Your 30-day Instagram DM automation plan
In this lesson you will
- Know which automation to build in each of the four weeks
- Plan the post that goes with each week's automation
- Review the month with a checklist and pick what to keep
To plan your first 30 days of Instagram DM automation, build one new automation each week and keep the earlier ones running. Week 1 is your first automation and a test, week 2 answers your most repeated question, and week 3 grows an email list or followers. Week 4 is a short campaign and a review of the month.
Your Instagram DM automation plan, week by week
Each week adds one automation. The ones from earlier weeks keep running. By day 30 you have three or four automations that people use, and one campaign behind you.
| Week | Build | Post | Lesson |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A comment automation for the link people ask for most. Test it from a second account. | One Reel or post with the keyword in the first caption line | Your first automation |
| 2 | A keyword DM reply for your most repeated question, such as PRICE or BOOK | The DM keyword in your bio and at the end of one Reel | DM question funnel |
| 3 | An email list or a follower funnel on one free thing | A post that offers the free thing for a keyword | Email list or followers |
| 4 | A campaign with its own keyword and an end date, then a review | Three to five posts and Stories about one offer | Launch, sale and review |
One a week lets you see which keyword people use before you add the next one. Three to five automations is enough for a month. With twelve keywords, you forget which post asks for which word.
What to build and post each week
Lena posts quick dinner Reels and sells a small cooking class. This is her first month.
- 1
Week 1: your first automation and a test
Find the link people ask for most in your comments. Build a comment automation with one keyword that names it, such as RECIPE. Build it the evening before you post, so the first comments get the DM. Test it from a second account, because CreatorFlow ignores your own comments. Then post with the keyword in the first caption line.
- 2
Week 2: your most repeated question
Read last week's DMs. The question you answered three times or more gets a keyword DM reply. The keyword is the noun in the question, such as PRICE, SIZE or BOOK. The reply gives the answer in two sentences and one link button. Add the word to your bio, and say it at the end of one Reel.
- 3
Week 3: an email list or more followers
Pick one free thing you make once, such as a checklist or a 5-day plan. Put it behind a keyword. Email Gate asks for an email before the link, and Follow Gate asks for a follow. Pick the one you need more. Both are on Pro and Growth. Send your first email to the new list before the week ends.
- 4
Week 4: a campaign and a review
Pick one offer with a start and an end, such as a launch, a sale or an event. Give it a new keyword. Post about it three to five times and repeat the word in Stories. On the last day, pause the automation or change the DM to say the offer ended. Then review the month.
Lena's four DMs
Keyword list template for your first month
Keep one line per keyword in one note, with the word, what the DM sends, where it runs and its status. Read the list before you build a new automation.
Copy and change
A DM keyword watches every DM you get, so use each DM word in one automation only. When an offer ends, change the DM and its link to what replaced it. Never give an old word to a new offer, because old captions still ask for it.
A check at the end of each week
- Every automation you built shows Active in Automations
- DMs Sent on Home went up in the days after your post
- You read the comments and added any form of the keyword people typed, such as RECIPES
- You tapped each link button on a phone, and each page opens
- You changed one thing only, and you noted what and when
- Offers that ended are paused
On Pro and Growth, also read Link Clicks. On Free, compare DMs Sent with your own sales, such as a discount code named after the post. Measure and improve shows how.
Your month at day 30
| Check | On plan |
|---|---|
| Live automations | Three or four that people use |
| Your most repeated question | Answered by a keyword DM reply |
| Free thing | Behind a keyword, with Email Gate or Follow Gate if your plan has them |
| Campaign | Ended on its date, with its automation paused or changed |
| Next month | One post type you will make more of |
Small numbers are fine in month one. Zero live automations at day 30 is the one problem that does not fix itself. Build one today.
Practice
Your task
- 1
Write your four keywords in the keyword list, one for each week.
- 2
Build the week 1 automation and test it from a second account.
- 3
Put the start and end dates of your week 4 campaign in your calendar.
You are done when your week 1 automation shows Active and your second account got the DM.
Open CreatorFlowKey points
- Build one automation a week and keep the earlier ones running.
- Week 1 sends a link, week 2 answers a question, week 3 grows a list, week 4 runs a campaign.
- Check every week, change one thing, and pause offers that ended.
Questions
Can I follow this plan on the Free plan?
Yes, for weeks 1, 2 and 4. All three triggers are on Free, with 500 DMs a month. Email Gate and Follow Gate are on Pro ($15 a month) and Growth ($30 a month), with a 14-day trial. On Free, send the week 3 free thing with no gate.
What if my posts get few comments?
Fix the caption before the automation. Put the keyword in the first line, ask for one word and name what people get. The lesson on more comments has the plays.
I posted before I built the automation. What now?
New comments get the DM from the moment you press Start Automation. On Pro and Growth, Rewind sends the DM to people who commented in the last 7 days, never to someone who already got it.
How many automations should I have after a month?
Three to five. Keep a keyword list, and pause what you do not use.
What should I do in month two?
Make more of the post type that brought the most DMs. Run one more campaign, and read the playbook for your kind of account.
Go deeper: Your first 30 days with CreatorFlow, Five automations to build in your first week, Why you test from a second account, A keyword system for many offers.
Last updated November 4, 2026