Connect Instagram

Use an Instagram Business or Creator account. Your Meta app must have access to Instagram messages and comment management before these features can work in production.

Direct messages

Turn Direct messages off when your team wants to answer manually. Incoming DMs still appear in Fetchply Inbox; the agent simply does not send an automatic reply.

Instagram normally permits a reply only within 24 hours of the customer's message. A delayed message does not restart that window. If it has ended, ask the customer to send a new message in Instagram before replying. The optional seven-day human-agent extension is not enabled in Fetchply.

Voice messages can be transcribed and images can be read when those capabilities are available. If automation is off or transcription fails, the message still appears in Inbox for your team. If Instagram no longer makes an attachment available, open the original conversation in Instagram.

Comment private replies

The Comment private replies setting sends a single private message. It does not post a public reply beneath the Instagram post. For a public reply followed by an opening DM and a button-triggered message, use Comment to DM below.

You can reply to every new comment or only comments containing configured words or phrases. Keyword matching ignores letter case, punctuation, and repeated whitespace. For example, order status also matches Order—status.

Choose an AI-generated reply or a fixed reply. A fixed reply uses one message credit, like an Instant Answer.

Meta permits one private reply to a comment, and it must be sent within seven days of the comment. Use a fresh, previously unanswered comment for testing. Fetchply does not blindly repeat a send when Meta's response is uncertain, because a repeat could consume the only allowed reply.

Follow-up replies are available only after the customer responds by DM, and must be sent within 24 hours of that response. Open their DM conversation to continue. Public comments do not appear as conversations in Inbox. Instagram Live comments are not supported.

Comment to DM: fixed messages with a button

Use Comment to DM when you want to send the same offer, access link, or information to people who comment a keyword on your post. Every message is written by you. This automation does not use AI or your trained knowledge.

1. Open Integrations → Instagram. Your Comment to DM automations and Performance Snapshot appear directly on the page above Settings.
2. Select New Automation. The builder fills the screen: your settings are on the right, and a live phone preview on the left redraws as you type, so you can see the conversation your customer will receive before you save it.
3. Type a name in the box at the top. Only your team sees it.
4. Under When a user comments on, keep A specific post or reel switched on and choose posts or reels from the image grid. Search by caption, post link, or post ID. Load more posts shows older ones; during a search, Search further back keeps looking through the catalogue. Switch on Any post or reel instead to include everything, including anything you publish later.
5. Under And his/her comment has, type a keyword and press Enter to add it as a tag. Select a Suggested keyword to add it in one tap, or the × on a tag to remove it. Matching ignores letter case, punctuation, and extra spaces: Google, GOOGLE!, and send Google please match Google; GoogleDrive does not. Tags appear in lowercase because that is the form your automation compares against.
6. Still in that box, write the Public reply posted beneath the comment. Everyone can see it, so keep your link out of it. This step is always on, and the preview shows it separately from the phone because it appears under your post rather than in the chat.
7. Under They will optionally get, write the Opening Message and the Button text the person taps, such as “Send me the link”. This button requests the next message; it does not open a website.
8. Under And they will get a DM with, write the message sent after they tap. Use Template fills in a starting point you can edit. Add Link adds an optional button with your own wording and an HTTPS web address; Advanced Settings holds options that are not available yet.
9. Select Create & Start Automation to save it and begin working on new matching comments right away, or Save as Draft to keep your wording without it running. Either one returns you to Integrations → Instagram, where the new automation appears in the automations table. Test the whole flow with a profile of your own and a fresh comment, and check both the Instagram conversation and Fetchply Inbox before using it with customers.

Editing, pausing, and reusing an automation

Select an automation's name in the automations table to reopen the builder. Saving gives you three choices: Update Automation keeps it exactly as it is now, running or paused; Update & Resume Automation saves your changes and switches it back on; and Save as New Automation keeps the original untouched and creates a separate copy, which is how you reuse working wording for your next campaign without risking the one already live. Creating a copy returns you to Integrations → Instagram, where both the original and the copy are listed.

In the automations table, Pause and Resume on any row switch it without opening it. The row menu also offers Duplicate, which copies an automation and leaves the copy paused so two automations never compete for the same keyword by accident, and Delete.

What the numbers mean

Performance Snapshot gives you a selectable date window (Last 7 days, Last 14 days, Last 30 days, or Last 90 days) and compares it with the preceding period of the same length. DMs sent counts the opening messages Instagram actually accepted, so a comment that was skipped or refused is not counted, and shows a Queue line when there are sends still waiting on Instagram; those clear on their own. Link clicks counts the people who tapped your button, and CTR in the table is clicks as a share of DMs for that automation. Leads collected counts the verified email addresses collected through your automations over the window, and Total followers tracks the live follower count of your connected Instagram account.

