comment to DM automation: put your action link in every inbox
Someone comments a keyword, a tool sends them your action link by DM, instantly. It's the shortest bridge from scroll to action, and it takes about 20 minutes to set up.
"Link in bio" is a tiny obstacle course: leave the video, tap your profile, find the link, tap again. Every step loses people. Comment-to-DM skips all of it. Your follower types one word, and the link lands in their inbox before they've finished scrolling.
what comment-to-DM automation is
It's a tool connected to your Instagram account that watches your comments. When someone comments your keyword (say, ACTION), it:
- sends them a DM with your chilli action link, right away,
- posts a public reply under their comment, so everyone else sees it works.
Your chilli action is the page they land on: your story plus a few ways to help they can finish in seconds. Never built one? Start with how to create your first action on chilli, step by step.
why it works so well
- DMs get opened. Marketers commonly report 80–90% open rates for Instagram DMs, against roughly 20% for email. Treat that as an industry ballpark, not a promise, but the gap is real.
- zero friction. No profile detour, no hunting for the link.
- comments are social proof. A post with 2,000 "ACTION" comments tells every new viewer that people are moving. That's an urgency signal in itself (more in the three urgency signals that get people to act now).
"Comment KANSAS" pulled in over 7,000 comments on two posts in a single week. Each one got the action link by DM.
set it up with ManyChat
Use a Meta-approved tool. ManyChat is the most common one and works with Instagram professional accounts (creator or business). Unofficial bots can put your account at risk, so skip them.
- Get your link. On your chilli action page, tap share this action, then copy link.
- Connect Instagram to ManyChat. Sign up, link your Instagram professional account and allow message access.
- Create an automation triggered by a comment. Pick the specific post or reel, or set it to work on all posts.
- Set your keyword. Add a few variations people will type anyway: ACTION, action, Action.
- Write the public reply. Short, friendly, a few rotating versions so it doesn't look robotic.
- Write the DM. Greet them by first name, say what the action does and how long it takes, add the link as a button.
- Test it from a second account. Comment the keyword, check the reply, check the DM, tap the link.
- Go live and say it out loud. The keyword goes in your caption, on screen in the reel, and in your voiceover.
pick a keyword people can't get wrong
Simple and specific wins. One word, easy to spell, no special characters.
- generic: ACTION, LINK, YES, IN
- on-topic: KRILL, WHALES, WATER, KANSAS
On-topic keywords are more fun and make the comment section read like a crowd chanting. Generic ones are easier to reuse across posts. Pick one per post and stick to it.
scripts you can steal
Don't just scroll. Comment ACTION and I'll DM you the link: one pre-written email to [target], 30 seconds.
This one's personal. Comment ACTION and I'll send you exactly how to help.
Hey [first name]! Thanks for showing up 🔥
Here's the action: [link]
It's a pre-written email to [target] asking them to [specific ask]. Takes about 30 seconds.
Done? Send this to one friend who'd care. That's how we get loud.
Sent! Check your DMs 🫡
It's in your inbox. Go get them.
Done, check your messages. Thank you for acting ❤️🔥
Celina Chien x chilli (external link)
One keyword in the comments, one instant DM with the action page links. No detour through the bio.
best practices
- deliver instantly. A DM that arrives an hour later arrives after the feeling has gone.
- personalise. Use their first name. It reads like you, not a vending machine.
- reply publicly. It proves the automation works and nudges the next person to comment.
- one link per DM. Send the action page, not your whole link tree.
- refresh the link. New action, new link. Check old automations still point somewhere live.
one creator, then eight
Celina Chien's krill campaign started with one creator and one community. It grew into eight creators, a combined reach of more than 5 million people and 3,224 actions aimed at retailers, certifiers and governments.
real win · Celina ChienHow creators made krill impossible to ignore
your next move
Copy your action link, set up one ManyChat automation on your next reel, and test it from a second account tonight. Then check that your bio backs it up: your link in bio is prime real estate. use it for action.
