A quick reply works when everyone needs the same thing. Flow Builder helps when you need to ask a question, collect details, choose a different next step, or send information to another tool.
You connect the journey on a visual canvas: what starts it, what happens next, and where each branch leads.
Why use Flow Builder?
See the whole journey. Follow the connections from the first interaction to the final action.
Make replies relevant. Choose the next step using available contact details instead of sending everyone through the same sequence.
Keep lead capture connected. Ask for information in an eligible conversation and pass available details to the tools your team uses.
Try different approaches. Compare message paths and control when eligible next steps happen.
Turn Instagram interest into a conversation
Share a guide when someone comments on a reel, respond to a DM keyword, or continue a Story conversation. Choose a starting point that matches how people reach you, then build a reply around what they asked for.
Start with Post or Reel comments, DM keywords, or Story replies. For message ideas, see DM formats and examples; use the formats enabled in your editor.
Choose a path with Conditions
Already have someone's email? Continue without asking again. Missing it? Route them to a question. Conditions choose a path based on the data available at that step, so each contact can get a more useful next action.
Compare paths and control timing
Randomizer sends people down weighted random paths. You could compare two messages offering the same resource using different tracked links. Unlike Conditions, it doesn't choose based on contact details, and small test groups may split unevenly.
Smart Delay adds a wait before the next action. Use it when an eligible follow-up needs some space after the first reply. A delay does not extend Instagram messaging permission.
See timing and A/B testing. Follow the current editor's limits when using older examples.
Collect the details your team needs
Ask an interested customer for an email address or another supported detail during an eligible DM conversation. Decide what happens when they answer, skip, or don't respond, rather than assuming every question gets an answer.
Follow up on interest from ads
Give someone responding to your ad a reply relevant to the offer, then continue with the next supported step. Where eligible, a Meta conversion event can report a qualifying outcome; receiving an event is separate from attributing a conversion.
Connect forms, spreadsheets, and webhooks
A new enquiry can start with a form submission and continue into a shared Google Sheet or your team's external system. Google Sheets gives your team a list to work from; an HTTP request can send available details to a compatible webhook.
See Form Submit triggers, Google Sheets, HTTP requests, and the form-to-webhook use case.
Start with one useful journey
If a standard instant automation already does what you need, start there. Choose Flow Builder when you need additional steps, decisions, timing, or external actions. Available actions depend on the trigger: Form Submit paths don't offer Send a DM or Meta conversion events. AI FAQ automation uses a separate editor.
Pick one outcome, then use the first-flow walkthrough and trigger guide to plan it around the options available in your editor. For an existing flow that isn't behaving as expected, see Troubleshoot Flow Builder automations.