Comment to DM Instagram Manychat automation for parkour gym owners
- Jimmy Davidson
- 14 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Hey parkour gym owners, Jimmy here. Here is a simple social media strategy that has made a huge difference for us at Freedom in Motion and Motion Mentors. It helps you increase engagement, reach more people, and get your audience to take the exact next step you want—without sending them on a scavenger hunt through your bio link.
This method is called a Comment-to-DM Automation, and once you set it up, it runs on its own in the background. Parents think it's you personally messaging them, but it’s actually a friendly automation doing the heavy lifting.
Let me walk you through how it works, why it’s powerful, and how you can start using it right away.
Why “Comment-to-DM” Works Better Than “Link in Bio”
Most gyms use the old “click the link in our bio” method. That forces parents to:
Leave your post
Go to your bio
Click your link
Hopefully land on the right page
That’s way too many steps.
With this approach, you simply tell people to comment a specific word on your post, and Instagram automatically sends them what they asked for. It could be:
A competition registration link
A class schedule
A free lead magnet
A trial class booking link
A camp FAQ
Or anything else they want next
The key idea is this: people only comment if they actually want the thing you’re offering, so you get higher-quality engagement and more motivated leads. Instagram also rewards posts with more comments by showing them to more people—so the system becomes a positive feedback loop.
We’ve used this for parkour competitions, big announcements, and lead magnets. Every time, engagement and conversions go up.
How I Set This Up for Our USPK Competition Post
In this example, I was promoting our upcoming United States Parkour Association–sanctioned competition. I created a carousel post on Canva with all the info:
Date and time
Age groups
Event schedule
A clear callout: Comment “USPK” and we’ll send you the registration link
This works because the word is easy to type, and the reward is something people actually want.
Once the graphic was ready, I brought it into ManyChat to automate the rest.
Step 1: Build Your Auto-DM in ManyChat
If you’ve never used ManyChat before, here’s the short version:
Make an account
Connect your Instagram or Facebook page
Select the “Auto DM from Comments” template (ManyChat already has one built)
From here, you’re ready to customize.
Step 2: Tell ManyChat Which Post to Watch
You can:
Attach the automation to a specific existing post,or
Tell it to run on your next post or reel
For competitions, trial class promotions, or lead magnets, I usually tie it to the very next post so I don’t forget.
Step 3: Write the Comment Reply
When someone comments the trigger word, ManyChat can reply under their comment. This makes your page look alive and personal.
I like simple things like:
“Thanks! Check your DMs. See you at the comp!”
It’s short, friendly, and shows other parents the system is active.
Step 4: Set Your Trigger Word
In this case, mine was USPK.
If you worry about misspellings, you can set alternate spellings separated by commas. ManyChat will react to any version you list.
You can also turn on “any comment triggers automation” if your goal is broad engagement, but for most promotions, a specific word works best.
Step 5: Customize the DM They Receive
This is the message they see in their inbox.
I usually say something like:
“Thanks for commenting USPK on our post! We’re excited for another amazing competitive season. The next step is to get registered. May I send you the link?”
Here’s why that last line matters:
Instagram only allows automated messaging when the user interacts with you first. Asking them to tap a quick reply (“Send me the link”) counts as a second interaction, which keeps everything compliant and working smoothly.
Once they tap, you send the actual link with a button like:
Register Now
Paste your link right into the button settings.
Optional: Add a Reminder
ManyChat lets you turn on a follow-up reminder.
If they don’t click the link after 30 minutes, it sends a gentle nudge:
“Still want the link? Here it is again!”
About 1 in 10 people will click from this reminder alone, so I always keep it on.
Step 6: Publish and Test
Once everything looks good:
Click Go Live
Upload your post to Instagram
Switch to another account and test it by commenting your trigger word
If the DM shows up, you’re set. If not, jump back into ManyChat and double-check your settings.
Why This Works So Well for Parkour Gyms
This strategy has helped us:
Drive more registrations for competitions
Get parents into trial classes faster
Boost our total post engagement
Deliver lead magnets instantly
Increase clicks because parents don’t have to hunt for links
Start real conversations in the DMs
We’ve even used this to deliver the first chapter of the Million Dollar Parkour Gym audiobook for free. That post exploded with comments, and the automation delivered the audio instantly.
If you have something valuable—like a schedule, a registration link, a parent guide, or a lead magnet—this method gets it into their hands fast.
Try It for Your Gym
If your social posts aren’t getting the traction they used to, or if you struggle getting parents to click your links, this is an easy win you can start using today.
All you need is:
A Canva post with a clear call-to-action
A trigger word
A ManyChat workflow
Once you set it up once, you can reuse the template for anything your gym promotes throughout the year.
If you want more step-by-step help, or you want to see examples that Motion Mentors uses, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to help you dial in your system.
See you in the next article,
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