← All posts

Instagram comments to WhatsApp: turn commenters into WhatsApp chats

Published 10 November 2026. By the Autogram team.

A lot of people search for a way to send Instagram comments straight into WhatsApp. Autogram does not do that, and Instagram's official API does not give tools a way to forward the comment itself. What you can do is a handoff.

Someone comments a keyword on your reel or post. Autogram sends them a private Instagram DM, using Meta's official API. That DM has a WhatsApp button. They tap it, and WhatsApp opens a chat with your number, on their phone. You then talk to them in WhatsApp, the way you already close a sale.

How the handoff works

1. They comment your keyword. It can be a word like PRICE or LINK, more than one word, or an emoji like 🔥.
2. Autogram sends one private DM. Instagram allows one private reply per comment, within seven days of that comment.
3. The DM includes a WhatsApp button. The same wa.me link is also written into the message, so they can still reach you if your 3 button slots are already full.
4. Their Instagram handle and the keyword they used are saved as a lead, which you can export as a CSV.

If you want the broader setup, including why a comment sometimes does not fire, see Instagram comment-to-DM automation. This page stays on the WhatsApp handoff.

How to set it up in Autogram

1. Connect an Instagram professional account (Creator or Business).
2. Pick one reel or post, or run it on every post.
3. Set the trigger word or words.
4. Write the DM in your own voice. You can add up to 3 link buttons. In the WhatsApp field, type your number or paste a wa.me link.
5. Optionally add a public reply under their comment, such as “Sent, check your DMs,” so other people see that you answered.
6. Turn it on, then test from a second account before you promote it.

Keyword matching, in plain terms

• Whole word match is on by default. PRICE fires on “PRICE please” but not on “priceless.”
• Capital letters do not matter.
• You can turn whole word match off if you want the keyword to match inside a longer word.
• Words in any language or script work, and so do emoji keywords. It still matches when people mix languages in the same comment, as long as your keyword is in there.

AI replies, and a short chat before WhatsApp

The WhatsApp button can go out in that first DM on any plan. On Creator and Business, you can also let AI answer comments and DMs from your own knowledge base, in the language they wrote in, even when they mix languages. If someone is angry, asks about a payment, or wants a person, the AI steps back and leaves it to you.

On those same plans you can run a short conversation first: ask a question, save an email or phone number, and still include the WhatsApp button in the DM. That is useful when you want a little context before the chat moves off Instagram.

What it costs

The WhatsApp button is on every plan, including Free, which has 1,500 DMs a month. Paid plans are ₹199, ₹449 and ₹899 a month, or ₹1,990, ₹4,490 and ₹8,990 if you pay yearly. AI replies and those branching conversations are on Creator and Business. The full breakdown is on pricing.

Is this allowed on Instagram?

Autogram uses Meta's official Instagram API, the one Meta reviewed for our app. It never asks for your Instagram password. The usual limits still apply, especially the 7-day private reply window and the cap on how many DMs you can send in an hour. We keep those in one place on Instagram DM limits.

If you are comparing tools, Autogram vs ManyChat is the honest side-by-side. ManyChat is stronger when you need many channels in one place. Autogram is the simpler Instagram comment-to-DM path, with a WhatsApp handoff and AI replies paid in rupees.

Questions people ask