This guide introduces the available methods for triggering automations and teaches you how to configure triggers so they activate based on specific user actions, such as sending a message or leaving a comment. You will learn how to adjust trigger sensitivity settings and set limits on repeated activations.
What is an automation trigger
An automation trigger is an event or action that initiates an automation. Simply put, it is the moment when a user performs a certain action, prompting the automation to execute a predefined scenario.
What can be a trigger:
An user message. When a user sends a direct message on Instagram or to a Telegram bot.
Comment on a post, reels, or live stream. When a user leaves a comment.
Successful payment. When a client completes payment for a product or service.
Clicking a link and other options that will be discussed below.
How an automation trigger works
As soon as a trigger action occurs, the automation starts, and the bot executes the predefined scenario, such as sending messages, recording data, and performing other actions. The scenario begins from the very first block selected as the starting point:
How to set up a trigger
In the automation builder, click the "Set start triggers" button in the upper right corner.
Select the desired trigger type. For example, in an Instagram automation, you can choose "Direct message" or "Post comment".
Configure additional triggers if needed.
Select the response sensitivity for the trigger words.
Enter all trigger keywords for this automation. After each individual keyword or phrase, press Enter to separate the triggers:
Error when saving trigger settings:
If you see an error while setting up a trigger, it means that one of the keywords is already being used in another one of your automations:
Each automation must have a unique trigger. You cannot use the same word or phrase to start multiple automations. Make sure that triggers for different automations do not match.
Exception: Automations that are set to trigger only for specific posts. In this case, if different automations use different posts as triggers, they can share the same keyword for activation.
How to set up multiple triggers
- This option is available only for Instagram automations. You can configure multiple events to trigger an automation.
This feature allows you to select up to four triggers for a single automation:
To set the maximum number of triggers, choose one of three options: reaction, reply or mention in stories. After that, enable the multiple triggers mode and choose the necessary ones:
❗ Be careful with this setting and select only the necessary options ❗
Trigger sensitivity
- You can adjust the sensitivity of automation activation based on different variations of keyword input:
Any message. The bot will be triggered by absolutely any message or user comment.
This option is ideal for accounts where all communication with users is handled through automations, for example, automations configured as personal avatar.
Please note that, on the Pro Plan, price depends on the number of interactions. Using this trigger with high customer activity may significantly increase the cost.
Message is. The bot will only trigger if the user's message matches exactly the keyword or phrase.
Example: If the trigger is "Bot", the automation will start only when the message is "Bot" and nothing else.
Message Contains. The bot will trigger if the keyword or phrase is present anywhere in the message text.
Example: If the trigger is "Bot", the automation will activate if the user writes something like "I like BOTh options", because the trigger is part of the word or sentence.
Ignore letter case. The trigger is not affected by uppercase or lowercase letters.
Example: "BOT", "Bot", and "bot" are treated as the same trigger, so you only need to enter the word once.
Restricting repeat automation triggers
This setting limits the ability of a single user to restart an automation within a specified time period. The timer starts from the moment the automation is first triggered.
It is possible to set a restriction for any time interval: seconds, minutes, hours, and days.
For example: If a user should be able to trigger the automation only once, for example, set the timer to 365 days or more. In this case, it is unlikely that the user will attempt to restart the automation after a year.
Triggering automations via links
An alternative way to start an automation. In this case, configuring a trigger within the automation is not necessary. Simply enable the automation and generate a unique link to start a specific automation.
More details on creating such links can be found on a separate article.
Now, let's look at different trigger options for specific channels:
Automation Triggers for Instagram
For Instagram chatbots, multiple trigger methods are available:
However, some of these methods have specific features due to Instagram's own limitations. Therefore, each trigger method is explained in a separate article:
Direct message
Comment on a post
Comment in a Live Stream
Reaction to Stories
Reply to Stories
Mention in Stories
Automation Triggers for Telegram
For Telegram chatbots, there are significantly fewer trigger methods:
These are also covered in separate articles: