📸 Instagram DM & Automation
This module covers the management of Instagram Direct Messages, Story Mention triggers, Comment-to-DM automation, and known feed sync behaviours.
Coming Soon
We are currently finalizing the technical protocols for Instagram Commerce Flows and Story Mention triggers.
🛠️ Planned Sections:
- IG DM Automation: Setting up keyword-based auto-replies.
- Story Mentions: How to trigger a coupon flow when a user tags the brand.
- Comment-to-DM: Converting public post engagement into private sales.
If you have an urgent Instagram integration query, please reach out to the Onboarding Team or check the #marketing-tech channel on Slack.
Feed Sync — Known Behaviours & Troubleshooting
Collaboration Reel Not Appearing on Dashboard
Symptom: A client reports that a specific Instagram Reel is not showing up on the dashboard feed, even though it is visible on their Instagram profile.
Root Cause: The reel is a Collaboration (Collab) Reel — a reel that was originally posted from a different Instagram account and the client's account was tagged as a collaborator. Instagram's API attributes collab reels to the account that originally posted them, not to the collaborating account.
Our feed sync process fetches content exclusively from the primary Instagram account connected to the dashboard. Since a collab reel is owned by the original poster's account, it is not returned when we query the connected account's media — and therefore it will not appear on the dashboard.
This is expected behaviour and not a bug.
How to identify a Collab Reel:
- Open the reel on Instagram. The author line will show two account names (e.g., "brandaccount · heerachchal saga").
- The reel was initiated and posted by the second account (the collaborator's account), not the primary brand account.
Resolution Steps:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm with the client that the reel was posted as a collaboration and not directly from their connected Instagram account. |
| 2 | Check the author field on the reel — if it shows a secondary account (e.g., "heerachchal saga") as the original poster, the reel belongs to that account. |
| 3 | Explain to the client that our feed sync fetches content only from the primary connected Instagram account. Collab reels owned by external accounts are not included. |
| 4 | Do not raise a CRB for this scenario — it is expected behaviour confirmed by the tech team. |
Use the following explanation when responding:
"The reel you mentioned is a Collaboration Reel, which means it was originally posted from a different Instagram account. Our feed sync fetches content only from the primary Instagram account connected to your dashboard. Since the reel is owned by the collaborating account and not your primary account, it will not appear on the dashboard. This is expected behaviour and not an issue with the feed sync."
If the client confirms the reel was directly posted from their own connected Instagram account (not a collab), and it is still missing from the dashboard — escalate with the org ID, the reel URL, and the connected Instagram account handle for the tech team to investigate.