Manually responding to purchase inquiries hours later is ineffective because social media users' interest is fleeting. An automated, instant response strikes while the user's emotional impulse and buying intent are at their peak, dramatically increasing the likelihood of conversion before they scroll past and forget.
Telling users to 'click the link in bio' actively instructs your most interested audience members to stop engaging with your content (liking, commenting, saving) and navigate away. This lack of engagement from interested parties signals to the algorithm that the post is not valuable, reducing its reach.
There's a critical difference between third-party tools that are 'allowed' via API and those, like ManyChat, that are 'Official Meta Partners'. This partner status implies a deeper level of collaboration, trust, and weekly communication with Instagram's team, reducing the risk of platform policy violations or technical issues.
DM automation isn't just for sending users to a sales page or blog. It can be used for engagement-focused activities like running polls, interacting with your audience in unique ways, or simply serving them better. This makes it a valuable tool even for creators who don't rely on driving off-platform traffic.
Effective DM automation isn't about creating complex, multi-step chatbots that try to anticipate every user response. The most authentic and user-friendly approach is to automate only specific, pre-defined keywords. This leaves 99% of DMs for genuine human interaction, avoiding a spammy or overwhelming user experience.
While DM automation benefits accounts of all sizes, it has a more significant relative impact on smaller accounts. A few extra comments generated by an automation can double the engagement on a small account's post, a far more substantial algorithmic signal than a few extra comments on a post that already receives thousands.
To achieve maximum story views, post a Single, Text-heavy story and let all others expire. The high text volume increases watch time as users read. The final and most crucial step is a call-to-action using DM automation (the 'D'), which generates DMs—the most potent form of engagement for boosting story reach.