---
title: "Launch a Product with Instagram DMs: Day-by-Day Plan"
description: "Launch a product, course or drop on Instagram. A waitlist keyword collects emails for three weeks, then a launch keyword sends your checkout link by DM."
url: "https://creatorflow.so/learn/launch-campaign"
language: "en"
---

[Free Instagram DM automation course All lessons](https://creatorflow.so/learn)

Lesson 3 of 200 of 20 done

**Course contents Lesson 3 of 20**

[Module 2 · Campaigns](https://creatorflow.so/learn#module-2)

# Launch a product with Instagram DMs

Lesson 3 of 207 min read

In this lesson you will

- Build a waitlist from Instagram comments before launch day
- Send your checkout link by DM to everyone who asks on launch day
- Close the launch on time and keep late commenters for the next one

To launch a product with Instagram DMs, collect a waitlist for two to three weeks, then sell for five to seven days. Before launch, the keyword WAITLIST sends your email sign-up page by DM. On launch day, SHOP sends the checkout link and the end date.

## The campaign at a glance

A course creator, a candle shop and a fitness coach all run this launch the same way.

| Part | Your launch |
| --- | --- |
| Goal | Sales in the first week, from people who asked to hear first |
| Best for | A course, an ebook, coaching, a new product or a drop |
| Length | 2 to 3 weeks of waitlist, then 5 to 7 days of sales |
| Posts | 3 or 4 a week before launch, then 1 a day in launch week |
| Keywords | WAITLIST before launch. SHOP or the product name in launch week |
| What the DM sends | The waitlist sign-up, then the checkout link and end date |
| CreatorFlow features | Comment-to-DM, Story replies, Email Gate, Rewind |
| Plan | Free sends the links. Email Gate, Rewind and link tracking need Pro or Growth |

## Day by day

Pick the launch date first. Every step below counts from it.

1. 1
   ### 21 days before: open the waitlist
   Build a WAITLIST automation before your first post. The DM sends your email tool's sign-up page. On Pro or Growth, Email Gate collects the email in the chat instead.
2. 2
   ### 21 to 8 days before: teach the problem
   Post three or four times a week about the problem your product solves. Each post asks for WAITLIST and gives one free tip.
3. 3
   ### 7 days before: get the sale ready
   Create the checkout link and a launch price with a fixed end date. Post a carousel of what is inside, with WAITLIST.
4. 4
   ### 3 days before: tell the waitlist
   Email the list the price and the opening time. Post a countdown Story that asks people to reply WAITLIST.
5. 5
   ### Night before: build the SHOP automation
   Build it on **Next post or reel**. Post nothing else before the launch post, or the automation attaches there.
6. 6
   ### Launch day: email first, then post
   Email the waitlist in the morning, then post with SHOP in the first caption line. Test the DM from a second account.
7. 7
   ### Days 2 to 5: answer the doubts
   Post a look inside, a question from your DMs and a buyer's words (ask first). Each post gets its own SHOP automation.
8. 8
   ### Last day: close on time
   Post in the morning and add an evening Story with the end time. Do not extend the price.
9. 9
   ### Day after: send people to the next round
   Change the SHOP DM to the next waitlist, so late commenters join the list.

## Instagram launch posts and captions to copy

Copy and change

Waitlist ReelI am making the meal plan I wish I had last year. Comment WAITLIST and I will send you the early list.

Problem post You shop for healthy food on Sunday and order pizza by Wednesday. Here is the first fix. Comment WAITLIST for the full plan.

Countdown Story The meal plan opens Friday at 18:00 CET. Reply WAITLIST to hear first.

Launch post, first line The meal plan is open. Comment SHOP and I will DM you the link and the launch price.

For new viewers Do not follow me yet? Check your message requests.

Last day Last day. The launch price ends tonight at 20:00 CET. Comment SHOP for the link.

## Launch DMs to copy

Copy and change

WAITLIST The meal plan opens on Friday 6 March at 18:00 CET. The email list hears first. Tap the button for a free sample week.

WAITLIST (Story) Here is the waitlist page. The meal plan opens on Friday at 18:00 CET, and the list hears first.

