How to create a comment-to-Direct-Message automation
Choose which posts it applies to, which comment triggers it, and what Cognizy replies with on the post and in the Direct Message to whoever commented.
2 min readBasicUpdated on November 12, 2026
Where to find it in Cognizy
Video lesson coming soon. For now, follow the steps below.
Comment automation does the classic "comment WANT and I'll send it to you": the person comments, gets a reply on the post and a Direct Message with the link, the price, or whatever you promised. From there, the AI can continue the conversation.
Where to find it in Cognizy
Before you start
- Instagram needs to be connected (see How to connect Instagram to reply to comments via Direct Message).
- Have the Direct Message text and the link you'll send ready.
- Instagram only lets you reply via Direct Message to a comment made in the last 7 days.
Step by step
- Step 1:
In , click New automation.
- Step 2:
Choose a template to get started: Keyword → link, Asked for price, Every comment becomes a conversation or Start from scratch. In this example, Keyword → link.
- Step 3:
Give the automation a Name. In Which posts, leave it as Any post or select Chosen posts to apply it to only a few.
- Step 4:
In Which comment triggers it, check the Keywords. Capitalization, accents, and emojis don't matter. Use Ignore if it contains to leave out complaint comments.
- Step 5:
In What to reply, write the public reply to the post and the Direct Message, with the promised link or information. The Preview, alongside, shows how the person will see it.
- Step 6:
In After the Direct Message, choose whether the AI continues the conversation and whether each person gets only one Direct Message per post. To finish, click Create automation.
- Step 7:
The automation enters the list already On and starts working right away. To hold off until the post goes live, turn off the card's toggle (Pause).
How to know it worked
The automation appears in the Automations tab. With it turned on, comment the keyword on a post using a different profile: within seconds, the reply on the post and the Direct Message will arrive.
If something goes wrong
I commented and no Direct Message arrived.
Check whether the automation is On, whether the comment has the keyword, and whether it wasn't made by the account itself (comments from the account itself are ignored). See the reason in the Activity tab.
The posts don't show up to choose from.
The connection with Instagram may have expired. Reconnect the account in Settings › Channels › Instagram and Messenger.
The same person received multiple Direct Messages.
Turn on One Direct Message per person per post, in the After the Direct Message block.
Next step
Track the comments and the Direct Messages sent in the Activity tab.
Sign in with your Cognizy account to save your progress.
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