> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hamla.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Turn Instagram comments into contacts

> Reply automatically when someone comments or DMs a keyword, and capture their details with consent.

You post something. Twenty people comment "price?" — and they're stuck there. You can't email them, you can't message them later, and by the time you reply by hand they've moved on.

An auto-reply fixes the gap. Someone comments a keyword, Hamla replies within seconds, and offers to send them the details — which is how they become a contact you can actually reach.

## Posting and auto-replying are different things

The reference table lists both, and they sound the same. They aren't:

|               | Instagram Post       | Instagram Auto-Reply             |
| ------------- | -------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| Who starts it | You                  | Them                             |
| When it runs  | When you schedule it | Whenever someone comments or DMs |
| What it's for | Reaching followers   | Catching people who reacted      |

You want both, and they do opposite jobs. Posting is a broadcast. Auto-reply is the thing standing at the door when someone knocks.

## What you need

* **Instagram connected** — a business or creator account
* **The Starter plan**
* **A post worth commenting on.** An auto-reply with nothing to reply to does nothing

Facebook Messenger works the same way if you'd rather start there.

## Set it up

> Set up an Instagram auto-reply for people who comment "price"

Pick keywords people actually type. Real ones, in the language they use:

* `price`, `كم`, `السعر`
* `link`, `رابط`
* `available`, `متوفر`

Broad beats clever. Someone typing "how much??" should be caught by the same rule as "price".

## What actually happens

1. Someone comments your keyword
2. Hamla replies in the comments — short, public, so others see the thread is alive
3. It also sends them a DM with the real answer
4. The DM asks whether they'd like updates. **If they say yes, they become a contact**

That fourth step is the point. A reply answers one person once. Consent gives you someone you can include in a campaign next month.

Consent is not optional and not implied. Hamla asks, and only saves the contact if they agree — messaging people who never opted in is how accounts get restricted.

## Say something worth reading

The DM is the whole thing. Answer the question, then give a reason to say yes.

Weak:

> Thanks for your interest! Check the link in our bio.

Better:

> It's 249 SAR and in stock — here's the link. Want me to message you when it's back in your size?

Direct answer, then an offer they'd actually want. Ask Hamla for that:

> Rewrite the DM to give the price directly and offer restock alerts

## Launch it

> Launch the Instagram auto-reply

Confirmation card, your click, live. Then it sits on your account and reacts on its own.

Unlike a campaign that sends and finishes, this one stays armed until you pause it.

## Check on it

> How is the Instagram auto-reply doing?

The number that matters is **contacts captured**, not replies sent. Lots of replies and no contacts means the DM answered the question and gave them no reason to stay.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Recover abandoned carts" href="/how-to/recover-abandoned-carts">
    What to do with the contacts once you have them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="What Hamla connects to" href="/reference/connections">
    Connecting Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and the rest.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>