💡 New to ManyChat? No worries. This article covers everything from what it is to how to get it running. If you already know the basics and just want the setup steps, jump to the How to connect ManyChat to your Group section below.
What is ManyChat?
ManyChat is an automation tool that connects to your Instagram (and Facebook) and automatically sends DMs on your behalf whenever someone comments a specific word on your post.
That's it. You set it up once, and it runs on autopilot. No one has to be sitting there manually sending links to hundreds of fans.
Why it works so well for growing your Group
Social media posts on their own are kind of a coin flip. On a good day you might reach 5–10% of your followers. ManyChat flips that by turning your posts into active funnels.
Here's how artists on Grouped are using it:
Drive fans to a Swap — Set up the automation so the DM goes straight to your Swap link. Fans give their email, you get their data, they get the thing they wanted. Everyone wins.
Push people into your Group — Use it to send your Group link so fans can join and keep getting updates directly from you.
Promote anything you want — New song, merch drop, ticket link, early access. You can point the DM wherever makes sense.
The best part? Once you set the keyword, you don't have to think about it again. The automation just keeps running every time someone comments.
Here's how it works in practice
Say you post a clip of an unreleased song and you want fans to hear it. Instead of just dropping a link in the caption (that most people scroll past), you put a short text overlay at the very end of the video:
Comment "EARLY" to hear it first
Anyone who makes it to the end of that clip and comments the word — boom, they automatically get a DM with the link. No extra effort from you. It just happens.
That's the magic of it. You're only reaching the people who were actually interested enough to comment, and you're doing it instantly, automatically, every time.
What does it cost?
Around $25–$50/month depending on how many comments you're getting. For what it does, it's honestly one of the cheapest tools out there relative to the value.
And right now, Grouped is an official ManyChat partner — which means you can sign up through our affiliate link and get 30–40% off.
🎉 Grouped affiliate discount: Sign up through our link and get 30–40% off ManyChat. 👉 Get ManyChat at a discount
How to connect ManyChat to your Instagram
⚠️ Before you start: Make sure your Instagram is set to a Creator or Business account. Personal accounts can't connect to ManyChat. You can switch in Instagram Settings → Account → Switch account type. It takes about 30 seconds.
Use ManyChat to grow your Group
Step by step: How to set up your automation
Step by step: How to set up your automation
In ManyChat click Automation in the left sidebar, then hit + New Automation in the top right
When the templates library opens, click Post or Reel comment on the left, then select Auto-DM links from comments
If you see a "Continue or start fresh?" screen, hit Cancel and Start Fresh — brand new users won't see this at all
Under "When someone comments on" select any post or reel so the automation works across all your posts
Under "And this comment has" type in your keyword — something specific like GROUP, SNIPPET, or EARLY
Toggle on reply to their comments under the post and add a short public reply like "Thanks! Please see DMs."
Scroll down to They will get and write your DM message — something like "Join my community to get early access and exclusive content every week!"
Click + Add A Link, add a button label like JOIN MY GROUP, and paste in your Grouped Group URL. Hit Save
Check the preview on the right to see exactly what fans will see in their DMs
Hit Go Live in the top right — your automation is now active and running on autopilot
Use ManyChat to drive fans to your Swap
Step by step: How to drive fans to your Swap
Step by step: How to drive fans to your Swap
In ManyChat click Automation in the left sidebar, then hit + New Automation
In the templates library click Post or Reel comment on the left, then select Auto-DM links from comments
Under "When someone comments on" select any post or reel
Under "And this comment has" type in your keyword — pick something specific to whatever you're promoting, like PODCAST, SNIPPET, or DROP
Toggle on reply to their comments under the post and add a short public reply like "Thanks! Please see DMs."
Scroll down to They will get and skip the opening DM toggle — you just need the link DM for this
Under And then, they will get write your DM message — something like "Watch my new podcast here!"
Go to your Grouped Swaps page, find the Swap you want to promote and copy the link
Back in ManyChat click + Add A Link, add a button label like "Watch for free" and paste your Swap link. Hit Save
Check the preview on the right — fans will see your message and a tap-to-watch button that goes straight to your Swap. When everything looks good hit Go Live
Real ways artists are using it
Tour announcements — Post the tour graphic, ask fans to comment "TICKETS," and automatically DM them the Swap link for presale access. No one has to manually send anything.
Exclusive drops — Drop a teaser clip, have fans comment "DROP," and send them straight to a paid tier or Swap. Only the people who engaged enough to comment get the link.
Fan Q&As — Collect questions through comments and funnel the most engaged fans into a members-only Group so the conversation keeps going after the post.
A Few Tips Before You Get Started
⚠️ Don't skip this part. The keyword you pick makes or breaks how clean the automation runs. A bad keyword means random fans get DMs at random times — and that's a bad look.
Pick a unique keyword. Don't use something like "free" or "yes" — people say those words all the time in comments and they'll randomly get DMs. Something specific to the moment works way better. "RECIPE," "SNIPPET," "EARLY" — the more specific, the cleaner it runs.
Put the CTA at the end of the video. You don't have to spell it out in the caption every time. A quick text overlay in the last second or two of a clip — "Comment SNIPPET to hear it first" — means only the people who actually watched it see it. That's exactly who you want.
One automation can run forever. You don't need a new setup for every post. A lot of artists just keep one running all the time — like "DM me SNIPPET" at the end of every reel — and it consistently funnels people in without them having to do anything extra.
Need help setting it up?
Once you've got your account, reach out to us at support@grouped.com and we can help you build out the automation and make sure it's pointing to the right place. We've done it plenty of times and it genuinely doesn't take long to get running.