Follow-ups

A follow-up is one reminder sent to people who engaged with your opening message and then stalled part-way through the flow.

When it applies

The follow-up card appears on comment and live comment triggers only.

It reaches exactly one group of people: those who tapped your opening message (so the messaging window is open) and then parked at a gate — an ask-to-follow step or a lead form they didn't finish.

It deliberately does not reach:

• People who never tapped the opener. Their single private reply is already spent — that is Instagram's rule, not ours, and there's no legal way to message them again.
• People who completed the flow.

Setting it up

In the Follow-up card:

1. Switch the toggle On.
2. Send after — 15 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, 12 hours or 23 hours.
3. Message — keep it short; it lands as a nudge, not an essay.

Send after: 1 hour
Message:    Still there? Tap the button above and I'll send it right over 👀

Why 23 hours is the ceiling

Instagram's messaging window closes 24 hours after the person's last interaction. The delay is capped at 23 hours so the nudge always lands inside it.

When it's cancelled

The scheduled follow-up is dropped the moment it's no longer needed:

• They pass the ask-to-follow gate.
• They finish the lead form.
• The flow completes.
• The flow fails.

Only one follow-up is ever scheduled per conversation, so a person can't be nudged twice for the same run.

Writing a good one

• Reference the gate they're stuck at. "One tap to go" for a follow gate; "Just your email and it's yours" for a lead form.
• Keep it light. It's a reminder, not a second pitch.
• Pick the delay to match the moment. For a reel that's actively going, 15 minutes catches people while they're still scrolling. For an evergreen post, an hour is safer.

If it's on but empty

A follow-up switched on with no message is a validation error and the flow can't be activated. Either write the message or switch the toggle off.