Start a flow when someone comments

For agents

Guide: Start a flow when someone comments

This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-starts/start-a-flow-when-someone-comments

Topic: Flow starts

Time: about 4 minutes

Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager

Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)

Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox

Result when done: A flow that starts on a comment under any post, chosen posts or your next post, with or without keywords.

Context: The comment start listens under your posts and reels (and your ads, see the guide on ads). It decides which posts count and which comments count; the steps after it decide what happens. A comment flow is special in one way: until the person taps or replies, the only things it can do are on the comment itself, because Meta allows one private reply per comment and nothing else before they answer.

Before you start

1. Instagram and Facebook both: on Instagram it reads Post or reel comments, on Facebook Post or ad comments.

2. Your moderation rules still run on every comment.

3. A comment flow must reply in public, reply in private or hide the comment, or it cannot go live.

Steps

Step 1 of 5: Open a flow and pick the start.

Where: Automation, then New automation and Start from a blank canvas; the window Start automation when… lists the Triggers. On Instagram the comment start reads Post or reel comments (Someone comments on your post or reel); on Facebook, Post or ad comments. To change the start of a flow you already have, click its first card and press Change beside Starts with.

Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-starts.en.webp (Start automation when…: every start of the page.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-starts-phone.en.webp (The starts on a phone.)

You should see: The start lands as the first card, and the panel on the right, Trigger, opens its settings.

Step 2 of 5: Choose which posts.

Where: Trigger panel, On which posts: Any post or ad, Ads only, Posts and reels only, Pick posts, or Your next post. Pick posts shows your posts; Search captions or paste a post link finds an older one. Your next post waits for the next post you publish and binds itself to it.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-start-comment.en.webp (On which posts, with the posts to pick from.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-start-comment-phone.en.webp (The same choice on a phone.)

You should see: The start card reads the choice; with Your next post it says it is waiting for your next post until you publish one.

Step 3 of 5: Choose which comments.

Where: Trigger panel, Which ones: Any comment, Has a keyword, or Is exactly. Type a keyword and press Enter; up to 50 keywords of up to 80 characters each. Capitals don't matter, and accents on Latin letters are ignored.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-start-comment-more.en.webp (Which ones: the keywords as chips.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-start-comment-more-phone.en.webp (The keywords on a phone.)

You should see: The keywords appear as chips and the card says it contains any of them.

Step 4 of 5: Say how often one person can start it.

Where: Trigger panel, How often per person, under the keywords: Every time, Once ever, Once a day or Once a week. Someone who already went through it is skipped quietly. A comment start also offers Once per post.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-start-comment-more.en.webp (How often per person.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-start-comment-more-phone.en.webp (How often per person on a phone.)

You should see: A second comment from the same person follows the rule you picked.

Step 5 of 5: Add what happens on the comment.

Where: The Steps panel's last group, On the comment: Private reply (the one DM Meta allows per comment), Public reply (under their comment, for everyone) and Hide the comment. Wire at least one after the start; everything after the private reply's tap runs in the chat.

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-palette-more.en.webp (On the comment: Private reply, Public reply and Hide the comment, at the end of the Steps panel.)

Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-palette-more-phone.en.webp (The same group at the end of the Add step sheet.)

You should see: Once one of them is wired, the pill stops saying Add a private reply, a public reply or a hide after the trigger.

If something is off

Problem: It does not start on a comment with the keyword in it

Fix: A keyword must be a whole word: "hi" is not found in "this", and "link" does not match "linkedin". The common endings of a Latin word match (price matches prices).

Problem: It cannot go live: Add a private reply, a public reply or a hide

Fix: A comment flow must do something on the comment. Wire one of the On the comment steps after the start.

Problem: A message step will not connect after the start

Fix: Meta allows nothing in the chat until the person taps or replies. Put a Private reply first, and wire the message to its way When they tap or reply.

Common questions

Question: Does a keyword match inside a longer word?

Answer: No. A keyword must be a whole word, so "link" does not match "linkedin". A Latin keyword also matches its common endings, so "price" matches "prices" and "priced".

Question: Do keywords work in Arabic, Chinese or Japanese?

Answer: Yes. Keywords work in scripts without spaces, such as Chinese, Japanese and Thai, and in Arabic with prefixes attached.

Question: Can it start on a post I have not published yet?

Answer: Yes. Choose Your next post: the flow waits, and the moment you publish, comments on that post start it.

Question: How many keywords can one start have?

Answer: Up to 50, each up to 80 characters.

Related guides

Start a flow from comments on your ads: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-starts/start-a-flow-from-comments-on-your-ads

Send the private reply: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-steps/send-the-private-reply

Reply under the comment: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-steps/reply-under-the-comment

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-starts/start-a-flow-when-someone-comments.md

All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt