Turn comments into DMs. On autopilot.
Drop a reel. Tell people to comment a word. Requex catches it and sends them a DM the moment they do. The same playbook ManyChat charges $15–$45 a month for. Ours starts free.
- No credit card
- Setup in two minutes
- Cancel any time
Quick answer
Instagram comment-to-DM automation watches for a keyword in the comments of a specific reel or post, and sends the commenter a direct message the moment they comment. Requex.me is a Meta-verified business and tech provider that lets you build these rules without code, for free. Supported message types: text, image, and button DMs. The 24-hour message window and 7-day comment-reply limit are enforced automatically.
Why this works
People scroll past links. They don’t scroll past their inbox. That’s the whole reason comment-to-DM became the dominant Instagram playbook in 2024 and didn’t slow down in 2025.
Post a reel. Say “comment FREEBIE for the link.” Hundreds of people comment FREEBIE. Each one gets a DM seconds later with whatever you promised. That is the conversion. The link in bio never enters the picture.
The mechanics are not new. What changed is who is allowed to ship a tool that does it. Meta locked the doors last year. We got verified as a business and an approved tech provider, which means the integration was reviewed and signed off. Plenty of the knockoffs on Google still are not.
What you can build
Three message types cover most of what creators and small brands ask for. Mix and match per rule.
Text DMs
Personalised with the commenter’s handle or what they wrote. The boring everyday case, which is also the one that gets used the most.
Image DMs
Send a PDF preview, a cheat sheet, a discount card. Drop a public URL and Instagram re-hosts the image on its CDN.
Button DMs
Up to three call-to-action buttons. Tap goes to your link. Tracks better than dumping a raw URL into the message body.
Setup, end to end
Most people are sending their first DM about ten minutes after signing up. Most of that is just deciding what to say.
- 1
Connect your account
Open the Instagram dashboard, click Connect. Meta handles the auth, we ask for the minimum scopes. The whole exchange is a redirect and back.
- 2
Pick a post
Your reels and photos load right in the editor. Click the one you want the rule to watch. Comments on other posts will be ignored.
- 3
Set the keyword
One word usually beats a phrase. Case does not matter. Avoid generic words like 'yes' unless you want every comment to fire.
- 4
Write the DM
Type the message. Use {{username}} for a quick personal touch. Add buttons if there’s a click target.
- 5
Save and go
The rule activates immediately. New comments get processed within a few seconds, ours and Meta’s webhooks both being quick.
The rule everyone hits
Meta only lets you DM someone within 24 hours of their last message to you. The first comment-to-DM works because the comment counts as the opener. After that, the clock is running.
That trips up most people the first week. Build a rule, comment from your own account to test it, see the DM arrive. Try the same rule on a 3-day-old comment and nothing happens. It is not a bug. It is Meta’s wall.
Requex checks the window before every send. If you’re outside it, we skip the message and log a note instead of letting Meta strike the account. We also enforce the one-private-reply-per-comment limit and the seven-day comment age limit. None of these are switches in the UI. They are guardrails so nothing you build accidentally gets the integration suspended.
How we’re different from ManyChat
Honest comparison, not a takedown. ManyChat is the category leader. They have features we don’t. Here is where we win and where we don’t.
| Feature | Requex | ManyChat |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes, with usage credits | Yes, but capped to 1,000 contacts |
| Comment to DM | Included on every plan | Pro plan only on most accounts |
| Image DMs | Yes | Yes |
| Button DMs | Up to 3 buttons | Yes |
| Multi-step flows | Coming | Yes |
| Conversation tagging | No | Yes |
| 24h window enforced | Yes, automatically | Yes |
| API & webhooks | Native, this whole site is one | Add-on |
| Meta tech provider | Verified | Verified |
Building flows and tagging? Pick ManyChat. Need a fast keyword rule, don’t want to pay $15 a month, want a Meta-verified provider you can leave any time? Pick us.
Who actually runs this
Creators selling a download
The eBook, the Notion template, the workout PDF. Comment LINK, get the link. The buying friction is gone.
Coaches running discovery calls
Reel about the program, comment CALL, DM with the Calendly link and a one-liner about what to expect.
DTC brands with a discount
Comment SAVE10, DM a one-time code and the product link. Works better than ‘link in bio’, every time.
Small agencies and freelancers
Use it for lead capture on case studies. Comment AUDIT, get a templated DM with the intake form.
Common questions
Do I need a business Instagram account?+
Yes. Personal accounts do not have the API. Switch to business or creator from your Instagram settings, link it to a Facebook Page you own, and you’re set. Takes a few minutes.
Is this against Instagram’s rules?+
No. Comment-to-DM is the use case Meta built the messaging API for. We’re a verified tech provider, which means Meta reviewed our integration and approved it. The rules around the 24-hour window and one private reply per comment are Meta’s, and we enforce them in code so you don’t accidentally cross them.
What happens when a rule runs?+
Webhook fires from Meta when a new comment arrives. Our backend checks if it matches any of your active rules, deducts the credits, posts the reply or sends the DM, and logs the result. End-to-end is usually a few seconds.
What if I run out of credits?+
The rule skips silently and we log a warning in the dashboard. Nothing breaks. Top up and the next matching comment fires.
Can I do multi-step DM flows?+
Not yet. The current build is one rule, one match, one action. Multi-step flows are on the roadmap. If you need branching today, ManyChat is the better choice.
Can I export my data?+
Yes. Disconnect from the dashboard and Meta revokes us, then we delete every token and rule for that account. There’s a deletion confirmation page Meta links to as proof. See the privacy policy for the long version.
What does it cost?+
The first credits are free. After that it’s pay-as-you-go, no monthly minimum. One credit per DM, one per public reply, two for both. We’ll publish the exact rates on the pricing page when paid tiers go live.
Try it on your next post
Connect an account, write one rule, post the reel. Watch the comments come in and the DMs go out. If it doesn’t click, disconnect in one click and forget we existed.
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