Other ways an Instagram flow can start
You can also set icebreakers: the starter questions a new Instagram chat offers. Inside the flow you can ask questions, save answers on the contact, tag them, split on whether the person follows you, let the AI bot answer from your material, or hand the chat to a person in the shared inbox.
- Instagram DM keyword: someone messages you a word such as LINK or MENU.
- Story reply: someone replies to one of your stories, with or without a keyword.
- Story mention: someone mentions your account in their own story.
Move an Instagram lead to WhatsApp
A "Move them to WhatsApp" step replies on Instagram with a link that opens a WhatsApp chat with your business. When the person sends the message, their Instagram and WhatsApp contacts are merged into one person, so your team sees one history.
Instagram's rules, built in
Instagram's messaging rules are strict. Chatzyn enforces them in the product rather than leaving them to you.
- User-initiated only: you can reply to people who commented, messaged or replied to your story. There is no way to build a cold DM in Chatzyn, by design.
- 24-hour window: you can reply within 24 hours of the customer's last message.
- One private reply per comment, ever: whichever flow or agent replies first uses it. A second attempt takes the flow's "Couldn't send" path instead of failing.
- A private reply to a comment must be sent within 7 days of the comment.
- Chatzyn caps each Instagram account at 200 sent messages an hour, automated and agent replies together, to keep the account clear of Instagram's throttling. When a flow hits the cap, it takes its "Couldn't send" path, where a public reply or a tag is the usual fallback.
Comments, replies and moderation in one place
Comments on your posts arrive in Chatzyn next to your DMs, WhatsApp and Messenger chats. Your team can reply publicly under the post, send the one private reply, hide or delete a comment.
Switch on comment moderation and an AI model flags likely spam and abuse under your posts (it uses AI credits). You choose whether a person reviews every flag or whether clear cases are hidden automatically.
What you need to start
- An Instagram professional account (Business or Creator).
- "Allow access to messages" switched on in the Instagram phone app, under Settings and privacy, Messages and story replies, Connected tools. With it off the account connects but no DM ever arrives.
- A Chatzyn plan or the free trial, then Settings, Channels, Instagram account, "Sign in with Instagram".
The walkthrough is under Guides: Connect your Instagram account.
See also:Connect your Instagram account
Questions people ask
Is Instagram DM automation allowed by Instagram?
Yes, through Meta's official Instagram API, within Meta's rules: reply only to people who contacted you, and only within the reply windows. Chatzyn uses the official API only.
How do I auto reply to Instagram comments with a DM?
Build a flow with the Instagram comment trigger, add the keywords to watch, and add a "Reply privately to the comment" step with your message. Publish the flow and every matching comment gets a DM.
Can I send a DM to someone who has not messaged me?
No. Instagram only allows businesses to message people who started the contact, for example by commenting, sending a DM or replying to a story. Chatzyn does not support cold DMs.
Why did my comment auto reply not send?
Usually because the comment already got its one private reply, the comment is older than 7 days, or the account reached Chatzyn's cap of 200 messages an hour. Connect the flow's "Couldn't send" path to a fallback.
Why does my Instagram connect but no DMs arrive?
"Allow access to messages" is off. It is only in the Instagram phone app, under Settings and privacy, Messages and story replies, Connected tools. Turn it on and new DMs arrive from then on.
Does it work with a personal Instagram account?
No. Switch to a professional account (Business or Creator) in the Instagram app first. It is free and takes a minute.
Is this a ManyChat alternative?
Chatzyn does comment-to-DM and DM keyword automation on Instagram, and also puts WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger in the same inbox, with team assignment and contact history.
01Auto reply to Instagram comments with a DM
The common setup: post a reel that says "Comment PRICE and I will send you the details". Every matching comment starts a flow that sends the commenter a private reply in their DMs, with the price, a link or a question.