Private Reply

A private reply is an automated direct message that Instagram automatically sends to the person who commented a specific keyword under a post. One private reply per comment is allowed within a seven-day window.

What is a private reply?

A private reply is the first automated message in the Instagram Comment-to-DM mechanic. When someone comments a defined keyword under a post, the system sends exactly one direct message to that person automatically. This is the only automated reply allowed per comment in a seven-day window — after that, the keyword no longer triggers a message for the same person on the same post.

Rules and limits

Meta's rules for private replies on Instagram are clear on a few key points:

• One automated reply per comment: each comment triggers at most one automated DM. If the person comments again later, a new automatic reply can be sent.
• Seven-day window: after the first automated reply, the same keyword by the same person on the same post will not trigger another automatic DM for seven days.
• The first message is text-only: the automated private reply runs through Meta's private_reply endpoint, which accepts plain text only. Buttons, quick replies and attachments are rejected here (and stripped by the product). They work only in the follow-up message, after the person has replied. That is why a link belongs in the second message rather than baked into buttons in the first.
• After a reply, normal conversation continues: once the person replies to the automated DM, the standard Instagram messaging window opens (approximately 24 hours of free-form messaging after the last message from the person).

Why reply-first is the standard

The private reply works as a "two-step" flow, and that is the practical standard rather than an optional nicety. The first DM is a short text prompt that invites the person to respond; the actual content — a link, a download, a discount code — follows in the second message, after that reply. There are two reasons this is the standard. First, the first message runs through Meta's private_reply endpoint and is text-only: buttons, quick replies and attachments are rejected there and only work in the follow-up. Second, you get exactly one automated reply per comment. If you try to deliver everything at once and the person does not respond, the conversation is over and you cannot send anything further. The reply is what opens the rolling 24-hour window, so prompting it first is the reliable path.

Account requirements

To use Comment-to-DM and private replies, you need an Instagram Business or Creator account linked to a Facebook Page. The account must be connected to a messaging platform through the official Meta API — tools that scrape comments or bypass the API are a violation of Meta's Terms of Service and risk account suspension.

Private Reply with SendSeven

In SendSeven's visual Flow Builder you set the trigger Instagram comment received, define the keyword in a condition block, and compose the private reply in a send block. Tags and further flow steps can follow. SendSeven operates exclusively via the official Meta API as a Meta Business Partner. All conversations land in the unified inbox alongside messages from all other connected channels.