• This post contains affiliate links

What is Instagram Automation?

Instagram automation is one of the latest tools that creators and influencers are taking advantage of. You might have seen your favorite IG creators prompt followers to comment with a specific code word in order to receive a link with sources. If you are wondering what it is, how they’re doing it, and why, I have the answers for you.

Instagram automation is a bot that delivers a pre-set response to a trigger word. There are a few services out there that do this but the one I use is called ManyChat. It helps me as an influencer to serve my audience more efficiently while also increasing my affiliate earnings with very little effort on my part.

How does ManyChat work?

The ManyChat interface is not incredibly intuitive and the platform offers a wide variety of features but so far, I only use the Automation tool for IG comments and keywords. I recommend watching the tutorials on the ManyChat site to learn how to set up a flow.

The basic idea is that you assign a code word that you want the commenters to type in. You prompt the audience to comment the word with a call to action in the reel and/or in the caption. When the bot detects that word, it generates a DM to the commenter with the contents of a message you compose in ManyChat. I like to assign an acronym with a number to ensure that the automation will not be triggered by any comment containing a common word.

If I am sending a link for drawer organizers, I don’t want to have the word “organizer” be my trigger word because if someone were to comment, “I love those organizers”, they will receive the automated message, even though they didn’t request it. So instead, I use a code word like ORG102.

Is it safe to use Instagram automation?

ManyChat is an approved Instagram partner which is very important when connecting third-party apps to IG. This means that Instagram is aware of the activity and does not consider it illegal or spam. If you choose a different service, I would look into whether it is an approved partner. Otherwise, the high volume of activity may be considered spam and your account could be penalized. I have been using this service for 5 months now and have had thousands of responses sent out without a problem.

You should check with each affiliate platform that you link to, to make sure the instagram automation doesn’t violate their service terms.

Why do I use ManyChat?

This Instagram automation allows me to send a message out to anyone who requests it by commenting or DM-ing a pre-set code word without me lifting a finger. This is especially helpful when I have a reel reach a large audience. I couldn’t possibly send out hundreds of DMs with the link manually. As we know, Instagram doesn’t allow link in caption or comments. Up until now, we had to direct our audience to the link in bio. That can be very confusing to users, especially if you have a landing page with multiple links. Many of them simply give up.

Instagram automation also allows viewers to get the information they need weeks or months after the piece of content has been posted and do so with very little effort on their part. Commenting a word is a quick and easy way without having to message the creator. Many people are not comfortable messaging or don’t prefer to engage in DMs.

Instagram automation for bloggers

Even if you are not interested in sending affiliate links with ManyChat, you can use the tool to send links to blog posts to your audience. Rather than sending them to the link in bio to find it on their own. Each piece of content you posy can be associated with an automated message that sends viewers to the relevant blog post.

Does Instagram automation increase my affiliate earnings?

I believe that it does even though it’s hard to quantify. And even if the increase in earnings is not significant, the automation allows me to serve my community quickly and efficiently. Consumers appreciate ease of use. In addition, the link requests increase the number of comments on my posts. That in turn signals Instagram to push that piece of content out even more because of the increased engagement.

How much does ManyChat cost?

Oftentimes, influencers are hesitant to purchase software or tools because they can’t justify the cost. Especially when they are starting out. But investing in equipment, technology, or education – like my LTK course – is necessary to scale your business and take it from a hobby to a profitable enterprise.

Similar to other subscription services, ManyChat will allow you to test out the features before you commit. At the time of publishing, the free trial includes 1000 contacts and 3 trigger words. Contacts are the people you send an automated response to.

The ManyChat Pro pricing is based on the number of contacts per month. It starts at $15 and it goes up in increments as you send out more automated responses.

Is ManyChat worth it for you?

ManyChat or any other subscription tool will incur costs to your business. Before signing up for this particular one, you should determine if it’s really worth it to you. If your account is still small and you are able to get to all of your comments and DMs manually, you may need to add Instagram automation to the mix. But if you are a large account with lots of requests for links, or if you have reels that go viral, then it might be worth it to invest in ManyChat.

The newest tool I am using is a service that converts the links I share in IG to deep links. Read more on how deep links lead to a big increase in conversion rate and affiliate commissions.