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Coming soon. Comment-to-DM automations are waiting on Meta’s approval of the comment permission for the Ciarem app. Until then the Instagram page shows a Coming soon badge in place of the automations. This page describes the feature as it will ship.
“Comment INFO and I’ll send you the details” is a common way to get leads from Instagram posts, and it is a supported use of the official Instagram API. Comment-to-DM automations make it work without you watching your posts. When someone comments a keyword on a post, reel, or ad, Ciarem sends them a private message automatically. The conversation opens in your Inbox, and when they reply your AI agent answers like on any other Instagram DM.

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How it works

  1. You publish a post with a clear call to action: “Comment INFO for prices”, “Comment LINK and I’ll DM it to you”.
  2. Someone comments the keyword. Ciarem matches it against your automation rules (case- and accent-insensitive, anywhere in the comment).
  3. The first matching rule sends its direct message to the commenter. Instagram allows one DM per comment. If you chose to, the rule also posts a short public reply under their comment (“Check your DMs 💬”) so everyone else sees you answered.
  4. The DM opens a conversation in the Inbox with the comment and the post shown at the top as context.
  5. When they reply, the conversation is a normal Instagram DM: the AI agent qualifies, answers, and hands off to your team when it should. Nothing else is automated until they write back. A comment does not open the messaging window; their reply does.
The Instagram page with the Comment automations card and its Manage automations button

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Create a rule

1

Open the Instagram channel page

In the sidebar, go to Channels, then Instagram.
2

Open Comment automations

Click Manage automations on the Instagram page, then New automation.
3

Say what triggers the rule

  • Name: for your own reference (“Link drop”, “Guardería · INFO”).
  • Instagram account: which connected account the rule listens on (only asked when you have more than one).
  • Keywords: the words that trigger it. Add as many as you like. Leave the list empty to answer every comment on the chosen posts.
  • Posts: by default the rule watches all of the account’s posts. Turn on Only specific posts to pick from your recent posts and reels, so a rule about a launch only fires on the launch post. The New automation dialog with the post picker open, listing the account's recent posts and reels
4

Write what it sends

  • Direct message: the private message they receive, up to 1,000 characters of plain text. Write it the way you would answer by hand: what they asked for, plus one question that keeps the conversation going.
  • Also reply publicly: an optional comment reply posted under theirs. A completed rule: keyword, one selected post, the direct message, and a public reply
5

Save the rule

It appears in the list switched on.
Rules are listed as cards with their keywords, DM preview, and post scope. The switch on each card turns it on or off without deleting it, and the ⋯ menu edits or deletes it. When several rules could match the same comment, the first one you created wins, so keep specific rules (one post, one keyword) ahead of broad ones. The Comment automations list: three rules with keywords, DM preview, on/off switch, and post scope

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In the Inbox

A conversation opened by an automation starts with the comment itself: a card that reads Commented on your post, showing the post and the comment, with a link to open the post on Instagram. The DM the rule sent comes next. From there it looks like any Instagram thread: their reply, the AI agent’s answer, your team’s takeover if needed. An Instagram conversation opened by a comment automation: the commented post, the keyword comment, the automatic DM, the customer's reply, and the AI agent's answer The person is created as a contact like any other Instagram DM, so your funnel stages, tags, and follow-ups apply from the first message.

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Requirements and Meta’s rules

  • An Instagram professional account (Business or Creator) that is public, connected to Ciarem. Accounts connected before comment permissions existed need to be reconnected once. Ciarem prompts you with Reconnect your Instagram account the first time you save a rule; your conversations are kept.
  • Comments on feed posts, reels, and ads trigger rules. Replies to comments (someone answering another comment) and your own comments do not. Live-video comments are not supported.
  • One private reply per comment, and only within 7 days of the comment. Both limits are enforced by Instagram. If the same person comments twice, they get two DMs.
  • Instagram allows 750 private replies per hour per account. On a post that goes viral, Ciarem paces sends under that limit. Comments beyond it are recorded but not answered, rather than risking the account.
  • The automated DM does not open the 24-hour messaging window; only the customer’s reply does. Until they answer, nothing else is sent, and the AI stays silent.
  • Every automated DM counts as one message toward your plan, like any message your team or agent sends. Instagram carries no Meta messaging fees.
Meta’s rules are about relevance and consent. Replying to someone who engaged with you, with the content they asked for, is what the API is for. Sending the same message to every commenter, or to people who did not ask, is what gets accounts restricted. Keep keywords specific and the DM useful.

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Good habits

  • Ask for one clear keyword and say what they will get: “Comment PRICE and I’ll DM you the full list.”
  • Write the first DM like a person would. It is a fixed message, so deliver what you promised and end with a question the AI agent can pick up.
  • Turn rules off when the campaign ends using the switch on the card, instead of deleting them, so you can reuse them next time.
  • Watch the conversations it opens in the Inbox for a day or two. The AI’s replies to comment-sourced leads are as visible and correctable as any other in the Evaluation center.