If you've set up ManyChat's "Follow to DM" or "Say Hi to New Followers" automation and it's not working, you're not alone. Thousands of users are reporting the same issue across ManyChat's community forums, Facebook groups, and social media.

The feature launched with massive marketing fanfare in October 2025, but users quickly discovered it doesn't work reliably. Some report it worked for a few days then stopped. Others say it never worked at all. ManyChat support has acknowledged the issues but hasn't provided a permanent fix.

We dug into the technical details and official Meta documentation to understand why this is happening. What we found explains not just why Follow to DM is broken, but why it may never work reliably.

The Problem: What Users Are Reporting

Here's a sample of what users are saying in ManyChat's own community forums:

"My DM to new follower automation is not working. When I set it up the first time, it worked for about 2 days and since then it's not working. It is Live, I have refreshed permissions many times, I'm on the paid plan now, and still not working."

— ManyChat Community User, January 2026

"It works for a month brilliantly and suddenly stopped working. I tried all possible way to fix the issue, even started from scratch."

— ManyChat Community User, December 2025

"Other automations are working. I've tried refreshing permissions and tried contacting support. They have not been helpful at all. I followed support's recommendation to the T and it still isn't working. And now support is just ghosting me."

— ManyChat Community User, December 2025

One ManyChat community thread titled "Say Hi to New Followers not working" has accumulated 23 replies and nearly 300 views in just two weeks. Users report seeing "Expired on 12/26/25" in their Instagram Accounts Center under Apps and websites for ManyChat.

ManyChat's official response? They acknowledge it's "an issue on Meta's side" and say they're "working closely with Meta" to investigate. But weeks later, the problems persist.

The Technical Reality: Why This Feature Is Inherently Unstable

To understand why Follow to DM keeps breaking, you need to understand how Instagram's official API works.

Meta provides a set of "webhooks" that allow apps to receive real-time notifications when certain events happen on Instagram. When you configure an automation platform, it subscribes to these webhooks to know when to trigger actions.

What Meta's Official API Actually Supports

According to Meta's official developer documentation (updated January 2026), the Instagram webhook fields you can subscribe to are:

Webhook Field What It Does
comments Notifies when someone comments on your media
mentions Notifies when someone @mentions you
messages Notifies when someone sends you a DM
messaging_seen Notifies when someone reads your message
messaging_postbacks Notifies when someone clicks a button in your message
story_insights Notifies when your story expires with metrics
live_comments Notifies about comments during live broadcasts

Notice what's not on this list? There is no "follow" or "new_follower" webhook in Meta's publicly subscribable fields.

The Hidden API Problem

Here's where it gets interesting. In Meta's Webhooks Reference documentation, there is a follow field defined in the schema:

follow
FBInstagramFollowField

Field: field (string) - Name of the updated field
Value: value (object) - value

But this field is not listed in the "Subscribe to webhook fields" table that shows which webhooks developers can actually use. This means:

  1. The follow webhook exists in Meta's internal systems
  2. It's not available to regular developers through the public API
  3. ManyChat is an official Meta Business Partner with exclusive API access not available to the public
  4. That exclusive access is clearly unstable

This explains why ManyChat can launch the feature (they have special access) but also why it keeps breaking (it's not a stable, publicly supported API endpoint).

Why Comment-to-DM Works But Follow-to-DM Doesn't

If you've used ManyChat's comment-to-DM automation (where someone comments a keyword and gets a DM), you've probably noticed it works reliably. That's because comment-to-DM uses the comments webhook, which is officially supported and publicly available.

The same goes for:

  • Auto-replies to DMs — Uses the messages webhook (officially supported)
  • Story reply automation — Uses the mentions webhook (officially supported)
  • Lead form auto-DM — Uses official Lead Ads webhooks (officially supported)

These features work reliably because they're built on Meta's stable, public API. Follow-to-DM is built on something else entirely—and that "something else" is clearly not ready for production use.

Meta's 24-Hour Messaging Window Rule

There's another policy consideration here. Meta's Platform Policy Overview states:

"Standard Messaging - Businesses will have up to 24 hours to respond to a user. Messages sent within the 24 hour window may contain promotional content."

