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Tips & Strategies6 min read

How to send a link when someone comments on Instagram: comment-to-DM, step by step

Send a DM with your link when someone comments a keyword on Instagram: set-up, follow gate, public replies, Meta's rules and tips. $25/month billed annually.

WithMe Team·11 November 2026

To send a link when someone comments on Instagram, use a comment-to-DM automation: you choose a keyword, such as GUIDE, and everyone who comments it on your post or reel gets a DM with your link. On WithMe this is Auto DMs. Connect your Instagram professional account, create an automation with up to 5 keywords, link an offer, write the DM and go live. You can also reply publicly under the comment and only send the link to people who follow you.

WithMe is $25 per month billed annually (UK £25), with a 14-day trial and 0% WithMe commission. Stripe and PayPal fees still apply. More than 8,000 creators use it.

What do you need before you start?

A professional Instagram account, Business or Creator. Personal accounts cannot use comment-to-DM tools.
Something to link to: a product, a free download or a booking page on your WithMe hub, or any other link.
Only one tool answering each keyword. If you also use ManyChat or another DM tool, turn it off for the same keywords, or people get two messages.

How do you set it up on WithMe, step by step?

Open Auto DMs and connect Instagram on the Overview tab. You are sent to Instagram to approve the connection.
On the Automations tab, click New automation.
Type up to 5 keywords, separated by commas, each 2 to 30 characters. Choose Exact word, so GUIDE matches the word on its own, or Contains, so it also matches inside longer words.
Choose the trigger: comments on your posts, DMs and story replies, or both. Then choose which posts: all posts, posts you pick, or your next post.
Under Link to a WithMe offer, pick the product, free download or booking page. You can also paste any link into the message, and links to other sites become short tracked links automatically.
Write the DM, up to 900 characters. Use {handle} to greet people by their Instagram name. Set the Button text, up to 20 characters, such as Get the guide. If you leave it blank it says Open link.
Optional: turn on Only send it to people who follow you, Reply publicly under their comment, and follow-up messages.
Click Save and go live, or Arm next post for a next-post automation, then publish a post with the keyword in the caption.

What do the follow gate, public reply and follow-ups do?

Follow gate: a commenter first gets a short message with a button. When they tap it, WithMe checks whether they follow you and sends the link, or a message asking them to follow first. It is on Instagram only.
Public reply: WithMe replies under the comment with one of up to 3 rotating lines, each up to 150 characters, such as Check your DMs! Other viewers see that the keyword works. It is on by default for comment automations on Instagram.
Follow-ups and reply buttons: add up to 4 follow-up messages, sent one at a time when the person replies, and up to 3 reply buttons per message. Use them to ask one question first, such as Beginner or experienced?, and send the link that fits.
Next post: the automation waits for the next post you publish and answers comments on that post only. It is useful when you schedule a reel and want the keyword ready when it goes live.

What are Instagram's rules for comment-to-DM?

Meta allows one private reply to each comment, and it must be sent within 7 days of the comment. WithMe answers within that window and skips comments that are older.

After that first message, you can only send more when the person replies, and then within 24 hours of their reply. That is why the follow gate uses a button tap and why follow-ups are only sent when someone replies.

Instagram does not deliver every DM, for example to some private accounts, so some commenters will not get the message. Use a public reply so people know to check their DMs, and put the link in your bio as a back-up.

Auto DMs on Facebook Pages are not open to every account yet, so plan around Instagram.

What makes comment-to-DM work better?

Pick a keyword that is short, easy to spell and tied to the offer, such as PLAN, GUIDE or YOGA. Avoid words people use anyway, or everyone who says hello gets your link.
Say it at the start and the end of the reel, and in the first line of the caption: Comment PLAN and I will send you the 7-day plan.
Make the DM short. One line of thanks, one line on what they get, and the button.
Test it from a second account. Your own comments are skipped, so commenting from your account will not trigger it.
Each keyword can only be used by one live automation on the same posts. Use posts you pick for a keyword that belongs to one launch.

How do you see whether it is working?

The Overview tab shows live automations, DMs sent and link clicks with the click rate. Each automation card shows the people messaged, the clicks and how many were not sent in the last 7 days, with the reason. The Posts tab ranks your posts by how many people were messaged. If people DM your keyword but the automation only answers comments, WithMe suggests turning DMs on.

How is this different from ManyChat?

ManyChat is a chat automation suite with flows across several channels. Its pricing page lists a free plan for 25 Active Contacts, with paid plans priced by contacts (checked 9 November 2026). WithMe Auto DMs are part of the creator hub, with no charge per message, and the link goes straight to your checkout, free download or booking page on the same hub. If you already use ManyChat, the Overview tab has an importer for desktop Chrome that brings your flows in as drafts. Our ManyChat alternatives post compares the tools in detail.

What is not included?

Auto DMs cover Instagram, and Facebook Pages for some accounts. There is no WhatsApp, SMS or TikTok, and no visual branching flow builder. Instagram does not deliver every DM. The ManyChat importer works on desktop Chrome only, and imported automations arrive as drafts to check.

How much does WithMe cost?

WithMe is $25 per month billed annually (UK £25), with a 14-day trial and 0% WithMe commission. Stripe and PayPal fees still apply. Instagram Auto DMs are on that plan, with no charge per DM, alongside courses, memberships, community, coaching, digital products, Lead Capture and email.

Comment-to-DM questions

How do I automatically send a link when someone comments on Instagram?

Use a comment-to-DM automation. On WithMe, open Auto DMs, connect Instagram, add a keyword, link your offer and go live. Everyone who comments the keyword gets a DM with the link.

Do I need a business account?

You need a professional Instagram account, Business or Creator.

Can I only send the link to people who follow me?

Yes. Turn on Only send it to people who follow you. People who do not follow you yet get a message asking them to follow first.

Why did someone not get my DM?

Instagram does not deliver every DM, for example to some private accounts, and comments older than 7 days cannot get a private reply. The automation card shows how many were not sent in the last 7 days and why.

What does WithMe cost?

$25 per month billed annually (UK £25), with a 14-day trial. WithMe takes 0% commission and there is no charge per DM. Stripe and PayPal fees still apply.

Start your 14-day trial at https://www.withme.so/become-a-creator.