SHOP Here is the meal plan. The launch price is \[price\] until Sunday at 20:00 CET. Tap See the plan for everything inside.

SHOP (after) The launch has closed. Join the waitlist for the next round, and you will hear first.

No Email Gate? Write "Join the list on this page, and I will email you first" in the WAITLIST DM.

## Mistakes

- **Opening sales with no list**
  Collect the waitlist for at least two weeks. People rarely buy a product the first time they hear of it.
- **Sending the waitlist to the sales page**
  Before launch, send the sign-up page. People who are not ready to buy still join.
- **Planning a reminder DM**
  CreatorFlow cannot message the list later. Reminders go by email, from your email tool.
- **Posting before you build**
  Build the automation first. If people commented before it started, Rewind on Pro and Growth sends them the DM.
- **A new keyword halfway**
  People who saved your first post type the first word. Keep one word for the whole launch.

## After the campaign

- **Check** DMs Sent for each automation, and Link Clicks on Pro and Growth. A different code for each post shows which post sold.
- **Change or pause** the SHOP automation the day after, so no one gets an old price.
- **Keep** WAITLIST running on your best post, pointed at the next round.
- **Email** people who did not buy a few weeks later, with something smaller. Export them from Contacts as CSV on Pro and Growth.

In CreatorFlow

## Set it up in CreatorFlow

Two comment automations carry the launch. The Story one is optional.

![Instagram chat where a person sends LINK and gets an automatic reply](https://creatorflow.so/images/how-it-works/write-dm.webp)

1. 1
   ### Build the waitlist automation
   Open **My Content**, pick a waitlist post and press **Set up Automation**. Type WAITLIST and the product name. Repeat for each waitlist post.
2. 2
   ### Add the email step
   On Pro or Growth, choose **a DM asking for their email** in Step 3. On Free, put your sign-up page on the link button. See [the email list lesson](https://creatorflow.so/learn/email-gate).
3. 3
   ### Build the launch automation
   The night before, pick **Next post or reel** in Step 1 and type SHOP. Write the price, the end time and one button. Press **Start Automation**.
4. 4
   ### Add the Story ask
   Before the countdown Story, set a Story automation on your next Story, with the keyword WAITLIST and the waitlist link. Pause it on launch day. See [the Story funnel lesson](https://creatorflow.so/learn/story-automation).
5. 5
   ### Test both from a second account
   Comment each keyword from another account and tap every button on a phone.

Practice

## Your task

1. 1
   Pick your launch date and the end time of the launch price.
2. 2
   Build the WAITLIST automation on your next post.
3. 3
   Post your first waitlist Reel and comment WAITLIST from a second account.

You are done when your second account gets the waitlist DM and the button opens your sign-up page.

[Open CreatorFlow](https://creatorflow.so/login)

## Key points

- Collect a waitlist for two to three weeks, then sell for five to seven days.
- WAITLIST sends the sign-up page. SHOP sends the checkout link with the end date.
- CreatorFlow cannot message the list later, so you write to it by email.

## Questions

**How long should an Instagram product launch take?**

Plan two to three weeks of waitlist and five to seven days of sales. If most followers do not know you yet, give the waitlist more time.

**Can CreatorFlow send a DM to my waitlist on launch day?**

No. CreatorFlow replies when someone comments, replies to a Story or sends a keyword. It cannot message a list later. Collect emails with [Email Gate](https://creatorflow.so/learn/email-gate) and email the list from your email tool.

**Do I need a paid plan for a launch?**

No. Comment-to-DM, Story replies and keyword DMs are on Free, with 500 DMs a month. Email Gate, Rewind, link tracking and CSV export are on Pro and Growth.

Go deeper: [How to launch an online course](https://creatorflow.so/blog/how-to-launch-an-online-course/), [An Instagram course launch funnel](https://creatorflow.so/blog/course-creator-instagram-launch-funnel/), [Warming your audience before a launch](https://creatorflow.so/blog/warm-up-audience-before-launch/), [Build an email list from Instagram DMs](https://creatorflow.so/learn/email-gate).

Last updated November 4, 2026