# Turn Instagram Comments into Booked Consultations using Manychat > Reply to every GUIDE comment in seconds: build a Manychat automation with a booking button and a tag. Free lesson for small professional firms. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/manychat-instagram-comments-to-consultations · Updated 2026-10-13 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) ## Practice it step by step [Start the free practice](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/manychat-comments-to-consultations) You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Manychat. It checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, about 18 minutes, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Open full screen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/manychat-comments-to-consultations) Free · Live now · [AI Automation for Marketing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/industry/marketing) · Manychat · Instagram · ~18 min · 41 steps · Beginner Updated October 13, 2026. Built against the tool’s current screens and checked step by step. [How we check this lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about#how-we-check) Small accounting, consulting and coaching practices post useful tips on Instagram, and the people who comment 'GUIDE' or 'how much for a consult?' are warm leads. The problem is the reply: it happens when someone remembers, often a day later, and by then the person has moved on. Manychat is a chat [automation](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/automation) tool that replies to a keyword comment with a direct message in seconds. In this free lesson you use a practice copy to price what unanswered comments cost, then build the automation: a trigger on one post, a message with a booking button and a checklist button, a tag for the people who want a call, and a preview. Everything is left as a draft that is switched off, and the lesson ends there. ## At a glance | Question | Answer | | --- | --- | | What you build | Price what unanswered Instagram comments cost a small firm, then build a Manychat automation: someone comments GUIDE, gets a direct message with a booking button and a checklist button, and is tagged so you can follow up. Preview it, and leave it as a draft that is switched off. | | Tools | Manychat | | Time | About 18 minutes, 41 steps in 9 parts | | Level | Beginner, no coding needed | | Cost | Free | | Ways to learn it | [Practice it step by step](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/manychat-comments-to-consultations) | ### The 9 parts, in short 1. The cost of unanswered comments: Count the comments nobody answered, Put a price on it, Meet Manychat. 2. Start an automation: Open Automation, Click New Automation, Choose Start From Scratch, Start from a blank canvas. 3. Name it and set the trigger: Rename the automation, Give it a clear name, Add the trigger, Pick Post or Reel Comments, and 6 more steps. 4. Write the DM: Open the Send Message step, Write the message, Add a button, Name the button, and 2 more steps. 5. Tag the interested people: Turn on Additional actions, Click Done, Open the Actions step, Click + Action, and 4 more steps. 6. Add the checklist button: Go back to the message, Add the second button, Name it, Choose Open website, and 2 more steps. 7. Preview it, never live: Click Preview. 8. Before you go live: When you are ready. 9. What this saves you: Read what this saves you, See the next business case. **Start here first:** [Build an n8n AI Agent That Plans Your Content Calendar](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-content-calendar) (module 1 of AI Automation for Marketing) **Part of:** [AI for Marketing Teams](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/paths/ai-for-marketing) (step 7 of 11). Next up: [Plan a Week of Social Posts in One Sitting using SocialBee](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/socialbee-plan-a-week-of-social-posts) **Part of:** [AI Apps Worth Knowing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/paths/partner-tools-ai-apps) (step 14 of 17). Next up: [Protect Your Sender Reputation Before a Big Send using no2bounce](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/no2bounce-clean-email-list-sender-reputation) ## The business case: what unanswered comments cost a small firm Picture Ravi, who runs Menon Tax & Advisory, a made-up three-person tax and bookkeeping practice. Every week he posts a short tax tip on Instagram. People comment 'GUIDE' to get a checklist, or ask 'how much for a consult?'