How to Set up Automatic Bot Comments for Instagram (and Other Ways to Boost Engagement)

Instagram comments can be a double-edged sword. While it’s great to have an open line of communication with your followers, it can also be hard to keep up. The burden of managing the windfall of social media comments can be overwhelming. When you ignore those comments, it can send the wrong impression. (You don’t want that.) Instead, you can utilize the power of Manychat’s automation prowess and push your Instagram account into the stratosphere. How? By turning the comment section into a place where your followers see the love you show them. 

But here’s the thing, you’re busy. So who’s doing all of that reply work? We are.

There is power in an instant reply because sometimes, that particular comment can be a game changer — it’s just up to you to recognize it. 

For businesses, a strong comment section can lead to increased sales conversions. Engaged followers are more likely to inquire about products, ask for those crucial recommendations, or even make purchases based on conversations happening in the comments. Remember, if you’re a small business or a creator — people want to support what you’re doing. 

Maintaining your online presence is a big deal. So what does a business do? They fall in love with Instagram Automation by Manychat.

How can automated comments help boost engagement?

At its core, Instagram is all about engagement and building community through content. People love interacting with their favorite creators, sharing their thoughts, and sparking meaningful conversations. Think of the comment section as a virtual water cooler — a place where fans gather to chat, share ideas, and hope their contributions inspire new content shaped by their influence. 

Comments Automation is one of the most powerful features of Instagram DM Automation. It extends customer engagement beyond “hearting” every user comment. 

Unlike a Facebook post, an Instagram post lives and dies by the engagement it receives. A lively comment section signals to Instagram’s algorithm that your content is engaging, which can increase its visibility on followers’ feeds, Explore pages, and even attract new followers. More engagement often leads to greater reach.

When people see an active comment section, it fosters a sense of community. Fans feel more connected when they see others engaging, and they are more likely to join the conversation. This can turn casual followers into loyal, engaged fans.

Comments Automation automatically sends an Instagram direct message to a user who leaves a comment on one of your posts. This feature pulls Instagram users into your Manychat flows and CRM. 

Comments offer direct insights into what your audience likes, dislikes, and wants to see more of. This real-time feedback can help you refine your content strategy to better meet their needs and preferences.

This way, you have full control over which posts receive an automated response, the words or phrases that trigger a response comment, and the message or conversation to send via DM. This control empowers you to shape your Instagram interactions as you see fit. 

How to set up Comments Automation

There are two ways to set up Comments Automation: If you need to set up the flow, head to Growth Tools in Manychat’s dashboard. From Growth Tools, click New Growth Tool, scroll to the bottom, and click Instagram Comments.

If you already have an established flow, you can set up Comments Automation from the flow itself. The Instagram comment serves as the starting step; you can create a giveaway or another from there. 

Once your Comments Automation is set up, look at our best practices and pro tips. 

Other benefits of automated comments on Instagram

Implementing automated comments makes your digital marketing efforts more efficient, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business while still reaping the benefits of increased engagement. 

Satisfying the Instagram algorithm

Instagram’s algorithm determines what content users will see. One factor the algorithm uses to prioritize content is engagement (i.e., how many people interact with your post by liking, sharing, or commenting). 

Comments often include tags, keywords, and phrases that can make the content more discoverable. Followers tagging friends or mentioning related topics can introduce the creator’s content to a broader, untapped audience.

Showing customer appreciation

Responding to an Instagram comment shows customers you care, but also sends positive signals to the almighty algorithm.

An active comment section creates a sense of community, where followers feel like they’re part of something legit. This sense of social belonging encourages more frequent interactions, helping to foster that loyal, engaged fan base that’s more likely to support what you’re doing — from merch drops to events.

Other actions you can automate on Instagram

At ManyChat, we’ve created several Automation features for Instagram that keep users and brands engaged. Some of these features include:

Keywords

Keywords are words and phrases that trigger specific actions or responses to users in IG DM Automation. When an Instagram user messages you with a particular keyword or phrase, you can trigger messages and conversations. Use a call to action (CTA) to encourage conversations from IG Stories or give users a way to initiate your Automation, e.g., “Type ‘help!’ if you want to speak to a team member right away.”

Say you’re running an Instagram promotion for an ebook download. If you use a CTA such as “DM us the word ‘ebook’ to get this free download,” interested viewers can type “ebook” into Instagram Messenger, and Manychat will send it to them.

Story Mention Replies

You could set your Story Mention Reply to say, “Thanks for the mention!” If you want your message to be varied among recipients, set up a Randomizer block that shuffles through different types of thank you messages (or any kind of message) to a chosen percentage of your audience. 

Personalize your Story Mention Replies using the information you’ve collected from your customers. Say you’ve tagged customers as “dog” or “cat” people, and you’re running a promotion but only want to offer it to “dog” people.

In your Story Mention Reply (located in Flow Builder), your first step is to select a Condition. This condition checks our CRM to see if someone is tagged as a “dog” person. If so, it will send just the “dog” people a coupon. 

You can choose not to send a message or say “Thanks for the mention” to the “cat” people. 

Conversation Starters

Conversation Starters are pre-filled, customizable buttons that appear to Instagram users who have never chatted with your business. Users don’t even have to send a message; the buttons appear when they open the message window. Then, they can tap one of the buttons to receive your predefined response.

Because they only appear to new customers, Conversation Starters are great for answering frequently asked questions (FAQs) and giving customers immediate answers.

Buy Button 

With the Buy Button, you can show customers your products/offerings and allow them to purchase directly within the IG conversation without going to a website. 

Integrate with a payment gateway using Stripe or PayPal in a few easy steps, and watch the sales come in. 

Instagram Live Comments trigger

The Instagram Live Comments trigger allows brands to send an automated DM reply when viewers comment during an Instagram Live.

You can now quickly start a DM conversation with viewers who actively engage during your Live in real-time and at scale, nurturing your audience via automated DM funnels to convert them into customers.

Your comment section provides a direct line of communication between an Instagram creator and their audience. This interaction helps build stronger, more personal connections, making your followers feel seen and valued. Responding to comments or acknowledging followers will increase loyalty and turn casual viewers into dedicated fans.

Automation is a solution for anyone looking to manage Instagram comments, boost engagement, and increase ROI within the app. Even smaller Instagram accounts can benefit from Automation, thanks to improved account efficiency, leading to increased growth.

Try Manychat today. It’s free and before you know it, your comment section will be humming with activity. Keep your Instagram followers engaged and thriving thanks to the power of automation. 

Ready to get started with Comments Automation?