Ask people to follow before the DM unlocks

An optional per-rule follow request can ask the person to follow and confirm before continuing. Treat the status check as conditional—not reliable follower verification for every commenter or a promise of audience growth.

Illustrative workflow—not a delivery guarantee

1. Customer action: A supported incoming event reaches the connected account.
2. Configured action: Repli checks the rule and attempts the configured response.
3. Owner review: Inspect the actual result before assuming the next step completed.

Required account permissions, recipient eligibility and Meta limits still apply. A matching event or public reply is not proof of a delivered DM.

Test the optional gate

1. Configure the ordinary comment rule: Select the relevant resource and enable the optional follow-request setting; it is not part of account connection onboarding or the Live handler.
2. Explain the condition: Write clear relevant wording and test the confirmation interaction with another account.
3. Review status and delivery: Inspect the status-check outcome and actual resource send separately. A confirmation accepted after an unavailable check is not verified follower status.

Sources

• Instagram comment moderation and Live events — Meta for Developers
• Private replies — Meta for Developers
• Instagram messaging API — Meta for Developers
• Instagram user-profile access and consent — Meta for Developers

Related guides

• Comment-to-DM automation — The core keyword-to-DM flow.
• Instagram lead generation — Collect details inside the DM.
• Instagram DM funnel — Multi-step DM journeys.
• Pricing — Plans and limits.

Why teams choose Repli

• Optional per-rule follow-request setting
• Explain the condition before asking for action
• Follower status can be unavailable or delayed
• Review actual delivery separately from confirmation

What you get

Follow request

Configure the relevant resource and clear request. This optional resource flow is not Repli’s account-connection onboarding.

Conditional status check

Available API profile data can depend on consent and account permissions. A comment alone does not establish profile-read consent.

Unknown status

The implementation can allow continuation when verification is unavailable. Do not represent the gate as strict enforcement that only verified followers receive content.

Customer confirmation

A confirmation interaction and a successful resource send are different results. Test both and respect message eligibility.

Use cases

Optional resource request

Explain the follow condition and share a maintained resource through the eligible flow; no guaranteed follower conversion.

Existing audience

Where status is available, a follower can skip the request. Test the real account path rather than assuming every commenter is readable.

A follow check is not available for every commenter

Meta’s profile-read consent and field availability matter. A public comment does not automatically grant user-profile access; status can be unknown, delayed or refused.

Repli’s fallback can allow continuation when a status check cannot verify the person. Therefore the feature cannot promise “only verified followers receive the resource.” Do not equate a fallback or confirmation tap with an authoritative follower record.

Clear conditions are not blanket marketing consent

Explain what the person is requesting and keep the response relevant. A follow, public comment or confirmation tap is not permission for unrelated promotions forever.

Official API use is not blanket Meta approval of every campaign mechanic. Review current promotion and messaging rules, do not automate follows or scrape profiles, and test the real recipient path before promoting the resource.

Frequently asked questions

Is follower verification always reliable?

No. Profile consent, permissions, field availability and delay can prevent verification. The fallback can allow continuation, so this is not strict verified-followers-only delivery.

Does the person have to follow Repli to connect their account?

No. Repli’s Instagram connection onboarding does not require following Repli. This page describes an optional resource automation configured by the account owner.

Does following authorize unlimited DMs?

No. A follow is not an open-ended messaging permission; ongoing sends must remain eligible and relevant.

Does a comment open an ongoing DM conversation?

No. An initial private reply to a comment is separate from the ordinary messaging window. The person must reply before an ongoing sequence can continue, and ordinary automated messages must remain within the eligible 24-hour window.

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