Instagram comment automation
Set up Instagram comment automation in Slovio: a comment rule that replies publicly, sends a DM and follows up when someone comments a keyword on your posts.
3 min readUpdated
Instagram comment automation replies to people who comment a chosen word on your posts. Open Instagram → Comment Bot, select New rule, add trigger words, write the public reply, the first DM and the follow-up message, choose which posts it listens on, and select Create rule.
Before you start
- Connect your Instagram professional account with Comments switched on. See Connect Instagram and Facebook.
- To receive the follow-up DMs, Allow access to messages must be on in the Instagram app.
Create a comment rule
- Open Instagram in the sidebar → Comment Bot.
- Under What answers your comments, select New rule (or Create a comment rule if you have none yet).
- Fill in the New comment rule sheet (below).
- Leave the switch at the bottom on Switched on, and select Create rule.
The rule answers new comments from then on. Comments left before you created it are not revisited.
The fields
| Section | Field | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| The rule | Name | A name you can find later, unique on the account. |
| When it fires | Trigger words | Words that start the rule. Stored in lowercase. |
| Matching | Contains the word (anywhere in the comment) or Is exactly the word (the whole comment). | |
| Never trigger on | Words that keep the rule quiet even when a trigger word matches. | |
| Top-level comments only | On by default. Off also answers replies to comments. | |
| Comments only — ignore DMs | On by default. Off means the same words in a DM also start the rule. | |
| What it sends | Public reply, under the comment | Everyone sees it. Leave blank to reply privately only. |
| First DM | The one private reply Instagram allows per comment. | |
| Then send | Required. Sent right after the first DM, usually the link or offer. | |
| Where it listens | Which posts this rule answers | Every post (including posts you publish later) or Specific posts. |
What the commenter sees previews the replies as you type.
A word cannot be on both Trigger words and Never trigger on. With Specific posts, pick at least one post; the form refuses the rule otherwise.
Worked example
Kaveri Organics posts a reel about its cold-pressed groundnut oil and asks viewers to comment "PRICE".
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Groundnut oil price |
| Trigger words | price, rate |
| Matching | Contains the word |
| Never trigger on | wholesale |
| Public reply | Sent you a DM! 📩 |
| First DM | Hi! Here are the prices for our cold-pressed groundnut oil 👇 |
| Then send | 1 L: ₹420, 5 L: ₹1,950. Order here: https://www.kaveriorganics.in/groundnut-oil |
| Which posts this rule answers | Specific posts → the groundnut oil reel |
When a follower comments "What's the price?", the reel shows "Sent you a DM! 📩" under the comment, and the follower receives two DMs: the first message, then the prices and the order link. A comment asking for wholesale price gets no automatic reply.
See what the bot did
Under What the bot did on the Comment Bot page, every comment the bot saw is listed with its outcome. Filter by Everything, Needs a human, No rule matched, Replied, Skipped or Moderated, and by post or rule.
Common questions
Can I reply only by DM, without a public comment?
Yes. Leave Public reply, under the comment blank. Other people then see no sign the bot answered.
What happens if I leave both the public reply and the first DM empty?
The commenter gets Slovio's generic "sending you the details here" line before your follow-up. Write at least the first DM.
Can a comment rule use buttons or AI?
Not from this form. A comment rule is a chatbot flow, so you can open it in the flow builder to add buttons, AI or branching. See Build a chatbot.
Does it answer comments on posts I publish later?
Yes, when Which posts this rule answers is Every post.
Does switching a rule off stop everything?
When saved as Switched off, the rule's flow does not start, but the public reply and first DM still go out. To stop those too, clear both fields and save the rule.
Stuck, or is something here out of date? Tell the team — we reply within a working day.