. In October, 18 people asked and 11 got no reply for a full day. Nobody decided to ignore them. It was a busy week, and a comment is easy to miss. Here is the arithmetic, with example numbers you should replace with your own. Say a new client is worth $2,400 in the first year, and one in ten of those commenters would have become a client if they had been answered quickly. Eleven quiet comments is then about 1.1 clients, or roughly $2,640 of work every month, and $31,680 a year. The firm did not need more attention on Instagram. It needed a reliable first reply to the attention it already had. Manychat gives that first reply. When someone comments a keyword on your post, it sends them a direct message, with a link and a next step, within seconds. You decide what the message says and what the buttons do. ## Who this is for, and what you need to start Owners and partners of small accounting, tax, consulting, coaching and design practices who post on Instagram and want comments to lead to booked calls. You need an Instagram professional account connected to Manychat. You do not need any technical background. Manychat has a free plan. In the Free account we tested, the dashboard showed a free contacts limit of 25. On that plan, the comment trigger works on one specific post or reel, while the All Posts and Next Post options, the Condition, Randomizer and Smart Delay steps, Instagram Ads triggers, the Data Collection block (for collecting emails and phone numbers) and AI Step all showed an Upgrade tag. Link buttons show people a redirection page for two seconds on the free plan. Manychat's pricing changes, so check its pricing page before you plan around any one feature. ## Triggers, keywords and the public reply A trigger is the event that starts an automation. For Instagram, Manychat lists a comment on a post or reel, a Story reply, a direct message, a share of your post as a Story, an ad click, and a comment on a live video. This lesson uses a comment on one specific post. Keywords are not case-sensitive, so 'guide' and 'GUIDE' both start the automation. You can also list words to exclude. Manychat suggests three short public replies it picks from at random, such as 'Check your DMs'. They tell everyone else reading the comments that replies are coming. You can turn them off. Manychat also has a short quick-setup wizard for a comment-to-DM automation, reached from the Templates window. The wizard is faster, but the free plan locks its 'ask for their email' option, and the full builder shows every piece, so the lesson uses a blank canvas. ## Buttons, tags and the booking link A button turns a message into a next step. In the lesson, the first button opens a booking page, which can be Calendly, Microsoft Bookings or a contact page on your site, and the second opens your checklist. The lesson uses placeholder addresses, so use your own. A tag is a label on a contact. By adding the tag when someone taps the booking button, you can later filter your contacts for everyone who asked for a call, and follow up by hand. On the free plan, the booking page itself is where the person gives their email address, because Manychat's Data Collection block is on a paid plan. ## Manychat AI and email capture: paid features, not in this lesson Manychat AI (beta for Instagram) can reply to follow-up questions in DMs, reply to nice comments in your tone, and steer replies toward a goal. In the Free account we tested, AI Step showed an Upgrade tag, and Manychat AI starts from a Get Manychat AI button. The lesson does not cover it. Check Manychat's pricing before you plan around it, and always read what an AI writes before you let it talk to real people. Email capture (the Data Collection block) also showed an Upgrade tag, so the lesson sends people to a booking page that asks for their email. ## What this saves you - Lost comments: everyone who comments the keyword gets a reply in seconds, including at 11pm on a Sunday. In the example, the quiet comments were worth about $2,640 a month. - Typing the same reply: the message, the checklist link and the booking link are written once. - Chasing: everyone who tapped the booking button carries a tag, so a follow-up list is one filter. - Guessing: Preview shows the message before anyone sees it, and a draft stays off until you set it live. - What it does not do: it does not book the call for you, it does not collect an email on the free plan, and it does not replace reading what the AI writes. ## What we checked in a real account Every step in the lesson was done in a real Manychat Free account with Instagram connected, on 12 October 2026: the Templates window, the blank canvas, the Post or Reel Comments trigger with a keyword, the Send Message step with two buttons, the Actions step with a new tag, and Preview. The automation was saved as a draft and was never set live. The lesson stops there on purpose. It does not teach a live DM, the public reply, the tag on a real contact or the Test tab, because they were not tested. Test it with your own account before you click Set Live. ## Next business case: collect the email address Once comments get a reply, the next gap is capturing the email address of the people who are not ready to book a call, so you can send the checklist and follow up by email. Manychat's Data Collection block is built for that and is on a paid plan. A lesson on capturing