An ig.me referral link is an Instagram DM link with a ref code, such as ig.me/m/yourname?ref=promo. In Inrō, the ref code can start a scenario, with * as a wildcard for families of codes.
An ig.me referral link is an Instagram DM link with a ref code on the end, such as https://ig.me/m/yourusername?ref=summer_sale. The code tells you which link someone used, and in Inrō it can start a scenario. Instagram's short link is ig.me; m.me is the Messenger and Facebook Pages version, and Instagram does not use it.
It labels the link. When someone opens it on their phone, Instagram opens a DM thread with you and passes the code to the app connected to your account. The person sees a line saying they opened the conversation from a link.
Meta allows a ref code of up to 2,083 characters, using letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores and equal signs (Meta for Developers, ig.me links, checked 1 October 2026). ig.me links do not work on Instagram Web, so use a QR code where people see the link on a computer or on paper.
For a plain DM link and a QR code with no automation, use the free Instagram DM link generator.
On the Scenarios page, add the trigger Someone clicks a referral link (it is also listed as Someone scans a QR code). Type your code after the ig.me/m/yourusername?ref= prefix, then use Copy link or Get QR code.
The link only opens the thread. For someone new, Inrō receives the code when they send a message or tap an icebreaker, so the scenario starts then. That is why the trigger panel suggests setting up an Instagram icebreaker.
Once it runs, the variable {{trigger.ref}} puts the code into a message, and the Inrō inbox shows it on the contact's message as Referral link ref=summer_sale.
Use * in the code field to match a family of codes with one trigger:
collab_* matches collab_alice and collab_bob, so one welcome flow covers every creator you give a code toPromo_june and promo_june are the same code* matches every referral linkIf two scenarios match the same code, both can start. To let only one run, put them in one priority folder.
No. A reply to an ad also carries referral data from Meta, but Inrō treats only short links as referral links. Ad replies use their own trigger, Someone replies to your ad, covered under click-to-DM ad.
A referral link starts the conversation from outside Instagram: your website, an email, a printed QR code. To start one from a post instead, use comment-to-DM automation. More entry points are in the Inrō automation glossary.
Attract more leads, target them with DM marketing, and automate all your interactions on Instagram!
