Integrate Instagram with Laylo so you can automate DMs, capture fan signups, and grow your audience.
🖥️ Connect Instagram to Laylo (desktop only)
Before you connect
Make sure the following are set up correctly:
Instagram account type. Your Instagram must be a Business or Creator account. To switch: Set up a business account on Instagram.
Allow message access. In Instagram, go to Settings → Privacy → Messages → Connected Tools and enable Allow Access to Messages.
Link Instagram to a Facebook Page. Meta requires this connection to enable messaging features. See Create a business portfolio in Meta Business Suite and Business Manager.
How to connect
In your Laylo dashboard, go to Settings → Integrations.
Click Connect Instagram.
Follow the Meta prompts — accept all requested permissions, and make sure your Instagram is linked to the correct Facebook Page.
✉️ Set up keyword-triggered DMs (Stories)
Let fans DM you a keyword (like "Tickets") to sign up to your Drop. Make sure to create a Drop first.
Go to your Drop and navigate to the Advanced tab.
Add your desired keyword — you can add up to 5.
Promote the keyword in your content (e.g. "DM me 'RSVP' for early access").
When a fan sends that keyword, they'll receive an automatic DM asking for their phone number or email. Once they complete the signup, they're registered for that Drop.
[SCREENSHOT 1 — Drop Advanced tab showing the DM keyword field]
💬 Set up comment-triggered DMs (Posts & Reels)
💡 Add-on feature: $15/month. To activate, go to Billing → Add Instagram Comments.
Send an automatic DM to fans who comment on a specific Instagram post.
Go to your Drop and navigate to the Advanced tab.
Enable Instagram Comments.
Select the Instagram post you'd like to activate the feature on.
When a fan comments on that post, they'll receive an automatic DM asking for their phone number or email. Once they complete the signup, they're registered for that Drop.
[SCREENSHOT 2 — Instagram Comments toggle and post picker on the Advanced tab]
🎯 Segment by Instagram engagement
Target fans based on how they've engaged with you on Instagram — useful for messaging the people already commenting on your posts or tagging you in their stories.
Who you can target:
Commented on a Post — anyone who's commented on any of your Instagram posts or reels
Mentioned you in a Story — anyone who's @tagged you in an Instagram story
In your Laylo dashboard, go to Messages → Compose.
Open the filter/segment panel and click the Conversions tab.
Under Social engagement, select Commented on a Post or Mentioned you in a Story (you can include or exclude).
Finish composing your message — it will only send to fans who match.
Social engagement filters appear only when Instagram is connected.
⚠️ To track Story Mentions, Instagram must be connected via Facebook. If you connected directly through Instagram, reconnect via Facebook in Settings → Integrations.
Every commenter and story mention also appears on the fan's profile timeline, so you can see an individual fan's Instagram engagement history alongside their other activity.
🎟️ Multidrop fan routing (tour pages)
Use Multidrops with Instagram to drive fans directly into their local city's presale or ticket link, just by having them DM a keyword or comment on a post.
When a fan engages with your Post, Reel, or Story:
They'll get an automatic DM from Laylo
Inside that DM is a scrollable carousel of all your tour stops
Their closest city appears first
If tickets are on sale, they'll go straight to purchase
[SCREENSHOT 3 — Multidrop tour carousel inside an Instagram DM]
📈 Engagement ads strategy
Meta supports Engagement ads that prompt users to DM you — an effective way to capture Instagram opt-ins through direct interactions, and to grow your fanbase and CRM automatically.
In Laylo, go to your Drop and add a DM keyword under the Advanced tab.
In Meta Ads Manager, set up an Engagement Ad with your DM keyword as the call to action — see How to set up an Engagement/DM Ad.
When someone taps the ad, they'll be prompted to send that keyword via DM.
They'll receive an automatic DM asking for their phone number or email, and once they complete the signup they're registered for that Drop.
💡 This is a seamless way to convert cold traffic into fully opted-in fans — right from the ad click.
⚙️ Recommended Instagram settings
To ensure delivery, we strongly suggest updating these settings in the Instagram app.
Turn OFF FAQs — Profile → Settings → Account type and tools → Messaging tools → Frequently Asked Questions → off.
Note: to toggle FAQs off, you may first need to add one. Create a test FAQ, then toggle the setting off.
Turn ON Story Replies — Profile → Settings → Messages and Story Replies → Story Replies → "Allow from Everyone".
Turn ON DMs from Anyone — Profile → Settings → Messages and Story Replies → Message Controls → "Message Requests".
🛠️ Troubleshooting
Set Instagram to a Business or Creator account
To connect Laylo to Instagram, your account must be Business or Creator: Profile → Settings → Account → Switch to Professional Account. Once converted, create a Meta Business Portfolio at business.facebook.com.
Use the recommended Instagram settings
For Laylo to properly deliver messages and connect with fans, your Instagram account needs the recommended settings above.
Allow message access
Make sure message access is enabled so Laylo can reach fans: Instagram Settings → Messages and story replies → Message requests → Allow Access to Messages.
Meta Business Portfolio check
If your Instagram/Facebook accounts aren't showing, review your Meta Business Portfolio and make sure everything is linked and published.
Messages are being delivered twice
Disconnect your Instagram.
Connect it again with Facebook.
Disconnect it via Facebook.
Connect it again with Instagram.
DMs aren't sending — another app controls your conversations
Instagram only lets one app at a time control a conversation thread. If another tool — a chatbot, an inbox platform, or an app you used before Laylo — is set as the primary receiver for your DMs, Laylo's replies are rejected by Instagram and your fan gets nothing.
Signs this is happening:
Instagram still shows as Connected in Laylo
Fans DM your keyword and get no reply at all
It affects every fan, not just some of them
You recently used, or migrated away from, another Instagram DM tool
How to fix:
Disconnect any other Instagram DM or inbox tools you're no longer using.
In Meta Business Suite, open your Instagram conversation routing settings and set Laylo as the default routing app.
Under Advanced Messaging, turn off "Take control of conversations" for every other connected app.
Under Handover Protocol, remove any assigned Primary Receiver for Instagram.
Send yourself a test DM with your keyword to confirm replies are flowing again.
Reconnecting Instagram in Laylo will not fix this on its own — the permission lives in your Meta settings, not in Laylo. It can persist even after the other tool has been removed, so it's worth checking the routing settings directly.
Instagram app caching issue
Some Instagram DM users experience Instagram mobile app lag after mass DM blasts.
Laylo's Instagram API is fully Meta-approved and has no rate limits, so you are by definition approved to route unlimited DMs without account flagging or negative marks. That said, there can be so much immediate engagement after a mass DM moment that it overloads the cache in your phone's Instagram app. This is isolated to the mobile app on your phone.
A few tips:
Disconnect your Facebook Business connection from Laylo and connect via Instagram instead.
Delete and re-download the Instagram mobile app. This clears the cache and immediately resumes normal activity.
business.instagram.com and the browser version of instagram.com do not have this caching issue, so you can still post, DM, comment and manage your account while your phone's cache catches up.
Delay your mass DM messages to go out a few minutes after your scheduled post or announcement, so the key Instagram app posting is done before any caching issue.
To reiterate: Laylo's Meta integration is fully Meta-approved and, although annoying, there is no account flagging or negative effect on your account. We are in ongoing communication with Meta's integrations team to resolve it.