an email, and what to do on the free plan, is the natural next step. ## Links - [Manychat](https://manychat.partnerlinks.io/lktz8yr5w0le) (affiliate link): the chat automation tool this lesson teaches. It has a free plan, and our test account showed a limit of 25 contacts. Check Manychat's pricing page for current limits. - [Manychat pricing](https://manychat.com/pricing): current plans and limits. Check which plan includes each feature before you rely on it. - [Manychat help centre](https://help.manychat.com): Manychat's own guides for triggers, buttons, tags and Instagram setup. Disclosure: links marked "affiliate link" are partner links. If you sign up through one, Stepthrough may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The lesson is free either way and does not depend on it. ## Try it yourself, free Reading the steps is a start. Doing them is how it sticks. The interactive module walks you through every click in a practice copy of Manychat, checks each step, and never touches your real accounts. [Start “Turn Instagram Comments into Booked Consultations using Manychat”](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/manychat-comments-to-consultations) ## Step by step: Turn Instagram Comments into Booked Consultations using Manychat All 41 steps of the interactive module, in order. In the module you watch each one, then do it yourself in a practice copy that checks your work. ### 1. The cost of unanswered comments 1. **Count the comments nobody answered.** Ravi Menon runs Menon Tax & Advisory, a three-person tax and bookkeeping practice. Every week he posts a short tax tip on Instagram. People comment things like “GUIDE” or “how much for a consult?”. This month 18 people asked. Click the row that shows **11 with no reply in a day**. Ravi runs a three person tax practice. Every week he posts a short tax tip on Instagram. People comment, asking for the checklist, or asking for a price. This month, eighteen people asked. Eleven of them got no reply for a full day. 2. **Put a price on it.** Say a new client is worth **$2,400** in their first year, and **1 in 10** of those commenters would have become a client with a quick reply. Eleven quiet comments is about **$2,640 a month** of work, or $31,680 a year. These are example numbers, so swap in your own. Click the **total**. Say a new client is worth twenty four hundred dollars in the first year. And one in ten of those people would have become a client, if someone had replied fast. Eleven quiet comments is about twenty six hundred forty dollars of work, every month. That is thirty one thousand dollars a year. These are example numbers, so use your own. 3. **Meet Manychat.** Manychat is a chat automation tool for Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and more. When someone comments a keyword on your post, it can send them a direct message, with a link and a next step, within seconds. It has a **free plan** (in our test account it showed a limit of 25 contacts). Click the **Manychat** card. Manychat answers comments for you. Someone comments a keyword on your post, and Manychat sends them a direct message in seconds. It works with Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and more. It has a free plan. In our test account, the free plan showed a limit of twenty five contacts. ### 2. Start an automation 4. **Open Automation.** This is Manychat’s home screen, with your Instagram account connected. The menu runs down the left. Click **Automation**. This is the Manychat home screen. Your Instagram account is already connected. The menu runs down the left. 5. **Click New Automation.** This list holds every automation. Manychat added one called **Instagram Default Reply**, and it is **Stopped**. Click **New Automation**. This list holds all your automations. Manychat already made one, called Instagram Default Reply. It is stopped. 6. **Choose Start From Scratch.** Manychat offers ready-made templates. We will build our own so you see every piece. Click **Start From Scratch**. Manychat offers ready made templates. We will build our own, so you see every piece. 7. **Start from a blank canvas.** The first option, **Post or Reel comment**, opens a short quick-setup wizard. The last one is the full builder. Click **Start from a blank canvas**. The first choices open a short wizard. We want the full builder. ### 3. Name it and set the trigger 8. **Rename the automation.** The new automation is called **Untitled** and its status is **DRAFT**. A draft is never live. Click the **pencil** next to the name. The new automation is called Untitled, and its status is Draft. A draft never sends anything. 9. **Give it a clear name.** Type **Tax checklist: GUIDE comment** and press Enter. Tax checklist, colon, GUIDE comment. 10. **Add the trigger.** The left box says **When…**. A trigger is the event that starts the automation. Click **+ New Trigger**. The left box says, When. A trigger is the event that starts the automation. 