Glossary
What is a DM keyword?
A DM keyword is a word or short phrase that triggers a prepared reply when someone sends it to your account in a direct message. A café might answer MENU with today’s menu and HOURS with its opening times. Unlike a comment keyword, it’s sent privately, so it works from your bio, a Story or a sign on the counter.
Updated 6 October 2026
A DM keyword is a word or phrase, such as PRICE or MENU, that sets off an automatic reply when someone sends it to your account in a direct message.
How a keyword reply runs
- You pick the word and write the reply, for example SIZES answered with a size chart.
- You tell people the word: in your bio, a Story, a Reel caption or on a printed card in your packaging.
- Someone sends a DM containing it. Meta passes the message to your automation, which checks it against your keywords.
- The reply goes out within seconds. The person wrote first, so the 24-hour window is open and the reply can carry links, buttons or a product card straight away.
That last step is the practical difference from a comment keyword. A private reply to a comment has to start as plain text with no links or buttons, so comment flows ask the person to reply before anything clickable arrives. With a DM keyword the person is already in the chat, so there’s no extra step.
How matching works
Tools compare messages with your keywords in different ways, and the difference decides which messages get a reply. Take the keyword PRICE:
| Matching style | Replies to | Misses or misfires |
|---|---|---|
| Exact message | “PRICE” sent on its own | “what’s the price?” and “price pls” get nothing |
| Whole word, anywhere | “PRICE” and “what’s the price?” | “prices?” and typos such as “prise” |
| Text anywhere in the message | “prices?” and “price list” | “priceless” and “overpriced” trigger a price list too |
Capitals are the other setting to check, since some tools treat PRICE and price as different words. DMFast matches whole words and ignores capitals, so PRICE also catches “what’s the price?”, and a phrase keyword such as “how much” matches wherever it appears in the message.
Choosing words that work
- Pick words nobody types by accident. YES, HI and THANKS turn up in ordinary chats, so a keyword reply would cut into real conversations.
- Cover the forms people actually send: PRICE, PRICES and COST, or MENU and MENUS, all on the same reply if your tool allows several keywords.
- Keep it short and easy to spell on a phone: one word, no punctuation, nothing autocorrect likes to change.
- Use the exact same word everywhere you promote it. If a Story says SIZE and the bio says SIZES, make both keywords or change one.
- Give each word one job. If FREE starts a giveaway flow, don’t also use it in your price reply.
Tip: Add a fallback for messages that match nothing: a short note listing your keywords, such as “Send PRICE, HOURS or SIZES for an instant answer, or wait and the team will reply.” Send it at most once a day per person so it doesn’t interrupt real chats.
An example
A bike shop’s Story says “DM us SERVICE for prices.” A customer writes “service for a road bike?”; the keyword matches as a whole word, and the reply lists the three service levels with a button to book a slot.
Questions people ask
What’s the difference between a DM keyword and a comment keyword?
Where it’s typed. A comment keyword goes under a post and gets a public reply plus a private message that must start as plain text. A DM keyword is sent privately, so the reply can include links and buttons at once, and nobody else sees the exchange.
Does a DM keyword work if the person doesn’t follow me?
Yes. People who don’t follow you can still message you, and tools connected through Meta’s API can answer chats that start in Requests. Their reply moves the conversation out of Requests and into your General folder.
Can a keyword be more than one word?
Usually. Phrases such as “how much” or “book a table” work in most tools, but the message has to contain them as written, so short phrases match more reliably than long ones. Add a single-word version too, such as BOOK.
Why didn’t my keyword reply go out?
Check how your tool matches first: a plural, a typo or different capitals can stop it. Then check the automation is switched on, and whether the person was already partway through another automated conversation, which often takes priority. Some tools also limit how often one person gets the same reply.
Can I set up DM keywords without an app?
Yes. Meta Business Suite’s inbox includes custom keyword replies for messages to your Facebook Page and Instagram account, at no cost. Connected apps can add longer flows, email capture or a follow check before the reply.
Sources
Related terms
- Inbox automationInbox automation is a set of rules that act on incoming DMs by themselves: replying, asking follow-up questions, labelling chats or handing them to a person.
- Follow gateA follow gate holds back what an Instagram auto-reply promised, such as a link or a free guide, until the person follows the account that sent it.
- Private replyA private reply is a single DM that an Instagram professional account or Facebook Page sends someone because of their comment, within 7 days of it.
- Quick repliesQuick replies are up to 13 buttons attached to a business’s message. Tapping one posts its words as the person’s reply, and the buttons disappear.
- Ice breakersIce breakers are up to four frequently asked questions a business shows in its Instagram or Messenger chat. Tapping one starts the conversation.
- ChatbotA chatbot is software that answers messages automatically, either by following rules you set, like keywords and buttons, or by writing replies with AI.
More terms
Comment-to-DM, without writing code
DMFast runs on Meta’s official APIs: someone comments your keyword and gets a reply and a DM in seconds. It works from ChatGPT and Claude too. Free plan, no card.
Start free