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Playbook Instagram comment-to-DM

The Instagram keyword playbook

How to pick a comment keyword, where to put it, and what to send back. With ready-to-copy keywords, captions, DMs and follow-ups for eight kinds of Instagram accounts.

By the Happilee team 8 min read Updated October 2026
Your keyword: PLAN What each comment gets
PLAN Gets the DM
plan Gets the DM
Plan Gets the DM
plan pls 🙏 No DM
what's the plan? No DM

That table is the whole game. The comment has to be your keyword and nothing else, though capitals don't matter. Everything below is about making that one word easy for followers to type.

Why one word beats "DM me for details"

"DM me for details" asks a follower to leave the post, open your profile, start a chat and think of what to type. Most people won't. "Comment PLAN" asks for one word, right where they already are.

Every one of those comments is a person putting their hand up. With an automation running, each of them gets your link in their DMs within seconds, at 7 PM or at 3 AM, while you get your evening back. And because the keyword is the same every time, you can count exactly how many people asked.

Seven rules for a keyword that works

  1. 01
    One word, written in capitals in your caption. Capitals make it stand out, so PLAN beats "plan". Followers can type it in any case and it still works.
  2. 02
    Name the thing they get. NOTES for notes, PRICE for a price list, ITINERARY for a trip plan. People remember a word that matches the reward.
  3. 03
    Tell them to type only the word. "plan pls" only triggers the DM if you add it as a keyword too. Simplest: write "Comment PLAN", not "comment the word plan below if you want it".
  4. 04
    Use English letters. Keywords in Arabic, Hindi or Malayalam script aren't supported yet. A Hinglish word in English letters, like KITNA, works fine.
  5. 05
    Skip words people type anyway. WOW, NICE, YES and LOVE are common one-word comments. Pick one of those and fans who were just being kind get a sales DM.
  6. 06
    No spaces, emoji or symbols. Plain words are easy to type on any keyboard and easy to match. FREEGUIDE is fine; "free guide" is two words.
  7. 07
    One keyword per offer. Reuse PLAN on every post that sells the same programme. Use a new word for a new offer, so you can see which one pulls.

Where to put your keyword

Say it in more than one place. People skim captions and watch Reels on mute.

Caption The first line Captions cut off after two lines. "Comment PLAN for the 8-week plan" goes first, not at the end.
On screen Text in the first 3 seconds A sticker or text box on the Reel itself, for people watching without sound.
Out loud Say it in the video "Comment PLAN and I'll send it to you." Spell it if it's unusual.
Comments Pin your own comment Pin "Comment PLAN 👇" so it's the first thing people see when they open the comments.
Stories "Reply PLAN to this story" Story replies can trigger a DM too, so your Stories become a second way in.
Expectation "Check your DMs" Depending on their account, the DM can land in Message Requests. Telling people to look saves you lost leads.

Keyword library by niche

Pick your kind of account. Tap a keyword or use Copy to grab a caption, DM or follow-up, then make the words yours.

KeywordsTap to copy
Caption, first line

Want the full chapter notes? Comment NOTES and I'll DM them to you.

Opening DM

Hey! 📚 Here are the chapter notes I promised. Our next batch starts Monday if you want the full course.

Get the notes →
Follow-up, later that day

Did the notes help? Monday's batch has a few seats left. Here's the link if you want in.

Why it works: Free notes or a mini-lesson first, the course link second. Teach, then sell.

Writing the DM that gets the tap

The DM has one job: get the tap on your button. Four parts, in this order, all inside three short lines.

1 Greet "Hey! 💪" Short and in your voice.
2 Deliver Say what you're sending, the thing they asked for.
3 One button Label it with what happens: "Join the plan →".
4 Next step When it starts, what it costs, or what they get.
  • One link, one button. Two links split attention. If you have two offers, use two keywords.
  • Button text says what happens. "Get the notes →" or "Book a site visit →" beats "Click here".
  • Write it the way you talk. The DM comes from your account, so it should sound like your captions.
  • Edit the public reply too. Under each comment, Happilee posts a short public reply like "Sent you a DM 💌". You can change it, so make it sound like you, and vary it across posts.

The follow-up

Some people open the DM, mean to tap and get distracted. A single follow-up later that day, sent only to people who didn't tap, brings many of them back.

  • Give a reason to act now: seats filling up, a price that ends tonight, a free first class.
  • Send one, not three. One reminder is helpful. More starts to feel like spam.
  • Repeat the button. Don't make them scroll up to find the link.
Example. "Still thinking about it? Your first class is free, so you can try before you join. Tap below." with the same "Join the plan →" button.

Mistakes that cost you DMs

Mistake What happens Do this instead
"Comment below for the link" People type "link pls", "send", "me" and nothing matches unless you add each one. Name the exact word: "Comment LINK".
A two-word keyword Followers type it a dozen different ways. One word, or join them: FREEGUIDE.
A common word like YES Friendly comments get a sales DM. A word that only means your offer.
Changing the keyword after posting Early commenters used the old word and get nothing. Pick it before you post and keep it.
Two automations on one keyword The same person could get two DMs. One automation per keyword. Happilee flags overlaps.
Keyword in Hindi or Arabic script It won't trigger. English letters, for example PRICE.
No "check your DMs" line Some DMs sit unseen in Message Requests. Add it to the caption and the public reply.

Keep the keywords that work

For each keyword, look at three numbers: comments, DMs sent and link clicks. Comments tell you whether the hook landed. Clicks tell you whether the DM did. Keep the words and DMs with the best click rate, and retire the rest.

If comments are high but clicks are low, rewrite the DM and its button. If comments are low, the keyword or the reward isn't clear enough, so move it to the first line and say it out loud.

Try your first keyword free

Pick a word, write the DM once, and Happilee sends it to everyone who comments. Unlimited contacts on every plan.

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