I’m new to manychat. I just set up an Instagram automation, but it is not working. I have no idea what’s wrong. Any idea what could be the issue?
Solved
Instagram automation
Best answer by cata_rendon
Hi
It looks like you're using the Follow to DM feature, which is currently in Beta. A few things worth knowing about how it works:
How Meta controls this feature:
- Not all accounts have access to it yet — Meta decides who gets it and when.
- The automation triggers only once per follower. If someone unfollows and follows again, it won't fire a second time.
- Meta limits this to one Follow to DM message per user per week across all accounts. If a person follows multiple accounts using this feature, they'll only receive a DM from the first one. This is a spam-prevention measure on Meta's side.
A couple of best practices while you're at it:
- Add a short delay (a few seconds) before the message sends — it feels more natural and less automated.
- Lead with a warm welcome; save any pitch for later.
Also worth trying: Refresh your Instagram permissions in ManyChat — this re-establishes the connection and often fixes trigger issues. Go to: Help → Refresh Permissions
Here's the official guide for Follow to DM: https://help.manychat.com/hc/en-us/articles/23096654243740-Follow-to-DM-on-Instagram-Say-Hi-to-New-Followers-BETA
Hope this helps! Let us know if you have more questions.
Catalina Rendon
+5
Hi
I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing issues with your new IG Comment Automation — I know how frustrating this can be.
Here are a few things I’d recommend double-checking:
- Instagram permissions A quick fix that often helps is refreshing your Instagram permissions in ManyChat.
You can do this by going to your ManyChat account and clicking Help → Refresh Permissions. - Follow the official IG automation troubleshooting guide
This step-by-step guide covers several edge cases that can cause comment automations to stop firing and is very helpful for diagnosing issues like this:
https://help.manychat.com/hc/en-us/articles/14281308423452-Instagram-automation-troubleshooting - Check for platform-wide issues
Sometimes this is related to a temporary issue on Instagram or ManyChat’s side. You can check the current system status here:
https://status.manychat.com/ - One-time trigger behavior
Just as a reminder, Instagram comment automations only trigger once per user per post. If the same user commented again, the automation would not fire a second time.
Hopefully one of these points helps you pinpoint the issue
Cheers,
Cata Rendon
Hi
I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing issues with your new IG Comment Automation — I know how frustrating this can be.
Here are a few things I’d recommend double-checking:
- Instagram permissions A quick fix that often helps is refreshing your Instagram permissions in ManyChat.
You can do this by going to your ManyChat account and clicking Help → Refresh Permissions. - Follow the official IG automation troubleshooting guide
This step-by-step guide covers several edge cases that can cause comment automations to stop firing and is very helpful for diagnosing issues like this:
https://help.manychat.com/hc/en-us/articles/14281308423452-Instagram-automation-troubleshooting - Check for platform-wide issues
Sometimes this is related to a temporary issue on Instagram or ManyChat’s side. You can check the current system status here:
https://status.manychat.com/ - One-time trigger behavior
Just as a reminder, Instagram comment automations only trigger once per user per post. If the same user commented again, the automation would not fire a second time.
Hopefully one of these points helps you pinpoint the issue
Cheers,
Cata Rendon
Hi Cata,
Thank you so much for your support. I did all that, and it’s still not working. I’m a bit desperate… Is there something else you can recommend?
Best,
Karin
+5Hi
The follow to dm feature has been inconsistent for users for months, multiple nuances. It also looks like you do not have any buttons attached to this message, double check buttons are attached. Try to create a comment to dm trigger and test. If that doesn’t work it’s a connection issue.
The follow to dm feature has been inconsistent for users for months, multiple nuances. It also looks like you do not have any buttons attached to this message, double check buttons are attached. Try to create a comment to dm trigger and test. If that doesn’t work it’s a connection issue.
Thank you :-)
The feature is inconsistent for month??? How can this be?
+5
Hi
It looks like you're using the Follow to DM feature, which is currently in Beta. A few things worth knowing about how it works:
How Meta controls this feature:
- Not all accounts have access to it yet — Meta decides who gets it and when.
- The automation triggers only once per follower. If someone unfollows and follows again, it won't fire a second time.
- Meta limits this to one Follow to DM message per user per week across all accounts. If a person follows multiple accounts using this feature, they'll only receive a DM from the first one. This is a spam-prevention measure on Meta's side.
A couple of best practices while you're at it:
- Add a short delay (a few seconds) before the message sends — it feels more natural and less automated.
- Lead with a warm welcome; save any pitch for later.
Also worth trying: Refresh your Instagram permissions in ManyChat — this re-establishes the connection and often fixes trigger issues. Go to: Help → Refresh Permissions
Here's the official guide for Follow to DM: https://help.manychat.com/hc/en-us/articles/23096654243740-Follow-to-DM-on-Instagram-Say-Hi-to-New-Followers-BETA
Hope this helps! Let us know if you have more questions.
Catalina Rendon
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