What Keyword Should You Ask People to Comment? Ideas and DM Templates

Pick one short, distinctive word per post, tied to the thing you are sending. That single choice decides whether your automation answers the right people, skips the wrong ones and reads like you instead of a robot.

You already know the format: "Comment GUIDE and I'll send it to you." It works because it turns a passive scroll into a tiny yes. But the keyword itself is where most business owners and social media managers trip up. Pick a word that is too common and you DM people who never asked. Pick five words and nobody remembers any of them. This post gives you keyword ideas by goal, the mechanics behind why some words misfire, and copy-ready messages that fit inside Planoly Automations character limits.

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What Makes a Good Comment Keyword?

A good keyword is short, easy to spell on a phone, and unlikely to show up in a normal comment. It should also point at the payoff, so the word itself reminds people what they are getting.

1. Make it specific to the post. "PLANNER" on a post about your printable planner. "MENU" on a post about your tasting menu. The word and the offer should match.

Why it works: People remember a word that names the thing they want, and a post-specific word keeps one automation from answering comments meant for another.

2. Keep it to one word. One word is faster to type and harder to misspell than a phrase.

Why it works: Every extra character is a chance for a typo, and a typo means the automation never fires.

3. Use one keyword per post, not a list. Inrō, a DM automation vendor, analyzed 798,041 conversations across 753 automations and reported that one keyword on a specific post converted at 45%, compared with 28% for automations using six keywords. That is vendor data from Inrō's own users, not a controlled test, but it lines up with common sense: one clear instruction beats several.

Why it works: When the caption gives one instruction, more people follow it exactly.

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Keyword Ideas by Goal

Use these as starting points and swap in your own product or service name where it fits.

Real examples follow the same pattern. ManyChat's published case study on educator Amy Porterfield describes posts using "Comment LIST1" and "Comment BOOK." A doula on Reddit described asking people to "comment NOURISH" to receive a meal train guide. Each word names the thing being sent.

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Why Do Common Words Cause False Triggers?

Because matching rules differ by tool, and the most forgiving rules catch the most accidents. Know how your tool matches before you pick a word.

In Planoly, keywords ignore case and match anywhere in the comment. The help article gives the example that "link" answers "LINK", "link please" and "linked." That is great for catching typos in capitalization and extra words around your keyword. It also means a word like "link" will answer someone who writes "I linked this to my sister." Other tools work differently: Kajabi's help page says it matches whole words only, and Meta Business Suite's keyword automations are case-sensitive and must match exactly.

Why it works: Choosing a distinctive word (NOURISH, not LINK) protects you on any tool, whatever its matching rules.

Two more Planoly rules worth knowing before you choose:

• You can add up to 10 keywords to one automation. Useful for common misspellings of your word, not for listing every synonym.

• Only one automation answers a comment. If two automations on the same post share a keyword, Planoly warns you in the list (the help article's example: "Two automations answer BREAD on this post, so only the higher one replies unless you give one a different keyword").

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What Should the First DM Say?

Short, warm, and one clear next step. Inrō's vendor data reports that first messages under 120 characters converted at 39%, against 22% for first messages over 320 characters, and that one button converted far better than three. Again, that is Inrō's own customer data, so treat it as a pattern to test rather than a guarantee.

In Planoly, the first message is called the opening message: a short text with one button. A new automation starts with this default: "Hey! So glad you're here 🤍 Tap below and I'll send the link over." with a "Send me the link" button. The opening text can run up to 640 characters and the button label up to 20, but you will rarely need anywhere near that.

Why the button? Instagram allows one private reply to a comment until the person answers, and the tap counts as that answer. Once they tap, Planoly sends every message you've stacked below it. Someone who never taps only gets the opening message.

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Fill-in-the-Blank Opening Messages

Each of these sits well under the 640-character opening text limit, and every button label is under 20 characters.

1. Freebie. "Hi! Your [checklist name] is ready. Tap below and I'll send it straight over." Button: "Send my checklist"

2. Product. "Thanks for asking about the [product]! Tap below for the link and sizing info." Button: "Show me"

3. Booking. "So glad you want to chat! Tap below and I'll send my calendar." Button: "Get the calendar"

4. Waitlist. "You're early, and I love that. Tap below to grab your spot on the list." Button: "Save my spot"

5. Event. "Yay, you're interested in [event]! Tap below for dates and tickets." Button: "See dates"

Why it works: Each one confirms what the person asked for, promises one thing, and gives one button that matches the promise.

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Follow-Up DM Templates

These go below the opening message and send after the tap. A text message can be up to 1,000 characters, or 640 if you add buttons (up to 3). You can stack up to 10 messages per automation.

1. Deliver the thing. Use a PDF message (up to 25MB) for a guide, or a card (picture, title, description and a link button) for anything that lives on a web page. Card titles and descriptions are capped at 80 characters each, so keep them tight: "The 5-Minute Morning Checklist" / "Print it, stick it on the fridge, done."

2. Add one helpful line. "Quick tip: start with step 3, it's the one people skip." A personal note makes the DM feel like you, not a vending machine.

3. Offer a next step. "If you want help putting this into practice, I have a few consult spots open this month." Add a button to your booking page.

Why it works: Deliver first, then help, then ask. Leading with value earns the follow-up.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best keyword for comment-to-DM?

A short, distinctive word that names what you are sending, used on one post. Distinctive words like PLANNER or NOURISH avoid false triggers better than everyday words like LINK or YES.

Does capitalization matter for my keyword?

It depends on the tool. In Planoly, keywords ignore case, so "guide" and "GUIDE" both match. Meta Business Suite's keyword automations are case-sensitive and require an exact match.

How many keywords should I use per automation?

One main keyword is usually best. Planoly allows up to 10, which is handy for common misspellings of the same word.

How long should my first automated DM be?

Short. A sentence or two with one button is enough. Inrō's vendor data found shorter first messages converted better, though that is not a controlled study.

What happens if two automations use the same keyword?

In Planoly, only one automation answers a comment. One chosen for a specific post beats one set on Every post, and between two of the same kind, the newer one wins.

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TL;DR

• One short, distinctive keyword per post, named after what you're sending.

• Know your tool's matching rules. In Planoly, keywords ignore case and match anywhere in the comment.

• Keep the first DM to a sentence or two with one button, then deliver, help and offer a next step.

What would your keyword be for the next thing you post? Try it on one post this week with Planoly Automations and see how it lands.