Been getting a few DMs asking how I set this up, so figured I’d just write it out properly instead of explaining it one message at a time.
Quick context: “keyword triggers” means someone comments or DMs a specific word (like “PRICE” or “GUIDE”) and it automatically fires off a reply, a DM, or whatever action you want — without you touching anything. That’s the whole magic trick behind half the “comment DEALS below” posts you see.
Here’s how I actually wired it up in Make.com.
Step 1: Connect your Instagram account first
Before touching scenarios, go to Connections in Make and add your Instagram (Business) account. It has to be a Business or Creator account linked to a Facebook Page — personal accounts won’t show up as an option. If you skip this and try to build the scenario first, Make will just keep asking you to authenticate mid-build, which is annoying.
Step 2: Create a new scenario and pick the right trigger module
Search for “Instagram” in the modules list. You’ll see a few options — you want either “Watch Comments” or “Watch Messages” depending on whether you’re catching comments or DMs. A lot of people grab the wrong one here and then wonder why nothing fires.
If you’re doing the classic “comment a word, get a DM” flow, you actually need both eventually, but start with Watch Comments.
Step 3: Add a filter for the actual keyword
This is the part people mess up the most. Don’t try to get clever with the filter logic right away. Just add a simple filter after the trigger:
Text contains → your keyword
Keep it lowercase and check “case insensitive” if Make gives you that option, because “PRICE,” “price,” and “Price 
” are all going to come through and you want to catch all of them, not just the exact match.
Step 4: Add the action — usually “Send a Private Reply” or “Send Message”
Once the filter passes, add your action module. For comments, “Send Private Reply” is the one that actually slides into their DMs — this is what makes the whole thing feel automatic and slick. For direct keyword DMs, it’s just a straightforward “Create a Message” type module.
Write your reply like you’re actually replying to a person. I’ll be honest, my first version sounded like a terms-and-conditions page. Nobody wants that in their inbox.
Step 5: Test it before you trust it
Comment the keyword yourself from a second account, or ask a friend to. Watch the scenario run in real time in Make’s execution log. This step feels tedious but it’s saved me more than once — the first time I built this, my filter was accidentally case-sensitive and it just… never triggered for half the comments.
Step 6: Turn on scheduling and let it run
Once it works, flip the scenario to “Immediately” (real-time) if your plan allows it, or set a short interval like every 1–5 minutes if you’re on a lower tier. Don’t leave it on manual run — that defeats the whole point.
A couple things I’d tell past-me before starting:
Instagram’s API has a 24-hour messaging window, so if someone doesn’t respond to that first automated DM, you generally can’t just message them again later without a specific tag. Plan your flow around that instead of finding out the hard way.
Also — start with one keyword, not five. Get it working clean, then expand. I tried to launch with a whole keyword list on day one and spent more time debugging filters than actually talking to leads.
If anyone’s stuck on a specific part of this setup, drop it below — happy to help troubleshoot since I’ve probably already hit the same wall.