The opening DM with a button, and why it matters

When a campaign starts from a comment, its first DM is special. Facebook and Instagram call it a private reply, and they set two rules:

• You can send one message to someone who only commented, within 7 days of the comment.
• You can send more only after they answer: a tap on a button, a quick reply, or a message of their own. From then on you can message them for 24 hours after their last tap or message.

So if your first DM is the discount code and nothing else, the campaign has nowhere to go after it. Nobody can be reminded, asked for an email or checked for a follow.

The pattern that works

Make the first DM a short invitation with a button that waits for a tap. The templates all do this:

1. Public reply: "Sent! Check your messages."
2. Send DM: "Hi! Tap below and we will send your discount code." with a Send my code button.
3. Send DM (after the tap): the code and a Shop now link.
4. Anything else you like: a wait, a "Clicked the link?" branch, one reminder.

The tap opens the conversation, which is why step 3 and everything after it are allowed.

Set up the button

1. Click the first Send DM card.
2. Under Buttons, click Add a button, type a label (up to 20 characters) and set it to Continue.
3. Turn on Wait for their tap. The next steps now run only once they tap.
4. Under If they do not tap, give up after, pick up to 23 hours.

A Continue button needs Wait for their tap turned on, and the board tells you if one is missing. Quick replies work the same way: any of them counts as the tap.

People who never tap

Beside the card, the small + labeled "If they do not answer in 23 hours" starts a No answer lane. Most people tap within minutes, so leave it empty to end quietly, or add a step that sends nothing (a tag, a Send to a person) to keep track of them. Another DM on that lane would be a second message to someone who has not answered, which Facebook and Instagram do not allow.

When Instagram does not show the buttons

On the very first message after a comment, Instagram may show the text without its buttons. The board warns about this on the card: "If Instagram does not show the buttons, they can reply to continue". A reply of any kind counts as the tap, so write the message so it still makes sense, for example "Reply YES or tap below and we will send your code".

Other triggers do not need this

When the person messaged you first (a DM keyword, a story reply, your chat link, an ad that opens a chat), the conversation is already open and the first DM can carry the code straight away.