QR code to Instagram DM automation for new customers

What to change before you turn it on

The trigger comes set up: "Someone clicks a referral link" (in the trigger list it also shows as "Someone scans a QR code"), with the code WELCOME, and the flow runs once per person.

Check five things before you go live:

1. Add an icebreaker. For a new chat, Meta passes your code on when the person sends a message or taps an Instagram icebreaker, one of the questions Instagram shows the first time someone opens a chat with you. Meta asks for icebreakers to be set for this, and the template does not add one. On the Scenarios page, press Settings in the "Manage ice breakers" box and add one, such as "Get my welcome offer".
2. Your code and QR code. Open the trigger: it shows your link as ig.me/m/yourusername?ref=WELCOME. Keep WELCOME or type your own code (letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores work). Copy link copies your referral link, and Get QR code shows the QR code that carries it: print that.
3. Your offer and code. 10% and WELCOME10 are examples. Create the code in your shop or till system first, then change 10% in the first DM and WELCOME10 in the code message.
4. Where they use it. The code message says "Use it at checkout, or show this message in store." Keep the part that matches where you sell.
5. Test it on a phone before you print. Scan the code with an Instagram account that has never messaged you, write "hi" or tap your icebreaker, and check that the code arrives.

You can also rename the folder and change the 6-hour wait on the button. For a plain QR code that opens your DMs with no flow behind it, the free Instagram DM link generator makes one from your username.

Best tips for your scenario

• Say the offer next to the QR code. A line such as "Scan for 10% off your first order" tells people what the scan gets them, so writing to you and tapping "Get my code" are easy yeses. Keep the button: the tap is how the person opts in to the flow.
• Use one code per place. Give the till, your parcels and your event stand their own codes, such as WELCOME_SHOP, WELCOME_PACK and WELCOME_EVENT. Type each one in the trigger in turn and press Get QR code to print its QR code, then set the trigger to WELCOME_*: the * matches every code that starts that way. Add {{trigger.ref}} to a message and Inrō fills in the code the person scanned, so you can tell the places apart.
• Add a follow-up for people who don't tap. The branch "If button has not been clicked after 6 hours" comes empty, so the flow ends there. Add a reminder to it: a message with the code, or a second button with the same offer.
• Selling on Shopify? Send a link with your discount code. Swap the code message for a Shopify link with your discount code, so the person goes from the DM to checkout (Pro plan, Shopify integration).
• Print it where people hold their phone. The till, a packaging insert, a table card or an event stand all work, and Meta's own examples for these links include QR codes on product packaging and in physical stores. People scan it with their phone camera, so put it where they already have one in hand.

FAQ

Do QR codes work on Instagram?

Yes. The QR code from this template's trigger opens a chat with you in the Instagram app on the person's phone. The flow starts when they write to you or tap your icebreaker.

Can I send a discount code to new followers automatically?

Instagram lets a business DM people who have messaged it, commented on a post or replied to a story. Following alone does not open a chat, so this template starts from the scan: the QR code brings people into your DMs, and their first message lets the template send the code.

Does the code expire?

Not in Inrō: the template sends WELCOME10 as plain text. The 6 hours is only how long the "Get my code" button waits for a tap. How long the code works is set in your shop or till system.