# Turn Instagram comments into DMs, automatically.

> Comment-to-DM sends a DM to everyone who comments a keyword on your Instagram reel. Say “Comment GUIDE” in the video, and each person gets your link in their inbox, usually within a minute.

Motion Reel (https://motionreel.app). The page: https://motionreel.app/comment-to-dm. Updated November 8, 2026.

## DM automation for your reels.

- **Keywords:** One word or several, in any case. Or answer every comment.
- **One reel or all of them:** Run it on a single reel, or on every reel on the account.
- **Your DM:** Your link, freebie or code. Use {username} to greet each person by name.
- **A public reply:** Reply under the comment too, in a few versions so it never repeats. It's skipped on a very busy reel.
- **One DM per person:** Each person gets one DM per reel, even if they comment twice. Your own comments never trigger it.
- **Pacing:** Up to 5 DMs a minute per account, so a busy reel's DMs queue instead of tripping Instagram's limits.
- **Results:** Each automation shows the DMs it sent, by reel, and anything that didn't go out.

## Where it works

- **Instagram Reels:** Reels on public Business and Creator accounts, through Instagram's private replies.
- **TikTok:** Not on TikTok. You can still schedule the same video there, and run comment-to-DM on Instagram.
- **YouTube Shorts:** YouTube has no DMs to send. You can still schedule the same video as a Short.

## How it works

1. **Connect your Instagram account.** With Instagram's own login, and allow comments and messages. Turn on “Allow access to messages” in the Instagram app.
2. **Pick the reel, the word and the DM.** Write your DM, and add a public reply if you want one.
3. **Say the word in your reel.** “Comment GUIDE and I'll send it to you.” Motion Reel does the rest.

## Questions

### What is comment-to-DM?

It's an automation that sends a direct message to anyone who comments a chosen word on your post. Creators use it to hand out a link, a freebie or a code, because Instagram captions can't hold a clickable link.

### How do I automatically DM people who comment on my reel?

Connect your Instagram account to Motion Reel, create an automation with your keyword and your DM, and choose one reel or every reel. Everyone whose comment matches gets the DM, once per person per reel.

### Does comment-to-DM work on every reel?

You choose one reel or every reel on the account, and a keyword or any comment. Each person gets one DM per reel, and your own comments never trigger it.

### Is comment-to-DM allowed on Instagram?

Motion Reel sends each DM through Instagram's private replies, the official way for an app to answer a comment with a DM. You connect with Instagram's own login.

### Why didn't someone get the DM?

Replies under other comments and your own comments are skipped, and Instagram allows the DM for 7 days after the comment. The account also needs “Allow access to messages” on in the Instagram app. The automation shows anything that didn't go out.

### Does it work on TikTok or YouTube?

No. Comment-to-DM is only on Instagram.

### Do I need an AI agent?

No. You can set up and run comment-to-DM from the dashboard. If you do use one, it can work with the same things.

### Can my AI agent set it up?

Yes. Connect Claude, Codex, Cursor or another MCP client to Motion Reel and ask it to. It shows you a preview, and nothing turns on until you say yes.