Turn story replies into link clicks

Want more clicks on your link from the people who reply to your stories, without sending it to each one by hand? This template sends it for you and follows up with anyone who has not opened it.

Get template

View template

About

Someone replies REPLAY to your story and gets a thank-you DM, then your link. No tap after 2 hours? One reminder. Every click goes into a folder.

Put REPLAY on your story and ask viewers to reply with it. Each reply with that word gets a thank-you DM and your link card straight away. If someone has not tapped the link 2 hours later, Inrō sends them one reminder. Everyone who taps lands in a folder you can message again.

Inrō template turning story replies into link clicks: REPLAY trigger, message, link card, reminder and clicked folder

What the template does, step by step

1. Someone replies REPLAY to your story

The story reply trigger listens to any story you post while the flow is switched on. Only replies that contain REPLAY start it. The word counts on its own or inside a longer reply, in capitals or not, with accents ignored: "replay" works, and so does "Replay please". A reply with no words in it, like a sticker or a photo alone, does not start the flow.

Each of these replies reaches you as a direct message, and that is where the flow answers. For other ways to use replies, see story reply automation.

2. A thank-you, then the link, with no wait

The first DM is short: "Thanks for replying! Here's the webinar replay." The person has already written to you, so Inrō can open with a plain message. No button has to be tapped before the conversation goes on.

The link follows as a second message, with no wait step between the two. That order converted better: conversion was 42% with the link in message two and 29% with it in message one, across the 798,041 conversations in Inrō's DM Benchmark. That is a benchmark finding, not a result from this template.

3. The link card

The second message is a link card titled "Webinar replay", with no subtitle and one button, "Open it". Inrō records every tap on that button, so you see who opened your link.

Link card step in Inrō: Webinar replay with Open it button, 2-hour reminder and clicked folder

4. Two hours later, one reminder

The card has a 2-hour timer. When it runs out, people who have not tapped "Open it" get one more message: "Have you checked the link yet?" People who tapped already get nothing more. The timer only decides when the reminder goes out. Your link still opens after it.

5. Everyone who taps goes into a folder

Whoever taps joins the folder "Webinar replay: clicked". A tap that comes after the reminder counts too. It sits next to your other folders in the Inrō inbox and gives you a list of people who opened this replay, ready for a message when your next one is out.

What to change before you turn it on

When you copy the template, you get your own copy of the link card, and Inrō creates the folder "Webinar replay: clicked" if your account has no folder by that name. The copy starts switched off. Its trigger is ready to use: Someone replies to your story, Which story: Any story, Which replies: Contains a keyword, with REPLAY as the keyword. It runs once per person. There is no post date to reset, because the flow listens to stories, not to a post.

Story reply trigger in Inrō: Someone replies to your story, filtered to replies that contain the keyword REPLAY

Go through six checks:

The keyword. Use your own word if REPLAY does not suit the offer. Choose one that none of your other automations uses.
The first message. "Thanks for replying! Here's the webinar replay." names a webinar. Rewrite it for what you are sending.
The link card. Rename "Webinar replay", then replace the example address, https://inro.social/?utm_campaign=webinar-replay&utm_content=story-reply-link, with your own page. If you track campaigns, keep UTM tags on your link; the UTM link generator builds them.
The folder name. "Webinar replay: clicked" matches the example offer. Give it your offer's name, so next month you still know what the list holds.
The reminder. The wait is 2 hours and the text is "Have you checked the link yet?" Change either one if it suits your offer better.
Interrupt when you reply manually. It is off in this template. Turn it on if you answer story replies yourself, then switch the automation on.

The button text, "Open it", can change too. Selling a course or a coaching program? See Instagram automation for coaches.

A version for coaches and educators

Same steps, different wording, folders and resource. The name below opens that version to copy.

Coaches and educators: a 5-day challenge sign-up. A reply with CHALLENGE to any of your stories starts it. The first message is "Thanks for replying! Here's your 5-day challenge sign-up.", then the card "5-day challenge sign-up" with "Join the challenge". Everyone who taps goes into a folder; anyone who has not tapped after 2 hours gets "No rush, your link is just above." Link the card to your sign-up page, and change the keyword for each round: it runs once per person. Coaches and educators version

Best tips for your scenario

Ask for the keyword on the story itself. Write REPLAY, or your own word, as text on the story and say what people get for it. Viewers type the word they can read. The Instagram story ideas generator suggests stories to post.
One keyword per offer. "Any story" covers every story you post while the flow is on, so the keyword is what links a reply to this offer. Use a word no other automation uses, and switch the flow off or change the word when the offer ends.
Start a new copy for your next offer. The setting "Run scenario only once per contact" is on, so a person who got this link will not get a second one from the same copy. For the next replay, copy the template again and give it a new keyword and link.
Turn on "Interrupt when you reply manually" if you chat with people yourself. This setting stops the steps still waiting for a person as soon as you write to them by hand. With it on, the reminder never lands in the middle of your own conversation.
Point it at certain stories only. In the trigger, "Which story" has more options than "Any story": "Stories with a keyword" (a word written as text on the story; make that story in the Instagram app), "Stories with a URL" for stories that carry a link, and "Stories showing something", where AI reads the story's image. That last option uses AI credits; the template as it is uses none.

FAQ

How do I get more link clicks from my stories?

Ask for a keyword reply on the story and send the link in a DM. This template does both: every reply with REPLAY gets the link card right away, and anyone who has not tapped it after 2 hours gets one reminder.

Can I see who clicked the link?

Yes, for the link card in this template: every tap is logged, and the person lands in "Webinar replay: clicked". Taps on Instagram's own link sticker are not part of this flow.

Do story replies go to my DMs?

Yes, a story reply arrives as a DM. That is why this flow can answer with a plain message instead of asking for a tap first.

Does it work on every story or just one?

Every story you post while the flow is on, as long as the reply contains REPLAY. To narrow it, change "Which story" in the trigger to stories with a keyword, stories with a URL, or stories showing something.

Not sure how it work?

Read posts about templates on our blog.