The Quick Automation feature in Manychat keeps getting better, and we're thrilled to introduce our latest enhancement: the ability to automatically grow your followers directly from Instagram comments.
Previously, Quick Automations empowered users to generate leads through stories and send automated direct message links from comments. Now, we've extended this powerful automation capability to help you effortlessly expand your follower base right from the comments section.
If you're already familiar with using Quick Automations for generating leads with stories or sending auto-DMs in answer to comments, you'll find setting up automations to grow followers from comments equally straightforward.
This new feature is perfect for streamlining audience growth, saving you valuable time, and enhancing your overall social media strategy.
⚠️ Note: The Quick Automation for growing followers from comments is currently available on desktop only.
Setting up a Quick Automation to grow followers from comments
To set up a new automation using the Easy Builder, go to the Home tab, then find the Start Here section. Click on Explore all templates and select Grow followers from comments from the list.
Next, follow this simple step-by-step process to create your automation. Here's a clear breakdown of each step:
When someone comments on...
You can also choose whether this trigger should work with a specific post or reel, any post or reel, or next post or reel.
As you customize the settings, a real-time preview shows exactly how they will appear on Instagram.
⚠️ Note: You can have only one active next post or reel automation at a time — once it’s triggered by a new post or reel, you’ll be able to create another one.
💡 For more information on comment reply automation for collaborative and boosted posts, check out the article Instagram Post and Reel Comments Trigger.
And this comment has…
Then, specify words that comments must contain to trigger the automation, or set the trigger to activate with any comment:
⚠️ If you have multiple active Instagram comment reply triggers in your account, keep the automation order in mind.
They will get…
An opening DM
The next step is to set up a private direct message called an Opening DM. Your contacts will receive it after they engage with the chosen post or reel.
The Opening DM is similar to saying, 'Hey! Can you talk right now?' before making a call.
When the recipients tap the button in the opening DM, they are opting into the conversation with you, confirming, 'Yes, I'm free to chat.' This allows you to send additional messages to them in the next 24 hours.
Ask for a follow
The system checks if the user already follows your Instagram page. If they don't, an additional message will prompt them to follow you first before receiving the link.
This encourages audience growth while ensuring that only engaged users receive your content.
A DM with the link
This is the core message of your automation. It contains the main information you want to share, such as a link to your product, offer, or resource.
💡 You can now customize this message with up to three links — perfect for directing traffic to multiple destinations like business pages, product info, or affiliate content.
Prefer to keep it simple? You also have the option to send text-only messages without any links.
Other things to automate
In this last section, you can decide if you'd like to do anything else with your automation.
Reply under the post so people feel seen and special: You can create three custom messages that will be shuffled by Manychat for dynamic engagement. This feature allows you to craft personalized responses that keep your interactions varied and engaging.
Follow up to re-engage and build trust: Set up a follow-up message to re-engage users who didn’t click the link. This helps maintain the conversation and increases the chances of converting interest into action.
Ask for emails in DMs to keep in touch beyond social: This option sends an additional message after the Opening DM, prompting users to share their email addresses. This feature allows you to effortlessly grow your subscriber list and engage with your audience beyond Instagram.
When all these features are enabled the order is as follows:
- Opening DM
- Email collection
- Follow request
- Main message with the link
- Follow-up reminder
Go live
Once your setup is complete, click Go Live in the top-right corner to activate the automation:
To edit or stop your automation after it's gone live, refer to the following section, which outlines the entire process—this is identical for all Quick Automations.
After going live, you'll be redirected to the Activity tab, where you can monitor your automation's performance. Here you can find the detailed explanation of each metric, helping you understand exactly how your automation is performing.
If you’re experiencing any issues with Quick Automations — or have feedback to help us make the feature even better — feel free to reach out to our Support Team.