When someone comments on your post asking for a link or a price, you can answer them in their inbox instead of in the thread. Instagram calls this a private reply. Here’s what it is, the rules that come with it, and how to use it well.
What a private reply is
A private reply is a direct message you send in answer to a comment. It’s tied to that comment, and it lands in the commenter’s inbox rather than under your post. Nobody else sees it.
If the person doesn’t follow you, it may arrive in their message requests instead of their main inbox. That’s one good reason to leave a short public reply as well, so they know to look.
A private reply isn’t a cold DM. You can only send one in answer to a comment, so it only ever reaches someone who spoke to you first.
The rules Instagram sets
Meta puts a few limits on private replies. They apply to every tool that uses the official Instagram API, Autodm.chat included. If a reply doesn’t go out, check these first.
Within 7 days of the comment
You can send a private reply up to 7 days after the comment was posted. After that, the comment can’t get one.
One private reply per comment
Each comment can get one private reply, and only one. You can’t send a second message to the same comment.
Follow-ups only after they answer
After your private reply, you can’t message the person again until they write back. When they do, you have 24 hours from their reply to continue the conversation.
Live comments only during the broadcast
Comments on an Instagram Live can get a private reply only while the broadcast is running.
Public replies on top-level comments
A public reply sits under the comment, where everyone can see it. You can post one on a top-level comment, not on a reply inside a thread.
Good practice
The rules say what’s allowed. These habits make a reply worth getting.
- Answer only people who ask. Reply to comments with a clear keyword, like link, price or guide, not to every comment on the post.
- Say what’s in the DM. A public reply such as “Sent you the link!” tells people where to look, especially if your message lands in their requests.
- Keep it short. A greeting, one line, and the thing they asked for.
- Match the post. Give each offer its own keywords and reply, so people get the thing that post was about.
- Include the link. Put it in the first message. You can’t send another until they reply.
How Autodm.chat does this for you
Autodm.chat watches your posts for the keywords you choose. When a comment matches, it sends your private reply, with their name filled in wherever you write {username}. If you’ve switched on a public reply, it posts that under the comment too.
It works within the rules above. It sends one private reply per comment, never answers the same comment twice, and ignores your own comments.
You can run several automations, each with its own keywords and replies. Choose which posts each one watches: any post, the posts you pick, or your next post. If two automations match the same comment, the higher one in your list replies. One Pause switch stops everything at once.
Every reply is logged, so you can see who asked and what they got, and export the history as CSV. Daily stats, in your timezone, show how many replies went out.
To connect, you need an Instagram Business or Creator account linked to a Facebook Page, because Autodm.chat uses Meta’s official Instagram API. Set it up once and it replies for you.