What is a private reply on Instagram?

Instagram doesn't let apps message people out of the blue. So how does a tool send a DM to someone who only left a comment? Through a private reply: a message Instagram allows because that person commented first.

What exactly is a private reply?

It's a DM sent in response to a comment, using that comment as the reason for the message. Meta's rules say an app can send one to someone who commented on a professional account's post, reel, story, ad or Live (Meta: Private replies).

The comment itself stays public. The private reply is a separate message that only the commenter sees.

What does the commenter see?

A normal DM from your account, with a link to the post they commented on, so they know what it's about.

Where it shows up depends on whether they follow you:

• They follow you: in their main inbox.
• They don't follow you: in their message requests, which many people rarely open.

That's why captions and public replies often say "check your DMs" or "check your message requests".

What are the rules?

All of these come from Meta's documentation on private replies:

For the wider limits on automated messages, see Instagram's rules for automated replies and DMs.

How does CommenSense use it?

When someone comments a keyword your automation is looking for, the first message CommenSense sends them is the private reply. If your automation is a single message, that's all they get, usually within seconds.

If the automation has extra steps first, such as a message with a button to tap, a request to follow you, or a question asking for their email, the first of those uses the private reply. When the person taps or answers, that response opens the conversation, and CommenSense can send the rest. If they never respond, Instagram's rules stop any more messages.

CommenSense also posts your public reply under their comment, if you set one, only after that first message has reached them, so "check your DMs" is always true.

Can I DM people who never commented?

No. Apps can only message people who contacted your account first: by commenting (a private reply), or by sending you a message or replying to your story (and then only within 24 hours). There's no way, in CommenSense or any other tool using Instagram's official API, to message a list of people who haven't been in touch.

Common questions

Why did someone say they never got the DM? Most often it's in their message requests because they don't follow you. It can also be that the comment didn't match your keyword, or that Instagram refused delivery because of the person's own message settings. See why didn't my automation reply or send a DM?

Is a private reply the same as replying to a comment? No. A comment reply is public, under the comment, for everyone to see. A private reply is a DM. CommenSense can do both for the same comment.

To set one up, see how to send an automatic DM when someone comments.