Comment-to-DM converter

A public comment reply shows the rest of the audience that you're responsive. A private DM delivers the real value — a link, a coupon, a product recommendation — without cluttering the comment section. This playbook chains both into a single journey.

What you're building

1. A follower comments on a specific post (or any post).
2. Scrollmark replies to the comment publicly.
3. After a short delay, Scrollmark sends a DM with your offer.

Why the comment reply matters

On Meta platforms (Instagram and Facebook), you can only DM a user who has interacted with your account through a supported entry point. A public comment alone doesn't always open the DM window — but your reply to that comment does. The comment reply is both a courtesy and a technical requirement: it signals to Meta's API that a conversation is in progress, unlocking the DM.

Step by step

Create the journey and trigger

Create a new journey and drag a User comments on a post trigger onto the canvas.

• Specific post: pick the post you're promoting. Best for launches, giveaways, or time-limited campaigns.
• Any post: leave the post selector empty. Every comment on every post fires the journey. Pair this with a keyword filter to keep it targeted.

Add a Keywords filter if you only want to respond to comments that contain a specific word.

Reply to the comment

Connect a Reply to Comment action. Write a short, public-facing message:

Thanks for commenting! Check your DMs — sending you something good.

Keep it brief. This is visible to everyone.

Add a time delay

Connect a Time Delay node — 30 seconds to 2 minutes is a sweet spot. Sending the DM instantly after the comment reply can feel jarring. A small pause makes the sequence feel more human.

Send the DM

Connect a Send a direct message action with the real payload — the link, the code, the product card, or a quick-reply menu that qualifies the user further.

Add a spam guard

Drop a Condition → Actions over time check before the Reply to Comment step. "No more than 1 run per user per 24 hours" is a safe default. This prevents the same person from getting the same DM every time they comment.

Publish

Hit Publish. Consider running in Test Mode first if this is your first comment-triggered journey.

Tips

• Don't reply to your own comments. Open Brand Safety from the top bar and add your own username to the Excluded Usernames list for the relevant platform.
• Watch the tone gap. The public reply is visible to the whole audience. The DM is private. Write them as a pair — the comment reply is the teaser, the DM is the payoff.
• Branch in the DM. After the initial DM, add quick-reply buttons that route users to different sub-flows: "Shop now", "Learn more", "Talk to a human". Each button connects to a different downstream path on the canvas.
• Works on Facebook too. The same trigger/action pattern exists for Facebook page posts. Swap Instagram nodes for Facebook ones in the builder.

Related pages

• Journeys — builder basics and templates
• Triggers and actions — Reply to Comment action details
• Keyword-to-DM flow — simpler version without the public reply