The Instagram Ref URL trigger in Manychat is a versatile tool that helps you direct people straight to your Instagram DM through a specific URL, automatically starting a conversation.
You can use this feature for various purposes. Whether you’re driving traffic from loyalty programs, newsletters, or other channels, the ref URL creates a seamless entry point into your Instagram automation.
This tool is particularly useful for campaigns, promotions, or customer support. It allows you to engage users in real time and pass and save important data, such as names or affiliate IDs, into custom user fields (CUF) when someone clicks on the link.
By sharing this unique URL across multiple platforms—emails, social media posts, or your website—you can capture leads, nurture relationships, and drive meaningful interactions with your audience, all while keeping everything organized within Manychat.
In this article, we'll walk you through how to set up and make the most of the Instagram ref URL trigger to boost engagement and enhance your user experience.
How to set up an Instagram ref URL trigger
You can add the Instagram ref URL trigger to an existing flow or a newly created one by clicking the + New trigger button, as illustrated in the screenshot below:
Choose the trigger from the list to add it to your flow.
When you click on the added trigger, a panel will open on the left where you can configure everything. Let’s explore what each of these sections represents.
The first block shows the ready-to-use Instagram ref URL, which you can easily copy and apply in any way you like.
Just below this section, you'll find additional settings that allow you to customize your Instagram ref URL, making it more visually appealing and easier to distinguish from your other links.
In the "Customize your URL" section, you can replace the symbols following "ref=" in the link with ones of your choice, making it more intuitive and easier to remember.
In the "Save data to" section, you can configure custom information, such as names or affiliate IDs, to be recorded in a custom user field when someone clicks on the link.
Once you have successfully set up everything, click Save, and then toggle the switch in the bottom left corner to activate the trigger.
After copying the ref URL for use, add the data you want to save to a custom field at the end of the link, following the '--' symbols, as demonstrated in the example below:
https://ig.me/m/accounthandle?ref=manychat_giveaway--data
This is all the information you need to set up the Instagram ref URL trigger. Enjoy using it to streamline your engagement and drive meaningful interactions with your audience!
Known limitations
Due to Meta's current limitations, if a user doesn’t have an ongoing conversation with your account, the Instagram ref URL trigger will only work if conversation starters are set up for your Instagram account. For users who have already interacted with your Instagram account in DMs and have an ongoing conversation, the ref URL trigger will work as expected.
Currently, the Instagram ref URL trigger is supported only on the Instagram mobile app; Meta does not support this functionality on the desktop version of Instagram.
If a user hasn't previously interacted with your Instagram account and conversation starters aren't set up, they'll need to send a message to your account to trigger the associated automation.
If users open Instagram DMs via the ref URL link and click on a conversation starter, they will not receive a predefined response triggered by it. Instead, they will receive the message set up for the Instagram ref URL trigger.