Instagram connections are awaiting approval
The auto-reply builder is ready, but new Instagram connections cannot be turned on until Meta approves Reroute’s integration. You can still use this guide to prepare the campaign, message, and destination.
Use an Instagram auto-reply to send a private message when a comment matches a configured trigger. The setup has four parts: a post source, comment trigger, private reply, and destination.
Before you build the auto-reply
You need a public professional Instagram account set to Creator or Business. Personal and private accounts cannot connect to this workflow.
Prepare the destination before the automation. If the post promises a guide, make sure the guide is complete. If it promises a signup, submit the Form yourself. A fast DM cannot rescue a confusing destination.
Write down the route in one sentence:
When someone comments GUIDE on this Reel, send a DM that opens the Free lighting guide Block on my Reroute page.
If that sentence feels vague, the automation will feel vague too.
Screenshot to add: Instagram auto-reply overview
Show the source, trigger, reply, and destination steps in the automation builder before any values are entered.
Open: /app/automations
Framing: complete builder navigation
1. Connect Instagram
Open Automations, choose Instagram, and connect the professional account that publishes the posts.
Meta will ask you to sign in and approve the permissions Reroute needs to read matching comments and send replies. Keep those permissions enabled. Removing one later can stop an active automation even when it still looks connected in Instagram.
2. Choose which posts can start it
Choose the smallest source that fits the campaign.
| Source | Best for |
|---|---|
| Specific posts | A campaign attached to one or more existing posts or Reels |
| Any post | An evergreen keyword you intentionally use across your account |
| Your next post | Preparing the route before a campaign is published |
You can select up to 20 specific posts. Avoid Any post when ordinary conversation could contain the same trigger.
Screenshot to add: Instagram account and post selection
Show a connected professional account and the controls for specific posts, any post, and the next post.
Open: /app/automations
Framing: account and source steps
3. Define the comment trigger
Choose whether every comment should match or only comments containing your keywords.
A keyword should be short, memorable, and easy to type. Words such as GUIDE, MENU, or DATES make the action clear in a caption or on-screen prompt. You can add up to 10 keywords. Matching ignores capitalisation and punctuation, so guide, GUIDE, and guide! are treated the same.
Use Any comment only when every genuine comment should receive the same resource. A keyword trigger is usually safer for posts that also invite discussion.
Screenshot to add: Keyword trigger and private reply
Show two example keywords, the private message, and a concrete button label using fictional campaign content.
Open: /app/automations
Framing: trigger and reply steps
4. Write the private reply
The message should name what arrived and make the next step obvious.
Here is the lighting guide I mentioned. Tap below to open it.
Keep the button label concrete, such as Open the guide, See the dates, or Join the list. The post already did the persuading; the DM needs to deliver.
You can also add public replies beneath matching comments. Write a few natural variations so a busy comment section does not look mechanical. The public reply should confirm that the DM is on its way without repeating the whole offer.
Some replies arrive in Message Requests
If the person does not already follow or message you, Instagram may place the DM in Message Requests. Mention “check your requests” in the public reply when that is likely to help.
5. Choose the destination
Send people to the narrowest useful destination:
- your page when several choices genuinely matter;
- a specific Block when the post promises one resource;
- a Subscribe signup when the person asked to join your list; or
- an external URL when the experience belongs somewhere else.
A specific Block often creates the cleanest route because the promised item opens without making the visitor search the page.
6. Review and turn it on
The review screen brings the source, trigger, reply, and destination together. Read it from top to bottom as one visitor journey.
Check that the selected Instagram account is right, the keyword appears in the post’s prompt, and the link opens the exact destination named in the message. Then turn on the auto-reply.
Screenshot to add: Auto-reply review screen
Show the selected account, source, keywords, message, and destination together immediately before activation.
Open: /app/automations
Framing: review summary and activation control
Test it from a different account
Instagram does not treat every action from the connected account like a visitor action. Use a second account for the final test.
- Leave a comment that contains the keyword.
- Check that the public reply appears when one is configured.
- Open the DM, including Message Requests.
- Select the button and confirm the destination works on a phone.
- Open the automation’s Activity view and find the match, send, and click.
This catches permission problems and broken destinations before the campaign brings in real attention.
Understand the monthly allowance
An automation start counts when the private reply is successfully sent. Free includes 250 successful starts each month. Creator includes 10,000.
The Activity view helps you separate three questions: did the comment match, was the reply sent, and did the person open the link? That is more useful than treating every missed click as the same problem.
Screenshot to add: Automation Activity results
Show one successful run and one failed or unmatched run so the status fields used for troubleshooting are visible.
Open: /app/automations
Framing: Activity list and run details
If something looks wrong
The Instagram account cannot connect. Confirm that it is public and set to Creator or Business. New connections also depend on Meta approving Reroute’s integration.
A comment did not match. Check the selected post, whether the automation is on, and whether the comment contains one of the configured keywords.
The match appears but no DM arrived. Check the Activity result and Instagram permissions, then look in Message Requests from the test account.
The DM arrived but the link is wrong. Open the destination step and select the intended page, Block, signup, or external URL again.
Check the auto-reply
- The post states what to comment and what the person will receive.
- The trigger is unlikely to match ordinary conversation by accident.
- The private reply names the promised resource and has one clear button.
- The destination works on a phone.
- A test from another account appears correctly in Activity.
For help shaping the post and message before you build the route, read How to send an automatic Instagram DM when someone comments. To deliver the promised file through Reroute, continue with Sell a Digital Product.
Once a campaign can run, Explore traffic and visitor journeys explains how to inspect the visits and outcomes it creates.