Comment to DM automations run reliably around the clock and continue delivering public replies, opening DMs, and followup access links even when a conversation thread has been assigned to or taken over by a teammate in Inbox.

Numbers cover recent activity rather than all time, and drop out when you delete the conversation they came from. A dash instead of a number means the figures could not be refreshed just now; the list below still works, so you can always pause an automation.

Limits and what is not included

Messages support up to 640 characters and button text up to 20 characters, and each field shows how much room is left. This flow supports text and one optional website link. Images, videos, and additional branches are not included.

Some options appear with a lock and the note “Not available yet”. Next post or reel, Any word, Only send this DM once per person, and Language for custom replies are shown so you can see what is planned, but they cannot be switched on and do not affect what your automation sends. Steps marked as always applying — the public reply and the opening DM — cannot be switched off, because every automation sends both.

Choose up to 50 individual posts per automation, or use every post. Up to 50 keywords are allowed, and the counter under the tags shows how many you have used. The counter above the grid shows how many posts you have chosen, and Review chosen lists them, including posts outside the current search. Searching and loading more never clear your choices.

If something is missing when you save, the box that owns it is marked with a warning, the page scrolls to it, and the field itself is highlighted with a message at the top of the settings column. Nothing is saved until the problem is fixed.

The Comment to DM automations and the Settings box on the Instagram page save separately. Hover over or focus an information icon for help with an option.

Public comments and public replies stay out of Inbox, including older comment threads and their unread counts. The opening DM, button response, and follow-up remain in the person’s Instagram DM conversation in Inbox. View the original public comment on Instagram.

You can save up to 25 automations. They run in the order shown, oldest first. Only the first matching automation runs for a comment, and that comment does not also receive a reply from Comment private replies. Each matching comment triggers its own public reply and opening message, while repeated button taps in the DM do not repeat the messages. A matching comment on any selected post starts the flow.

Each incoming comment matched and processed consumes exactly 1 run from your dedicated comment automation quota. This single run covers the complete interaction: the public comment reply, the opening DM with its action button, and the follow-up message when the button is tapped. Zero AI message credits are used. Duplicate events and repeated button taps never consume extra runs. When your monthly quota is exhausted, new comment automations pause until your quota resets or you add an automation pack in Billing.

The opening message is missing

Instagram may place it in Requests when the person does not follow you. Test with both a follower and a non-follower. Check Instagram delivery activity: the public comment reply and opening DM have separate results, so one can succeed while the other fails. Confirm your connection and comment automation quota in Billing, and use a new, previously unanswered comment from a designated test profile when retesting.

Some comments get a reply and others get nothing

An automation runs per comment, so one comment can be answered while the next is skipped. The usual reasons, in the order worth checking:

• The comment did not match. Trigger words match whole words only, so link does not match linktree. A comment made only of emoji has no word to match. If the automation watches specific posts, a comment on a carousel or album post may arrive without telling Fetchply which post it belongs to; choose All posts if you want those covered.
• The person already had a run on that post. With Only once per person turned on, the same person's later comments on the same post are skipped on purpose, even if their first one did not reach them.
• Instagram refused that particular comment. Instagram allows one private reply per comment, only within seven days of the comment, and refuses comments that were deleted or hidden after they arrived. Comments on an ended live broadcast cannot be answered either.
• Your account is no longer connected. While a connection needs attention, new comments do not reach Fetchply at all and nothing appears in the automations table. Reconnect the same Instagram account and test with a fresh comment.
• Your comment automation quota is used up. Check Billing; automations resume when the quota resets or you add an automation pack.

DMs sent counts messages Instagram accepted, so a comment that was skipped or refused is not counted. When that number is lower than the number of comments you received, open Instagram delivery activity on the conversation to see the result for that specific comment.

The button does not send the follow-up

The person must tap the action button in the opening DM. Opening a website link does not trigger this step. Buttons expire after 30 days and stop working if the automation is turned off or deleted, the conversation is deleted, the account is moved, or the recipient is blocked. A team member handling the conversation also pauses automatic replies.

Instagram permits the opening private reply within seven days of the comment, and the follow-up within 24 hours of the button interaction. A delayed notification does not restart these windows. Check the original Instagram conversation and delivery activity before attempting recovery. A message marked Delivery uncertain is not automatically sent again. Instagram may temporarily limit requests; Fetchply retries explicit rate-limit refusals up to three processing attempts, without repeating accepted messages.

A saved post is unavailable

Select Refresh above the grid and choose a post that still belongs to the connected account. Deleted posts and posts owned by another account cannot be used. You can turn an automation off even when its previously selected post is no longer available.

