Every “where can I buy this?” is a sale waiting on you.
A post takes off, the comments roll in, and half of them are the same question: price, link, is it still available. You answer the first ten. By the fortieth you are typing “check your DMs” with one thumb while doing something else entirely.
The people asking are the warmest leads you will ever get. They saw the thing, wanted it, and told you so in public. The longer they wait for an answer, the more of them scroll away.
This guide shows you how to let Planoly answer them for you, instantly, with the link or the product they asked for. Then it shows you how to step in yourself when a real conversation starts.
Before you start
Two things to check before you build anything. Both take a minute.
1. Connect Instagram with Auto-post
Link your Instagram account in Planoly and give it permission for comments and direct messages. Automations read new comments and send DMs, so they need both. If Planoly shows a banner that says Allow comments or Allow direct messages, click it and reconnect.
2. Make Planoly the app that answers your DMs
Only needed if you use another DM tool today, like ManyChat. Instagram lets one app send DMs in each conversation. On the Facebook Page linked to your Instagram, choose Planoly as the default app under Instagram Conversation Routing. Planoly links you there with Open conversation routing. A conversation another app used recently can take up to 24 hours to switch.
Three steps to answering comments for you
Do these in order. Step 1 gets one post working tonight. Steps 2 and 3 turn it into a system.
| Step | What you do | What you get back |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 10 minutes | Add a comment-to-DM automation to one post, right in the post builder. | Followers get your link the moment they ask for it. |
| Step 2 20 minutes | Send galleries and cards, cover every post, and answer stories and DMs too. | An automation for every way people reach you. |
| Step 3 Ongoing | Run your conversations from Inbox with saved replies, AI drafts and labels. | Every conversation answered, and the real ones handled by you. |
Step 1 · 10 minutes
Your first automation
One post, one keyword, one DM. Set it up while you schedule the post and it starts answering the moment the post goes live.
1. Write a post that asks for a keyword
Tell people exactly what to comment. “Comment LINK and I’ll send it to you” works better than “link in bio” because it gives the follower one tiny action and gives you a trigger to watch for.
Keywords don’t care about capitals and match anywhere in a comment. link answers “LINK”, “link please” and “linked”.
2. Open Automations and set the trigger
In the post builder, under Posting method, click the Automations row (it reads “Nothing set up yet”), then Create automation.
- Name it something you’ll recognize, like “Fig & cedar link”.
- Under When someone comments on, keep This post.
- Under and the comment has, pick These words and add your keywords. Press Enter after each one. You can add up to 10.
- Leave Public reply on. Planoly rotates through three short replies under each comment, so your comment section doesn’t fill up with the same line.
3. Write the DM, then add it to the post
Click Next. The DM starts with an opening message: a short note with one button, like “Send me the link”. When the follower taps it, Planoly sends everything below it.
Why the tap? Instagram allows one private reply to a comment until the person answers. The tap is their answer, and it opens the conversation for the rest of your messages.
Under the opening message, add a Text message, plus your link or a gallery, then click Add to this post. If the post isn’t published yet, the automation waits and starts answering once Planoly publishes it.
Step 2 · 20 minutes
Make the DM sell
A link gets a click. A gallery of products, each with its own button, gets a browse.
Send a gallery instead of a plain link
On the Action step, click Add content. Pick what you want to send:
- Gallery: up to 10 cards in a row, each with a picture, title, description, link and up to 3 buttons. Best for “shop the post”.
- Card: one picture, title and link. Best for a single product or booking page.
- PDF: a menu, price list or free guide to download.
- Media and Voice note: a photo, video or a quick personal message in your own voice.
An automation holds up to 10 messages, with up to 5 photos, videos and PDFs across all of them.
Cover every post with one keyword
Switch When someone comments on to Every post and the automation answers on every post on your account, including posts that are already live and posts you didn’t publish with Planoly. Good for an evergreen keyword like SHOP or BOOK.
Only one automation answers a comment. If two match, the one set on this post beats the one on Every post, and the newer one wins between two of the same kind. Planoly warns you when two automations share a keyword.
Answer story replies, story mentions and DMs
Open Automations in the main navigation and click New automation. Under When someone you can pick:
- Comments on your post
- Replies to your story
- Mentions you in their story
- Sends you a DM (needs at least one keyword, and answers each person once every 24 hours)
Step 3 · Ongoing
Close it in Inbox
The automation starts the conversation. You finish it, from one place.
Pick up the thread in Inbox
Every Instagram comment and DM lands in Inbox, with All conversations, Comments and Direct messages on the left. When a follower replies to your automation with a question, it shows up here as unread.
On a comment you can Reply on the post publicly or Reply privately in a DM. Instagram allows one private reply per comment, within 7 days of the comment.
Reply faster without sounding automated
- Saved replies for the answers you give every day: shipping, sizing, hours.
- Generate a reply with AI drafts an answer from the last 20 messages. Pick Friendly, Professional, Playful or Apologetic, then edit before you send.
- Labels and Assign to sort leads and hand conversations to a teammate.
- Close a conversation when it’s done. It reopens on its own if they write again.
Check what’s working
The Automations page lists every automation with its Sent and Opened counts. Pause the ones that aren’t pulling their weight, and copy the keyword and DM style of the ones that are onto your next post.
Questions
Do I still need ManyChat?
Not for comment-to-DM. Planoly automations answer comments, story replies, story mentions and DMs, and the conversations land in the same Inbox where you reply.
Does it work on posts set to Reminder?
No. The post has to publish through Planoly with Auto-post, so Planoly knows which post a comment belongs to.
What if someone comments the keyword three times?
They get one DM. Automations answer each person once per post.
Can I run two automations on one post?
Yes, as long as they use different keywords. For example, LINK sends the product and GUIDE sends a PDF.
Set up your first automation today
Start a free trial, schedule one post with a keyword, and let Planoly answer the comments while you get on with your day.