How do you auto-reply to Instagram comments with a DM link?
Ask people to comment one keyword, then send each one a private reply with your link. Meta allows one private reply per comment, sent within 7 days, landing in message requests if they don't follow you. Send them by hand, or use a tool that watches for the keyword.
The rules every tool has to follow
A DM sent in answer to a comment is called a private reply. Meta's developer documentation sets the same limits for every app that sends them, so these apply whichever tool you use:
- It has to go out within 7 days of the comment. On an Instagram Live, only while the broadcast is on.
- One message per comment. You can send more only if the person answers, and then within 24 hours of their answer.
- It lands in their inbox if they follow you, and in their message requests if they don't.
- Your account has to be an Instagram professional account.
How to do it by hand, for free
Pick one keyword
A short, unusual word like GUIDE or PRICE. Short is easy to type; unusual means it doesn't turn up in other comments by accident.
Write the DM once
The message, your link and one line on what to do next. Keep it in your phone's notes so each reply is a paste.
Ask in the post itself
Put the keyword in the first line of the caption and on screen: "Comment GUIDE and I'll send you the link." Add "check your requests" for people who don't follow you.
Reply every day
Go through new comments at least once a day. Send the DM, then answer the comment ("Sent!") so others can see it works.
Don't leave it a week
Apps can't send a private reply after 7 days, and a link that arrives late reads as ignored. Clear the list well before then.
What Meta's own tools do, and where they stop
Instagram lets you set frequently asked questions and automated responses for your chats, and Meta Business Suite has an Automations area for its inbox. Both answer people who message you.
Before you rely on them for comments, check three things in your own Business Suite inbox: whether an automation can start from a comment or only from a message, which posts it covers, and whether the reply can carry your link. Any automated private reply still works within the rules above.
Can you auto-respond to Instagram DMs from comments without a paid tool?
Partly. Meta's own automated responses come with Instagram and Meta Business Suite, and they handle people who message you first. For keyword comments, the free route is the manual one above. A tool that sends private replies for you works within the same Meta rules, whatever it costs.
Does Buffer's inbox handle direct messages?
As of 23 October 2026, Buffer's pricing page lists a community inbox for replying to comments on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn posts, with AI reply suggestions and saved replies. It doesn't mention direct messages. If you schedule with Buffer, the workaround is to answer DMs in Instagram or Meta Business Suite and handle keyword comments with the steps above.
How to automate pricing replies on Facebook Messenger
List the repeat questions
Look through a month of messages. Most businesses find the same few: how much, when are you open, how do I book.
Write one answer each
Give the price or the answer straight away, then a link for the detail. Short answers get read.
Link to one place for prices
Point to the price list on your website instead of typing prices into every answer, so an old automated reply never quotes last year's price.
Set them up as automated responses
Add them in Meta Business Suite's inbox automations, then send yourself a test message from another account.
The easier way
- On Pro ($397 a month), "Comment LINK" funnels send your message and link by DM to anyone who comments your keyword on Instagram or Facebook.
- Each person is listed as a lead on the Results page, which you can export. Taps on the link are counted there too, unless you switch link tracking off.
- On Growth and Pro, everyday comments get replies in your voice on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Threads. DM replies on Instagram and Facebook Messenger come with Pro.
- Complaints, refunds and anything sensitive are flagged to you instead of answered.
Questions people ask
Is it allowed to DM people who comment on my post?
Yes. Meta's platform has private replies for exactly this: one message per comment, sent within 7 days of it.
Why didn't my DM arrive?
If the person doesn't follow you, it goes to their message requests, not their inbox. Ask people in the caption to check there, or to follow first.
Can I send a second message?
Only after they answer. Meta's rules for apps then allow replies within 24 hours of their answer.
Sources
Read on . Prices and limits change, so check the page before you rely on a number.