How to Create Keyword Triggers for Instagram DMs

Auto-Reply rules are one of the most powerful features in Innsty. They let you send specific responses when customers send messages matching certain patterns. Here's how to set them up.

What Are Auto-Reply Rules?

When someone sends a DM that matches your trigger, Innsty automatically sends a predefined response. Think of it like a smart FAQ system that works 24/7.

Getting Started

1. From your Innsty dashboard, go to Accounts
2. Click on one of your connected accounts
3. Click the "Auto Reply" button
4. Click "Add Rule" and select Direct Messages

Trigger Types Explained

Innsty offers 4 different trigger types to match messages:

• Exact Match — Message must match exactly (e.g., "hello")
• Contains — Message contains the keyword anywhere (e.g., "price" matches "what's the price?")
• Starts With — Message begins with the keyword
• Regex — Advanced pattern matching for power users

Reply Message Types

You're not limited to just text! Innsty supports multiple message types in a single rule:

• Text — Standard text messages (up to 1,000 characters)
• Image — Send product photos or infographics (PNG, JPEG)
• Audio — Voice messages (AAC, M4A, WAV, MP4)
• Video — Product demos or tutorials (MP4, OGG, AVI, MOV, WebM)
• PDF — Price lists, catalogs, or menus
• Sticker — Send a heart reaction

You can add up to 20 messages per rule, and they'll be sent in order!

Common Use Cases

• "Price" or "cost" → Send your price list PDF + a text message
• "Hours" or "open" → Share business hours text
• "Menu" → Send menu image + PDF
• "Demo" → Send a product demo video
• "Return" or "refund" → Share return policy text

Rule Options

• Active/Paused — Toggle rules on/off without deleting them
• Reply to Self — Trigger when you send the keyword (useful for testing or quick replies)

Auto-Reply Rules vs AI

Use Auto-Reply rules for common, predictable questions where you want a consistent answer every time. Use AI for unique, conversational interactions. Important: Innsty checks Auto-Reply rules first. If no rule matches, it falls back to AI (if enabled).

Pro Tips

• Use Contains trigger type for flexibility (catches variations)
• Combine text + media for rich responses
• Check your rule stats to see which triggers are most popular
• Use Reply to Self as a quick-reply shortcut

Monitor and Improve

Check your logs regularly to see which triggers fire most often. This tells you what customers ask about most—valuable info for your business!