,500 contacts); then you pay per contact | Free plan. Starter from $20 USD a month billed yearly ($25 monthly) for 5 brands |

Checked on each tool's public pages on September 25, 2026. Sources: ManyChat: https://manychat.com/pricing; Metricool: https://metricool.com/press-release-metricool-flows/, https://help.metricool.com/inbox-manager-how-to-manage-messages-and-comments-from-metricool-s9zze, https://metricool.com/pricing/.

- **ManyChat** specializes in this and charges by active contacts: the free plan covers 25 a month, and after that you pay based on how many you have. It wins if you need WhatsApp or complex chatbot flows. It doesn't schedule posts.
- **Metricool Flows** launched on September 1, 2026. It uses up to 3 fixed texts that rotate at random, with no AI, on Instagram and TikTok, with one automation per post and, on Instagram, a linked Facebook page. It's free for a limited time and will then become a paid add-on. It's a fit if you already use Metricool for its analytics or its other networks and fixed text is enough.
- **HeyMark** includes it on every plan and puts it next to scheduling, the inbox and AI replies in the same tool.

If you're coming from ManyChat, we compare them in depth in [ManyChat alternatives](https://heymark.ai/en/compare/manychat-alternatives/).

**Each platform sets its own rules.**
Instagram, Facebook and TikTok decide when and how one account can message another, and those rules change. HeyMark sends DMs within what each platform allows.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I send an automatic DM when someone comments on Instagram?

With a comment-to-DM rule: pick the post or the whole brand, write the keywords and both texts, and turn it on. From then on, every comment with that keyword gets a public reply and a direct message.

### Does it work on reels?

Yes. The rule goes on whichever post you choose, reels included, or stays on across the whole brand.

### Does it use AI credits?

No. Keyword rules come with every plan and spend no credits. Only AI-written replies use credits, at 1 per reply or DM.

### Can I DM people who commented before I created the rule?

Yes, if you approve it. HeyMark shows you the earlier comments that match the rule and processes them only after your approval.

### Is ManyChat free?

Up to 25 active contacts a month, with 4 active automations and ManyChat branding. Beyond that it charges by contacts, from $14 USD a month billed yearly for 250 (as of September 2026).

### Does Instagram allow automatic DMs?

Yes, through connected tools and within the platform's messaging rules, which change over time. HeyMark works within those rules.

## See it on your own accounts.

Connect Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube and use HeyMark free for 14 days. Mark answers in your voice, and you approve what goes out.

[Start free](https://app.heymark.ai) · [See pricing](https://heymark.ai/en/#pricing)

## Keep reading

- [Instagram comment auto reply, written by AI in your brand's voice](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/ai-comment-replies/): Set up Instagram comment auto replies with AI that writes in your brand's voice, with approval and handoff to a person. When to use keywords, AI or neither.
- [ManyChat alternatives for Instagram in 2026](https://heymark.ai/en/compare/manychat-alternatives/): ManyChat alternatives for replying to comments and sending DMs on Instagram: ManyChat's per-contact pricing, Metricool Flows and HeyMark, as of September 2026.
- [Instagram MCP server: run your account from Claude or ChatGPT](https://heymark.ai/en/mcp/instagram/): An Instagram MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT: schedule Reels and carousels, reply to comments and DMs after you approve, and build comment-to-DM automations.
- [Unified social media inbox: every comment and DM, answered in your voice](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/unified-social-inbox/): A unified social media inbox for the comments and DMs on your accounts, with AI replies in your voice, handoff to people and access from Claude or ChatGPT.

## Developer and agent resources

- [HeyMark MCP documentation](https://heymark.ai/en/mcp/)
- [llms.txt](https://heymark.ai/llms.txt)
- [Full site content for language models](https://heymark.ai/llms-full.txt)
- MCP protocol endpoint: `POST https://mcp.heymark.ai`
- OAuth protected-resource metadata: [/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource](https://mcp.heymark.ai/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource)
- MCP server card: [/server-card](https://mcp.heymark.ai/server-card)