A comment becomes a DM
This is the automation every Instagram business asks for first, and the one that changes how you write captions. Instead of “link in bio”, you write “Comment PRICE and I'll send it”. The person comments, Occasely sends the link as a private reply right away, and if you like, answers publicly under the comment so the next person sees it works. More comments, which Instagram rewards, and a conversation open with everyone who wanted the link.
Instagram Business or Creator account. Official Meta API, no password, free plan with no card.
Coming soon. Instagram automation opens once Meta approves our app for Instagram messaging. It will be part of every plan, not an add-on.
Who it's for
Anyone posting reels where the caption ends in “DM me for details” and the DMs never quite happen.
Businesses that want the algorithm's favour (comments) and the customer's contact (a DM) from the same post.
Owners tired of copy-pasting the same booking link into forty conversations after every post.
How it works
Create the post, publish it, and let the replies, the leads and the clicks follow. Four steps, one afternoon.
- Create01
Pick a template, add your link
Send price, Send catalog, Send booking link, Send website link or Send discount code. Each comes with sensible keywords (PRICE also answers pricing, cost and how much) and a reply you can rewrite. Paste the link it asks for.
- Publish02
Say the word in the caption
“Comment PRICE for the list.” Schedule the post in Occasely and the composer offers this automation for that post as soon as it's on the calendar; or run it on every post you've published, or on up to 50 you choose.
- Engage03
One private reply per comment, right away
Instagram allows exactly one private reply per comment, so Occasely makes it count: your text, their first name, your tracked link. Add an optional public reply (“Sent you a DM 💌”) and the comment thread itself becomes the ad.
- Convert04
See who clicked
On Growth and Pro every link is a tracked link. Each click is counted on the automation and on the person's timeline, so you know which automation actually sells, not just which reel got likes. Scope an automation to one reel and its clicks are that reel's. Mark commenters as leads and they're in your list with the automation as the source.
What it looks like
Real templates, with the reply rendered the way the customer sees it. Names and links are examples; yours come from your own setup.
PRICE → pricing page
Hey Aditi 👋 Thanks for asking! Here's our pricing: occasely.com/l/q7Kx2m
The default Send price template. Rewrite the tone, keep the tracked link, and every price question under every post is handled the same way.
GUIDE → free guide, then an email
Hey Karan 👋 What's the best email to send the guide to?
A reply can ask a question before it sends the link. The email is saved on the lead; the guide follows in the next message. This is how coaches and consultants build a list from a single post.
DISCOUNT → a code, and a lead
Hey Farah 🎁 Here's your code: INSTA10 — use it at checkout.
The Send discount code template marks everyone it fires for as a lead, so a sale-week post becomes a list of people who wanted the deal, with names.
BOOK → booking link
Hey Vikram 👋 You can book a time here: occasely.com/l/b2Rk7n
Book, booking, appointment and slot all match. Works with whatever booking page you already use; Occasely just delivers the link and counts the click.
Part of every plan
Engage isn't an add-on. It comes with the same plan that writes and schedules your posts, in USD everywhere, tax handled at checkout.
Free
$0- 1 Instagram account
- 2 live automations
- 200 automated messages a month
- Keyword and story replies
- Leads flagged, no capture questions
- Plain links
Growth
$19/mo- 1 Instagram account
- 10 live automations
- 2,000 automated messages a month
- 500 AI replies a month
- Lead capture, 1,000 leads stored
- Tracked links with click counts
Pro
$39/mo- 3 Instagram accounts
- 50 live automations
- 10,000 automated messages a month
- 3,000 AI replies a month
- Lead capture, unlimited leads stored
- Tracked links with click counts
Limits are Occasely's. Instagram's own rules, one private reply per comment within 7 days and a 24-hour DM window, apply on every plan. Full pricing
Questions
Does the person need to follow me, or to have messaged me first?
Neither. Instagram lets a business send one private reply to anyone who comments on its post. That's what makes comment-to-DM different from plain DM automation, where the customer has to write first. The reply opens a conversation, and from then on the usual 24-hour DM window applies.
How quickly does the reply go out, and is there a time limit?
Usually right after the comment arrives, or a little later when a post gets a burst of comments. Instagram requires private replies to be sent within 7 days of the comment and allows one per comment, so if the same comment somehow arrives twice, it still gets one reply. If a reply is ever blocked by a rule, the automation's timeline shows the reason.
Does it work on posts I published before I set it up?
Yes. An automation can run on every post on your account, old ones included, or on specific posts you pick (up to 50), or on the single post you scheduled it with from Occasely's composer. Anyone who comments the keyword on a two-year-old reel gets the reply.
What if the same person comments PRICE on three posts?
They get the reply once, then the automation waits out its cooldown before firing for that person again: 24 hours by default, anything from no cooldown to 30 days. Nobody gets the same link three times in an afternoon.
Can it also reply publicly under the comment?
Yes, optionally, with wording you write. A public “Sent you a DM 💌” does two things: tells the next reader that commenting works, and adds one more comment to the post. Leave it blank and only the private reply goes out.
Is comment-to-DM on the free plan?
Yes. Free runs 2 live automations on one Instagram account with 200 automated messages a month; a keyword reply with a plain link is well within that. Counting clicks on the link, asking for an email in the reply and AI answers come with Growth at $19/mo. You need an Instagram Business or Creator account, and Occasely never asks for your password.
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