11. **Pick Post or Reel Comments.** Manychat lists the triggers for Instagram: a comment on a post, a Story reply, a direct message, a share, and more. Click **Post or Reel Comments**, “User comments on your Post or Reel”. Manychat lists the triggers for Instagram. A comment, a story reply, a direct message, and more. User comments on your post or reel. 12. **Pick the post.** Step 1 of 3: which post or reel should this watch? Your recent posts show as small pictures. On the free plan you pick **one specific post or reel** (All Posts and Next Post need an upgrade). Click the post you want. Step one of three. Which post should this watch? Your recent posts show as small pictures. On the free plan you pick one specific post. 13. **Continue.** Click **Continue**. 14. **Add a keyword.** Step 2 of 3: what should start the DM? Choose **Specific Keywords**, then click **+ Keyword** under “Comments include these Keywords”. Keywords are not case-sensitive. Step two of three. What should start the message? Keywords are not case sensitive. 15. **Type the keyword.** Type **GUIDE** and press Enter. GUIDE. This is the word your followers will comment. 16. **Continue.** Click **Continue**. 17. **Keep the public reply and Save.** Step 3 of 3: should Manychat also reply under the comment? Manychat suggests three short replies it picks from at random, like “Check your DMs”. That tells everyone else that replies are coming. Leave **Yes** and click **Save**. Step three of three. Should Manychat also reply under the comment? It suggests three short replies, like, check your D Ms. That tells everyone else a reply is coming. Leave it on yes, and click Save. ### 4. Write the DM 18. **Open the Send Message step.** The trigger is saved. On the right is a **Send Message** step that sends an Instagram message “As private reply”, which is the DM to the commenter. Click it. The trigger is saved. On the right is a Send Message step. It sends the message as a private reply, which is a direct message to the person who commented. 19. **Write the message.** Type the message. **{{first_name}}** is replaced with the person’s first name. Hi {{first_name}}! Thanks for asking for the Year-End Tax Checklist. Tap below to get it, or book a free 20 minute call. Write the message. Say hello with their first name, say what you are sending, and give them two choices. 20. **Add a button.** Buttons turn a message into a next step. Click **+ Add Button**. Buttons turn a message into a next step. 21. **Name the button.** Type **Book a free call**. Name the button. Book a free call. 22. **Choose Open website.** Under “When this button is pressed”, Manychat offers Instagram, AI Step, Open website, Perform Actions and more. **Condition**, **Randomizer** and **Smart Delay** show an **Upgrade** tag. Click **Open website**. When the button is pressed, Manychat offers a list. Condition, randomizer, and smart delay need an upgrade. 23. **Paste your booking link.** Type your booking link. We use a placeholder: **https://example.com/book-a-call**. Use your own Calendly, Microsoft Bookings or contact page. Now the booking link. Use your own scheduling page. For the lesson, a placeholder is fine. ### 5. Tag the interested people 24. **Turn on Additional actions.** Under the link, **Additional actions** lets the same button also change something about the person. The note on the free plan says people see a redirection page for 2 seconds. Switch **Additional actions** on. Under the link, there is a switch called additional actions. It lets the same button also do something to the contact, like add a tag. On the free plan, people see a short redirect page for two seconds. Switch it on. 25. **Click Done.** A new orange **Actions** step appears on the canvas, joined to the button. Click **Done**. A new orange Actions step appears on the canvas, joined to the button. 26. **Open the Actions step.** Click the **Actions** step. 27. **Click + Action.** The side panel says “Perform following actions”. Click **+ Action**. The side panel says, perform following actions. 28. **Choose Add Tag.** Manychat lists actions under Contact data: **Add Tag**, Remove Tag, Set User Field and more. Click **Add Tag**. A tag is a label, so you can find everyone who asked for a call. Under contact data, Manychat lists the actions. Add tag, remove tag, set user field, and more. A tag is a label. It lets you find everyone who asked for a call. 29. **Type a new tag name.** Click the tag box and type **Consultation interest**. No tag with that name exists yet. Consultation interest. No tag with that name exists yet. 30. **Click + Tag.** Manychat says “No Tag with such name is found” and offers **+ Tag**. Click **+ Tag**. Manychat says no tag with that name is found, and offers Plus Tag. 31. **Create the tag.** Manychat asks you to create it. Click **Create**. Manychat asks you to create the tag. ### 6. Add the checklist button 32. **Go back to the message.