Launch your first journey
Build a DM keyword journey from a template, test it, and flip it live.
A journey is a multi-step automation — someone does something on one of your connected accounts, and Scrollmark reacts. A DM lands with the word "DROP," you send them a link. A comment mentions "price," you reply with a pricing page.
This page walks through building your first one from a template. We'll use Keyword in Bio because it's the fastest way to prove the system works end-to-end.
What we're building
A journey that watches your Instagram DMs. When someone sends a message containing a keyword you pick, Scrollmark replies with a pre-written message. That's the whole thing — one trigger, one action, live in about three minutes.
Why start with a template?
Templates are pre-wired journeys you customize in place. You can build from scratch later — for your first one, copying a template and editing the copy is the fastest path to "hey, it actually worked."
Before you start
- At least one Instagram Business account connected via Accounts
- A keyword you don't use in regular conversation —
DROP,LINK,ACCESS, or something brand-specific
Build it
Open Journeys
Sidebar → Automation → Journeys. Scrollmark routes you to the Journeys page for your most recently used account. If you have multiple accounts, use the account switcher at the top.
Browse the templates
Click Templates (or Create from template, depending on where you are). Scrollmark ships with a handful of Instagram templates — Keyword in Bio, Convert your Commenters, Collect Leads, and Respond to Comments.
Pick 'Keyword in Bio'
It's the template labelled Collect inbound leads by asking people to DM you a keyword. Click it to open the preview, then Use this template.
Name your journey
Give it something you'll recognize in a list — Welcome DM — DROP or
Link in bio keyword. You can rename it later.
Customize the keyword and reply
The template opens in the flow builder with placeholder messages like "Here's the link to sign up for our loyalty program: [link]". Replace them with your own copy and your own link. Keep messages short — Instagram aggressively filters anything that reads as spam.
Save as draft
Journeys save as Draft by default. Nothing runs yet — you're just building.
Flip it live
When the copy looks right, switch the journey status from Draft to Live. From that moment on, every DM containing your keyword triggers the reply.
Test it for real
Open Instagram on your phone, DM your own business account with the keyword, and watch the reply land. This is the single best test — the full round-trip, on a real device, with a real account.
Put the keyword in your bio
The template is named Keyword in Bio for a reason. The whole play is: put a line in your Instagram bio that says "DM us 'DROP' for early access" and let the journey do the rest. Without the bio line, nobody knows to send the keyword.
Other starter triggers worth knowing
The DM keyword journey is the most reliable first build, but the flow builder supports several other triggers out of the box:
| Trigger | What it reacts to |
|---|---|
| User sends a message | Any DM, or a DM matching a keyword, email, phone, etc. |
| User comments on a post | Comments on a specific post or any post |
| User replies or reacts to a story | Story reply DMs |
| User tags me in a post | Native post tags |
| User mentions in a story | Story mentions from other accounts |
| User mentions me in caption | Caption-level mentions |
Each trigger has its own template in the library. Start with one, get comfortable, then layer more in.
Testing before you go live
Before flipping any journey to Live, run through this short list:
Re-read every message out loud
If it sounds awkward to say, it'll read worse in a DM.
Check every link
Paste each link into a browser. Broken links are the #1 embarrassment.
Confirm the trigger account is correct
Multi-account tenants: double-check the account switcher at the top. The journey only runs for the account selected when you built it.
Test with your own DM
Send the keyword from a real phone. Confirm the reply lands as expected.
What's next
- Bring your team in. Invite teammates and give them access to Journeys.
- Measure it. Head to Analytics to see how your journey is performing in aggregate.
- Get more ambitious. Browse Playbooks for end-to-end recipes that combine journeys with other Scrollmark features.