The 24-hour window starts when a user takes an action that "opens" the conversation—like sending a message, commenting on a post, or clicking a call-to-action. Simply following an account is not listed as one of these qualifying actions in Meta's documentation.

This raises questions about whether unsolicited DMs to new followers—even if technically possible—align with Meta's intended use of the platform. It may explain why the follow webhook isn't publicly available.

What Actually Works for Instagram Automation

If you're looking for Instagram DM automation that actually works, focus on features that use Meta's officially supported API endpoints:

1. Comment-to-DM Automation

When someone comments a specific keyword on your post (like "INFO" or "LINK"), automation sends them a DM. This is one of the most effective and reliable Instagram automation features because it:

  • Uses the officially supported comments webhook
  • Requires user initiation (they commented first)
  • Opens a legitimate 24-hour messaging window
  • Has been stable for years

2. Auto-Reply to DMs

When someone messages you first, AI or rules-based automation responds. Uses the messages webhook—rock solid.

3. Story Reply Automation

When someone replies to your Instagram Story, automation can send a follow-up message. Uses officially supported webhooks.

4. Lead Form Auto-DM

When someone submits your Facebook or Instagram Lead Ad form, automation sends them a personalized DM instantly. This uses Meta's Lead Ads webhooks and is officially supported.

5. Private Replies

Meta's Platform Policy allows Pages to send a single private reply to users who comment on posts, within 7 days. This is officially documented and supported.

Choosing a Reliable Instagram Automation Platform

When evaluating Instagram automation tools, ask these questions:

  1. Does the feature use officially documented API endpoints? If a platform is offering something that isn't in Meta's public documentation, it may be unstable.
  2. Is the platform a Meta Business Partner? Official partners have more accountability and better support from Meta.
  3. What do users say about reliability? Check community forums and reviews for reports of features breaking.
  4. Does it require special "reconnection" flows? ManyChat's Follow to DM requires a "Unified Instagram onboarding flow" that's different from their standard connection. Special requirements often signal beta/unstable features.

Stable Alternatives for Instagram Automation

Several platforms offer reliable Instagram DM automation using officially supported APIs:

  • ChatGenius — AI-powered automation for Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, and SMS. Uses only officially supported Meta API endpoints for comment-to-DM, auto-replies, and lead form automation. Includes GPT-5 AI, sentiment analysis, and integrated booking.
  • ManyChat — Their comment-to-DM and standard DM automation work reliably. Just avoid the Follow to DM feature until it's stable.
  • Chatfuel — Solid comment automation and DM responses using official APIs.

What to Do If Your ManyChat Follow to DM Isn't Working

If you're currently stuck with a broken Follow to DM setup, here are your options:

Option 1: Wait for ManyChat to Fix It

ManyChat says they're working with Meta. The fix may come eventually, but there's no timeline and no guarantee of long-term stability given the underlying API situation.

Option 2: Switch to Comment-to-DM

Instead of waiting for new followers to get a DM automatically, create compelling posts that encourage comments. "Comment GUIDE to get our free download" works reliably and often converts better because the user took an active step.

Option 3: Use Lead Ads + Auto-DM

Run Instagram/Facebook Lead Ads that capture interested users, then automatically DM them when they submit the form. This is officially supported and highly effective.

Option 4: Focus on Content That Drives DMs

Create Stories with question stickers, polls, or direct CTAs that encourage people to DM you. When they message first, your automation can take over reliably.

Need Reliable Instagram Automation?

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No Follow-to-DM? Correct. We build on stable APIs, not beta features.

The Bottom Line

ManyChat's Follow to DM feature is broken because it's built on an API endpoint that isn't publicly available to developers. ManyChat has some form of exclusive access to Meta's follow webhook, but that access is clearly unstable.

Until Meta officially adds a follow webhook to their publicly subscribable fields (if they ever do), this feature will likely continue to have reliability issues. Even if ManyChat fixes the current problems, the underlying architecture makes it inherently risky.

The safer approach is to use Instagram automation features that are built on Meta's officially supported, publicly documented API endpoints. Comment-to-DM, auto-replies, story automation, and lead form DMs all work reliably because they use stable APIs that have been available for years.

Sometimes the most reliable technology is the one that doesn't try to do things the platform wasn't designed to support.

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