Instagram DM Automation With Claude and Blotato
You’ve already done the hard part: getting someone interested in your content. Sending them the resource they asked for shouldn’t become another job.
Instagram DM automation lets you turn a keyword comment into a useful next step. I built a workflow with Claude and Blotato that sends my tools page when someone comments TOOLS. Here’s how to build your own, test it, and keep it organized as you grow.
Start with one keyword and one useful resource
The basic workflow is simple: someone comments or messages a keyword, Blotato recognizes it, and they receive a DM with the resource you promised. My example sends people to my recommended business tools.
You can use the same approach for a checklist, product page, webinar registration, or guide. Make the promise specific: “Comment TOOLS and I’ll send you my recommended tools” tells people exactly what to expect.
What Claude actually does
Claude creates and manages the workflow through Blotato’s MCP connector. Think of MCP as the connection that lets the two tools work together.
This setup still uses keyword triggers. It doesn’t automatically understand and answer every Instagram conversation. You decide the offer and message; Claude handles the setup; Blotato runs the automation.
Connect Instagram and Blotato to Claude
You need a Claude account, a connected Instagram account, and a paid Blotato plan with MCP access.
As checked in October 2026, Blotato’s pricing page lists Starter at $29 per month with 1,000 active contacts per month across DMs and comment replies. The trial excludes API access, and Blotato confirms MCP requires a paid plan. Don’t expect the trial to run this exact workflow.
1. Connect your Instagram account
In Blotato, open Settings, choose the Instagram connection, and complete authorization. Confirm that the correct profile appears before moving on.
2. Add the Blotato connector in Claude
Open Blotato’s API settings and follow its Claude connection instructions. In Claude, open Settings or Customize, then Connectors, and add a custom connector. The current server URL is https://mcp.blotato.com/mcp. Complete authorization and confirm Blotato appears in your connectors.
Use the official Blotato MCP instructions if the interface differs. Claude’s custom connector documentation currently allows one custom connector on Free accounts.
Once connected, ask Claude to list your available Blotato accounts. Check the Instagram profile before creating anything. You can sign up for Blotato here.
Build your first comment-to-DM automation
Choose one keyword, one destination, and where the trigger should work. A specific post is useful for a single campaign. Any post or reel suits an ongoing resource you mention regularly. An incoming DM trigger gives people another way to request it.
A prompt you can copy and adapt
Using Blotato, create an Instagram automation for [INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT]. When someone comments [KEYWORD] on [POST URL], send a DM saying “[YOUR SHORT MESSAGE]” with a button labeled “[BUTTON TEXT]” linking to [RESOURCE URL]. Show me the trigger, message, and destination so I can check them.
Replace every bracketed item with your details. To match my example, use TOOLS as the keyword, allow it on any post or reel, and send your tools page. If you also want incoming DMs to trigger it, say that explicitly.
Keep the reply useful and short: “Here’s the tools list you asked for. Start with the category that solves your biggest bottleneck.” Then add the link button.
Open Automations in Blotato and inspect what Claude created. Check the account, keyword, post scope, message, button, and destination. A confident response from Claude is a starting point; the saved workflow is what you need to verify.
Choose a follow gate or an email gate
Blotato also lets you add a step before delivering the resource: ask someone to follow your account or provide an email address.
My recommendation is to optimize for one goal at a time. You can combine both gates, and I demonstrated that setup, but asking for two things adds friction. Use separate campaigns when you want to pursue different goals.
Use a follow gate for audience growth
A follow gate makes sense when the resource connects closely to what you regularly publish. Explain the benefit of following, then deliver what you promised when they complete the step.
Update [AUTOMATION NAME] to ask people to follow [ACCOUNT] before receiving [RESOURCE URL]. Keep the message short and explain that I share [CONTENT TOPIC]. Do not add an email gate.
Use an email gate for useful follow-up
An email gate suits a guide or resource that leads naturally into an email relationship. In my demonstration, PROMPT delivers a prompt guide.
Create a Blotato automation for [ACCOUNT]. When someone comments or DMs PROMPT, ask for their email before sending [GUIDE URL]. Explain what they will receive and what email follow-up they are signing up for. Do not add a follow gate.
Your message should make the exchange clear. Collecting addresses is only useful when you have something relevant to send next.
Test the whole experience before promoting it
Once you’ve checked the configuration, confirm the automation is live in Blotato. Then test from another Instagram account using the actual post and keyword.
Does the intended comment or DM trigger the workflow?
Does the reply match the promise in your post?
Does the button open the correct page on your phone?
If you added a gate, does completing it deliver the resource?
If you collect an email, can you find the test contact?
If the DM doesn’t arrive
Check the connected account, live status, trigger type, selected post, and keyword first. A comment-only workflow won’t respond to a DM unless you configured that trigger too.
If Claude cannot reach Blotato, check the connector authorization and paid-plan access. If the workflow runs but the resource doesn’t arrive, inspect the gate and destination link. Change one thing at a time, then repeat the same test.
Don’t judge success only by comments. Track whether people reach the resource and take the next step you actually care about, such as subscribing or booking a call.
Keep leads and keywords organized as you grow
When I used ManyChat, managing dozens of automations made it difficult to remember which keywords I had already used. Opening workflows one by one was wasted effort.
With Claude connected to Blotato, I can ask which automation uses a keyword. You can also request a simple inventory:
List my Instagram automations in Blotato. Show each keyword, trigger location, destination link, status, and follow or email gate. Flag anything you cannot verify.
Move collected emails into your follow-up process
Ask Claude to retrieve the email addresses collected by the relevant automation over a specified period and organize them into a CSV. Review the export before importing it into your email platform.
A webhook or another connected tool can automate that transfer, but those are additional integrations. You don’t need them to test your first workflow.
If you manage leads in Gmail, my Streak CRM tutorial explains how to organize deals and follow-ups. Collecting the lead and managing the relationship are separate steps worth planning.
Expand to Facebook after Instagram works
I also used Claude to recreate the workflow for Facebook. Connect the Facebook account in Blotato first, specify the target account, and test the copied automation independently.
Is this a useful ManyChat alternative?
Claude and Blotato are worth evaluating if you want to build keyword-based Instagram DM automations through plain-English requests. The appeal is simpler setup and management, especially when you have several resources and keywords to track.
That doesn’t establish that it replaces every ManyChat feature. Compare it against your actual workflows, contact volume, and integrations before moving everything over. Start with one campaign and prove that it works for your audience.
The best fit is a creator, freelancer, or solopreneur who already has useful content and wants a reliable way to deliver the next step. Automation handles the repeatable delivery. You still create the offer and help people when they need a real answer.
Final takeaway
Start with one resource people want, one clear keyword, and one tested workflow. Once that works, decide whether a follow gate or email gate serves your goal. Build a system you can understand and maintain.
Ready to turn interested comments into a useful next step? Set up your first automation with Blotato and follow the walkthrough above. Remember that the Claude connection requires a paid plan.
For more practical automation tutorials, subscribe to the Solopreneur YouTube channel.
Kevin Fernando
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