Managing Instagram comments manually can take time, especially when your posts receive many responses. With Wati’s automation rules, you can automatically respond to comments and send a direct message (DM) to users who comment on your posts.

This guide explains how to create an automation rule that detects a specific keyword in Instagram comments and automatically sends a reply and a DM to the commenter.

Follow these steps to set up an automation that responds to Instagram comments.

This trigger ensures the automation runs whenever a new comment is posted on your Instagram content.

After selecting the trigger, you will be taken to the rule builder.

For example, you may choose a post related to a product or campaign.

Next, define the condition that determines when the automation should run.

For example:

You can also:

Once the condition is defined, choose what action Wati should perform.

For example, you might select a template such as Astra Reply, which contains a message with a link or more information about the product.

If a template does not already exist, you can also create one directly from this section.

You can configure the rule to perform two actions at the same time:

For example, the comment reply might say:

“Thanks! Please check your DM.”

This lets the user know that additional information has been sent privately.

Once everything is configured:

Your automation will now run whenever a new comment matches the defined keyword.

After enabling the rule, you can test it to confirm that it works correctly.

When the comment is received:

You can verify both actions in the comment thread and the DM conversation inside the inbox.

Using Instagram comment automation helps you respond instantly to interested users, guide them to the right information, and engage with your audience more efficiently.

To create an automation rule, log into your Wati account and go to Automation. Click Rules, then select Create New Rule. Under Instagram Triggers, choose New Instagram Comment is Received. This trigger ensures the automation rule runs whenever a new comment is posted on your Instagram content.

Yes. When configuring the rule in the rule builder, you can select the Instagram post that should trigger the automation. You can choose all Instagram posts connected to your account or select a specific post where the automation should run.

To trigger the automation based on a keyword, select Keyword Match as the condition while creating the rule. Then enter the keyword that should activate the automation. When a user comments with that keyword on the selected Instagram post, the automation rule will run.

Yes. The Keyword Match condition allows you to add multiple keywords. The automation rule will run when a comment contains any of the defined keywords.

The automation rule can perform two actions. It can send a direct message (DM) to the user who posted the comment and post a public reply to the comment on the Instagram post.

When configuring the rule, select Send Message as the action. Then choose a message template from the Reply Material Library. When a user comments with the configured keyword, Wati will automatically send the selected message as a direct message.

The Reply Material Library stores message templates that can be used when sending automated responses. When setting up the automation rule, you can select an existing template or create a new template directly from that section.

After configuring the rule, enter a name for the automation, click Save Changes, and turn the rule ON. Once the rule is activated, the automation will run whenever a new comment matches the configured keyword.

To test the automation, go to the Team Inbox and add a comment containing the configured keyword on the selected Instagram post. When the comment is received, Wati will automatically reply to the comment and send a direct message to the user.