** Now add a second button for the checklist itself. Click the **Send Message** step. Now a second button, for the checklist itself. 33. **Add the second button.** Click **+ Add Button** again. 34. **Name it.** Type **Get the checklist**. Name it. Get the checklist. 35. **Choose Open website.** Click **Open website** again. 36. **Paste the checklist link.** Type the link to your checklist file or page. Placeholder: **https://example.com/year-end-tax-checklist.pdf**. A placeholder is fine for now. 37. **Click Done.** Click **Done**. The message now has two buttons, and the first one also tags the person. The message now has two buttons. The first one also tags the person. ### 7. Preview it, never live 38. **Click Preview.** Before anything goes live, click **Preview** at the top. A phone appears on the right with the message exactly as a follower would see it. Nothing is sent. The big blue **Set Live** button is what turns an automation on, so leave it alone until you have tested with your own account. Before anything goes live, click Preview. A phone appears on the right, with your message as a follower would see it. Nothing is sent. The blue Set Live button is what turns an automation on. Leave it alone, until you have tested with your own account. ### 8. Before you go live 39. **When you are ready.** This is where the hands-on part ends: the automation is built, saved as a draft and previewed. When you are ready, click **Set Live** in the builder. From then on, when someone comments the keyword on that post, they get the DM and the booking button. Manychat AI and email capture need a paid plan, so they are not part of this lesson. Click the phone to finish. This is where the hands on part ends. The automation is built, saved as a draft, and previewed. When you are ready, click Set Live in the builder. From then on, when someone comments the keyword on that post, they get the message and the booking button. Manychat A I, and email capture, need a paid plan, so they are not part of this lesson. ### 9. What this saves you 40. **Read what this saves you.** Ravi’s notes after his first week. Click the **What this saves you** box. Here are Ravi’s notes after his first week. 41. **See the next business case.** Click the **Next business case** box. And the next business case. ## Frequently asked questions **What is Manychat?** Manychat is a chat automation tool for Instagram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other channels. It can reply to a comment or a direct message automatically, for example by sending a link when someone comments a keyword. **Is Manychat free?** Manychat has a free plan. In the Free account we tested, the dashboard showed a free contacts limit of 25. Some features, such as the All Posts trigger, Condition steps and the Data Collection block, showed an Upgrade tag. Check manychat.com/pricing for current limits. **How do I send a DM when someone comments a keyword on Instagram?** In Manychat, open Automation, click New Automation, start from a blank canvas, add a Post or Reel Comments trigger, pick the post, add the keyword, then write the Send Message step. The automation stays a draft until you click Set Live. **Can I test a Manychat automation without messaging real followers?** Yes. A new automation is a draft and does not run. The Preview button shows the message on a phone mockup without sending it. Manychat also has a Test tab, which messages a connected account, so use your own account. Click Set Live only after testing. **Can I collect an email address with Manychat on the free plan?** In the Free account we tested, the Data Collection block and the 'ask for their email' option in the quick setup both showed an Upgrade tag. On the free plan you can send a button to a booking page or form that asks for the email. **Does Manychat have AI?** Manychat AI is in beta for Instagram and can answer questions in DMs. In our free account AI Step showed an Upgrade tag, and the lesson does not cover it. Check Manychat's pricing before you plan around it, and read what any AI writes before you rely on it. **Is this lesson free, and has it been tested in the real Manychat app?** The lesson is free and the practice copy needs no account. Every step was done in a real Manychat Free account with Instagram connected, and the automation was left as an unpublished draft. The lesson ends there, so it does not teach a live DM, the public reply or the tag on a real contact. 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[All 10 modules in AI Automation for Marketing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/industry/marketing) ## Terms in this lesson Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [Automation](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/automation) · [Win rate](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/win-rate) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Browse related tutorials [AI for Marketing (10)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/industry/marketing)