Ask users to comment with a keyword
Turn every post into a follower growth engine
You have probably seen many influencers and brands recently asking users to comment on their posts with a specific keyword. For example, a nutrition influencer might say: “Comment ‘DIET’ and I will send you a PDF with a weekly plan to improve your digestion over the next two months.” When someone comments with that keyword, they automatically receive a private message with the promised resource.
At first glance, this might look like just another way to increase engagement. In reality, it is the starting point of a much more powerful growth strategy.
The key is that every comment opens a private conversation with the user. From that moment, the relationship changes. It is no longer just someone who saw your content. It is someone you can interact with directly.
How this growth mechanic works
When you ask users to comment with a keyword, the first thing you achieve is interaction.
When Instagram detects activity, it shows the post to more people. If the response is strong, it keeps expanding the reach. This initial engagement gives the content more visibility.
Each comment becomes a private conversation.
You automatically open a DM with every interested user. In a private conversation, you have more options to convert that user. You can deliver the resource, answer questions, or invite them to follow your account in a natural way. This is where the real shift happens.
Some of these users become followers.
People who are genuinely interested in the resource you promised will often follow your account to access it.
As your follower base grows, your content reaches more people.
Each new post is shown to a larger audience from the start. If that audience engages, the content keeps scaling.
More followers + strong engagement = more distribution. The cycle repeats.
That is why, with a well-designed DM automation, every post becomes a continuous growth system. You generate interaction, open conversations, gain followers, and increase reach for future content, all automatically.
Automate responses on Instagram and stop losing customers
Reply instantly and turn one-time visitors into followers
More and more people use Instagram Direct Messages to interact with brands and businesses. There is a clear pattern. People use WhatsApp for personal conversations, while Instagram is becoming the preferred channel to contact companies.
Today, it is normal to message a restaurant to ask if they allow dogs, contact a gym to check opening hours, or ask about a product through a DM. Starting a conversation with a brand is natural and increasingly common.
Now imagine a gym that receives multiple questions every day about weekend hours, or a restaurant constantly asked whether reservations are required or if they offer specific options on the menu. These are simple but repetitive questions, and answering them one by one quickly becomes time-consuming.
This is where automation comes in. With Easypromos, it is possible to configure two tools that help you respond instantly. The first is the Persistent Menu, which appears in the top right corner of the DM screen. The second is what Instagram calls Ice Breakers, a set of quick replies shown when the user starts the conversation. In other words, instead of facing an empty chat, users see a set of predefined options similar to FAQs.
Instead of typing their question, users can simply select an option like “Opening hours”, “Book a table”, or “Do you allow dogs?” and receive an immediate response. This drastically reduces the time your team spends answering repetitive questions while ensuring instant replies.
With this system of Persistent Menu and Ice Breakers, you avoid losing opportunities. If someone messages outside business hours and does not receive an immediate response, they are likely to contact another business. With automation, that first reply arrives even outside working hours. You turn your Instagram profile into an always-on customer service channel that responds quickly and improves the user experience without overloading your team.
Another advantage of this type of automation is that both the Persistent Menu and the Ice Breakers can guide users toward specific actions such as making a reservation, visiting a website, or exploring a service. You can also use that moment to offer an additional incentive.
For example, a restaurant can offer a downloadable weekly menu or special promotions, or a gym can share an exclusive discount code only for followers. These small incentives help turn a user who initially had a simple question into a follower of the brand.
Just like in the previous case, automation helps you build a system that runs on its own. You respond, assist, convert visitors into followers, and your Instagram account keeps growing on autopilot.
Launch promotions from Instagram and turn followers into identified users
From an anonymous @username to a real profile with value for your business
Beyond replying to messages or generating comments, Instagram Messaging Automations can also be used to launch full promotions directly from the platform.
For example, you can publish a post or a Story inviting users to participate in a prize wheel, a scratch card, or an interactive game. To access it, the user simply needs to comment a keyword such as “Spin” or “Promo”, or tap an option in the menu.
At that moment, they receive a Direct Message with a link that takes them to the promotion. This is where the integration with Easypromos makes the difference.
The user does not need to register. We identify them automatically based on their Instagram @username. They access the promotion within the Instagram browser and can participate instantly. Everything happens smoothly, without registration and without the feeling of leaving Instagram.
From the brand’s perspective, this opens up several opportunities:
- On one hand, you can position these experiences as exclusive to your community. This encourages users to follow your account to access the promotion or future campaigns.
- On the other hand, you turn a simple interaction into active participation. The user is no longer just commenting or sending a message. They are playing, engaging, and experiencing the brand.
But there is something even more important. You move from an anonymous @username to building user profiles with real data. When a user claims a prize, you can request information that helps you understand who they are, segment them, and reach them again in the future. In other words, you are not only gaining followers. You are collecting data beyond the username, which is the only information Instagram provides by default.
All of this happens without friction, without complex registration flows, and without taking the user out of their usual environment.
In the end, you are not just generating interaction or conversations. You are creating complete experiences that combine participation, incentives, and insights about your audience.
If you made it this far, you already have a clear idea of the potential of Instagram automations. The best way to fully understand it is to try it yourself.
You can create a free Easypromos account. No payment details or credit card are required, and you get 7 days to test all automations without limitations.
In just a few minutes, you can have your first automation up and running and start seeing how users respond.
