Automations
Comment-to-DM automations
Someone comments a keyword under your Instagram post and gets a private message from you. You write the rule once; ReplyBay sends the DM each time a comment matches.
Where it works
Comment-to-DM rules run on Instagram, on a professional account connected with comment access. Facebook page comments are moderated but do not trigger keyword DMs. TikTok waits on TikTok approving ReplyBay's Organic API access.
Create a rule
Rules live on the Automations page of your workspace. Each rule belongs to that workspace only, and a keyword can exist only once per workspace.
- Open Automations and add a rule.
- Enter the keyword, for example LINK or SIZES, and pick how it matches: word, exact, or contains.
- Write the private message, up to 1,000 characters.
- Optionally write a public reply that is posted under the comment once the DM is sent, for example "Sent you a DM".
- Optionally enter a post ID so the rule only applies to that post. Leave it empty to cover all posts.
- Save, and switch the rule on.
How matching works
Matching ignores case and punctuation. Word matches the keyword as a whole word or phrase anywhere in the comment, so "link please!" matches LINK but "linked" does not. Exact matches only when the whole comment is the keyword. Contains matches the keyword anywhere, even inside another word: SKIN matches "skincare".
When several rules match, the first enabled rule, in the order you created them, is used. Each comment gets one DM at most, even if Instagram delivers the same comment twice.
Switching rules on and off
Every rule has its own on/off switch, so you can pause a campaign without deleting it. A rule that is off never sends anything.
Activity log and credits
Every DM a rule sends appears in the activity log. Each automated DM uses one credit from the balance shown on the Automations page; when the balance is empty, rules stop sending until credits are available again. Public replies are free, and AI replies in your inbox are not counted against these credits.
What rules do not do
A rule sends exactly the text you wrote. It does not generate a new message, does not answer follow-up questions on its own, and does not replace comment moderation: abusive comments and complaints are still handled by your comment policy.