Flows for Instagram*

Video Tutorial:

Video in VKontakte

After connecting Instagram* to BotHelp, you can proceed to creating a flow.

If you have not created flows for other messengers in BotHelp before, we recommend studying these instructions.

What can be added to the flow chain

• sending text,
• sending pictures,
• delays,
• conditions,
• actions,
• transitions to another flow,
• launching by keyword,
• launching by mention in a story,
• launching by reaction to a comment,
• launching by reaction to a story,
• responding to a comment under a post,
• URL buttons,
• buttons to go to another step,
• copying the flow,
• sending voice messages (new),
• collecting data through the “User Input” and recording it in the person’s card.

We plan to add:

• sending files,
• testing from the editor,
• actions after payment. At the moment, once there has been a successful payment, messages are not sent, actions are not performed,
• conversion of the flow to other messengers. At the moment, it is only possible to convert from other messengers to the Instagram* flow.

Important: For Instagram* flows there is a 24-hour window within which you can have conversations with people. Each message from a person opens a free 24-hour window for you, in which you can send messages of any content.

How to launch a flow

• key word

Set up keyword automation and communicate this word to your people (in posts, videos, webinars, messages, etc.). The person will send the keyword or phrase to Direct Messages, and the message chain will start.

• Mention in stories

It is also possible to launch a flow if the user mentions you in the story. The way to set it up is described in our article.

• Launching a flow in response to reaction to stories

You can set up “Reactions to stories”. This automation will allow you to launch a flow and perform other actions with people who have responded to the posted stories. Detailed setup is described in this article.

• Launching a flow in response to comment under reels/post

You can set up an automatic response to comments that people leave under your Instagram* posts. The settings are described in this article.

• Checking subscription

In Instagram* flows, you can check if a user is subscribed to your Instagram profile*. You can do this using the “Subscription Verification” condition.

Usage examples

Below are some examples of how to use flows for Instagram.*

1. Checking the click on the link in the message. A simple flow that will send the data of people who clicked on the link in the first message to your email. Those who did not click on the link will be transferred to the agent to continue the conversation.
2. Interactive flow. Interactive content can be implemented using keywords. For example, let’s create two keywords: “gift” and “question”. Let’s add “Flow launch” and “Tag assignment” in the actions for both keywords:In the flow itself, after launching and after checking the tag, the person gets to the desired branch of the chain. If you have written a “gift”, a message is sent. If you have written a “question”, you get into a chat with an agent.
3. A flow with buttons. In this example, there is a URL button and a Transition to another step button. Depending on whether the user clicks on the buttons or not, they will end up in different branches of the chain and will receive different messages.
4. A subscription verification flow. A flow that checks if a person has subscribed to the Instagram* profile. If they have, the flow sends a bonus, if not, it reminds them to subscribe.
5. Sending a voice message.
   In response to the user’s message, you can send a pre-recorded voice message with wishes or a call to action. It is important to follow the restrictions so that everything works:

• • audio file format — mp4, m4a only
  • the file size is up to 25 MB, or better, up to 10 MB.
  • the length of the audio file is no more than 59 seconds

If you upload a large file or choose a different format, the message will not reach the person. Sometimes Instagram* does not accept a file, despite the correct format. In this case, we recommend converting the file to m4a in a free converter, such as this one. Instagram* has a limit on the length of a voice message (59 seconds). Therefore, if you want a message in a chat with a person to be displayed as a “wave” and not as an attached file, then the audio has to be no longer than 59 seconds. You can add a voice message in the flow editor.

Why can the message be clipped and the text highlighted in bold?

When sending a step with buttons to the Direct Messages of the Instagram* account, the message is highlighted in bold and the text is clipped. This is a feature of the Instagram* API. The links in such a message become non-clickable.

For correct display, we recommend dividing such a message into a main text without a button and a short text with a button.

* Owned by Meta, an organization recognized as extremist and banned in Russia.

If you haven’t found the answer to your question, contact us in the chat in your profile or email [email protected] 😃

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