Search does not show an older post

Search checks posts in batches and ignores letter case. The result count shows how many posts have been searched so far. Select Search further back until you find it or reach the end. Try a distinctive phrase from its caption or paste its Instagram link or post ID. Clearing the search returns to browsing all posts.

A post has no preview image

Some posts or reels do not have an available preview. You can still select the post using its caption or ID, or open its Instagram link to check it. Select Refresh to reload expired previews. If loading fails, Try again keeps your current selections.

The automation will not switch on

If Fetchply asks you to reconnect, reconnect the same Instagram account so it can receive comment and button interactions, then switch the automation on again. If Instagram connection checks are temporarily unavailable, try again later. Pausing an automation never needs those checks, and you can still save your wording with Save as Draft or Update Automation.

Resume in the list returns to its previous position if Instagram refuses the change, and the reason is shown above the list. In the builder, Update & Resume Automation saves and switches on in one step, so a refusal leaves the automation exactly as it was rather than saved and claiming to be live. Nothing is left half-applied.

The automations page says an automation was not found

The address may point to an automation that has been deleted, or to one that belongs to a different Instagram account than the one connected now. Select Back to Instagram to see the current list.

The preview does not look like my account

The preview shows your Instagram name and picture when they are available. If Instagram cannot be reached, a placeholder is used instead; this affects the preview only, never the messages your customers receive. The preview also fills empty fields with sample wording so you can see the shape of the conversation, and that sample is never sent.

I deleted an automation by mistake

Deleting asks you to confirm first and explains what stops. Once confirmed it cannot be undone: anyone who tapped the button but had not yet received the follow-up will not get it, although messages already sent stay in their chat. Create a new automation with the same wording to start again.

Story mentions

Story mentions arrive as Instagram message events. When Story mentions is enabled, the agent can respond in that message thread. When it is off, the event is kept in Inbox without an automatic reply.

A customer replying to your own story is a direct message, not a story mention. Those replies follow your Direct messages setting.

Delivery states

Expand Instagram delivery activity beneath the Inbox transcript to see recent automatic attempts. Text and media have separate results, so a successful text does not hide a failed image. Activity is available for up to 30 days and is removed when you delete its conversation.

Sending awaits confirmation. Accepted by Instagram means Instagram accepted the message, not that the customer read it. Not sent means the attempt was refused. Delivery uncertain means Instagram may have received it; check the original thread before sending anything again. Uncertain automatic sends are not replayed.

Reconnecting and disconnecting

Reconnect when connection health requests it, Meta changes the granted permissions, or messages stop arriving. Reconnecting verifies that messages, messaging_postbacks, and comments are active before setup is marked healthy.

Disconnecting stops Instagram automation for this agent and removes the stored integration. It does not delete your Instagram account.

Moving the account to another Fetchply agent does not move its old conversation history. New conversations belong to the new agent; old queued events are not answered by the new agent.

Troubleshooting

Reconnect required

Select Reconnect Instagram and approve all requested permissions. If the warning remains, confirm your Meta app has Advanced Access for Instagram messaging and comment permissions and that all required webhook fields are enabled.

"Instagram webhook subscription is missing" after connecting

The account stays Not connected because the final setup check could not confirm that your account is subscribed to messages, postbacks, and comments. Select Connect Instagram again and approve every permission Meta asks for. If the message returns, ask the person managing your Meta app to confirm that the messages, messaging_postbacks, and comments webhook fields are enabled for the Instagram product and that the app has the approved access it needs, then try once more. Nothing is stored while this message appears, so retrying is safe.

Comments do not trigger a reply

Confirm Comment private replies is on, the comment is new and previously unanswered, and the configured keyword matches. Also confirm the comment is no more than seven days old.

A DM appears in Inbox but receives no automatic reply

Check whether Direct messages is off, the agent is paused, a teammate has taken over the conversation, or message credits are unavailable. Messages remain in Inbox in each of these cases.

A reply is marked uncertain

Check the conversation in Instagram before sending anything manually. Fetchply intentionally does not repeat an uncertain automatic send.

New messages are delayed

Select Check connection, then send a new test DM after any required reconnect. Old events may not be delivered again by Meta. If new messages remain delayed, contact support with the approximate test time and Instagram username.

Connection checks passed but nothing arrives

Your Meta app still needs the appropriate message and comment access approved, and its Instagram webhook fields enabled. A successful account check cannot confirm those app-level approvals. Ask the person managing your Meta app to verify them.

An inbox reply failed to send or says the reply window is closed

Instagram permits business replies within 24 hours of the customer's most recent message. Once 24 hours have passed, Instagram rejects manual replies from Inbox until the customer sends a new message. Instagram also refuses messages if the customer has disabled message requests, blocked direct messages, or does not follow your business account. When an attempt fails, Inbox displays a clear notification explaining the reason and keeps your draft message safe so you do not lose what you wrote.