On some accounts, Instagram blocks a button or a card in the first DM to someone who has never messaged you. That person gets an empty chat. Instagram's button rule doesn't block plain text, so switch on Send as plain text on the comment automation, and new commenters get your message instead of an empty chat. It works on every plan, including Free.
What the person sees
They comment your keyword, and a chat with you shows up in their DMs. It's empty: no text, no button, no link.
Why it happens
This comes from Instagram's side. Nothing in Waveloop or your settings switches it on, and nothing is set up wrong. Instagram applies its first DM rule to some accounts and not others, and doesn't explain why.
Waveloop sends plain text straight after a refused button. But each comment gets one private reply, and the refused DM usually uses it up, so that second try often can't get through. Sending plain text first gets past the button rule.
How Waveloop tells you
- A tip in Step 3. A tip about plain text sits at the top of a comment automation's message step. Close it with the X and it won't show again.
- Alerts. When Instagram blocks an automation's button 3 or more times in 7 days and the switch is off, the automation shows Instagram is blocking your button. Home shows Instagram is blocking buttons in your DMs for Live automations of the Instagram account you're in, while someone still has an empty chat.
- The Results card. Under Didn't go through, the row Buttons blocked in a first DM counts these people, with a Send as plain text button that saves at once.
Alerts show even after you close the tip. Close one and it's hidden for 7 days, then it comes back if Instagram is still blocking.
Switch to plain text
- Log in and open Automations.
- Open the comment automation.
- On the Setup tab, open step 3, Set up message.
- Switch on Send as plain text, right under Message type.
- Click Save message.
Or tap Send as plain text on the automation's alert, and it's saved straight away. On Home, Send them as plain text switches every automation the alert lists, in one tap. To go back to buttons, switch it off and save.
What plain text looks like
- A direct DM: your message, with your link at the end. A card goes out as its title, subtitle and link, without the image. On Free, where there's no follow to unlock, this is what plain text sends.
- On Pro, with follow to unlock on: they get your opening message as text, with "Reply LINK and I'll send it right over" where it asked them to tap. Any reply works. Then they get the follow check and your link, and a card goes out as a normal card.
On Free, plain text adds the small Waveloop line after your link. Button and card DMs don't carry it.
Good to know
- People who've commented on your posts before still get your button. Someone already in your Contacts, from an earlier comment on one of your automations, gets your normal message with the button. Someone who has only sent you a DM gets plain text.
- Link clicks still count. With Track link clicks on, the default, the link in your text is a Waveloop tracking link that opens your page, so taps are counted. They show under Link clicks on the Results card, and Sent says how many went out as plain text. With it off, your raw link goes in and taps aren't counted.
- Comment automations only. The switch is on comment automations, where the first DM answers a comment.
If someone still has an empty chat
People who commented before you switched may already have one. Ask them to send you any message, even a "?", within 7 days of their comment. Waveloop then picks up where it stopped, as long as the automation is still Live. They get your DM with the link, or on Pro with follow to unlock on, the follow check first.
Add a line to your public reply, like "Sent. Nothing in your DMs? Message me LINK." Anyone with an empty chat then knows what to do.
Still empty? Work through what to check when someone didn't get your DM, or read Instagram's messaging rules.