Instagram DM Script for a Giveaway Entry
A giveaway entry DM does three things a comment cannot: it confirms the person is in, it restates the rules where they will actually read them, and it collects a way to contact the winner. Viralyze sends this DM the second someone comments your entry keyword, and if you attach a lead magnet link, every entrant's email lands in your contacts list, so announcing the winner does not mean scrolling through 800 comments.
The giveaway entry DM script
Automatic DM on keyword WIN:
"You are entered in the Skincare Starter Kit giveaway! Quick recap of the rules: follow the account, keep your WIN comment up, and tag one friend under the post. The winner is picked at random and announced Friday at 6 PM on my stories. So I can reach you if you win, leave your email here: [lead magnet link]. Good luck!"
Winner DM (manual):
"You won the Skincare Starter Kit! Reply with your delivery address and phone number and it ships Monday."
Non-winner DM (manual, optional):
"The kit went to another entrant this time, but thank you for joining. Here is ₹150 off the same kit, valid for a week: [checkout link]."
That last message is where giveaways pay for themselves.
Why collect an email when I already have their comment?
Because Instagram's reply window is 24 hours from the entrant's last message. By Friday, most entrants commented days ago, so you cannot open a DM with them from the app. An email collected at entry time means you can reach the winner, and everyone else with a consolation offer, regardless of timing.
Every email is stored as a contact with the giveaway automation as its source tag. Export to CSV for the draw.
Does the follow-gate help with giveaway rules?
Yes, it enforces the "follow to enter" rule for you. With the follow-gate on, a non-follower who comments WIN is asked to follow first, up to three polite nudges, before the entry confirmation goes out. Existing followers get the confirmation immediately.
That means the people in your contacts list have already met rule one, and you are not checking follow status by hand on draw day.
Setting up the giveaway automation
1. Create a lead magnet in the Viralyze app called "Giveaway entry", with a short "you are in" delivery note. 2. Create an Auto-DM automation on the giveaway post, keyword WIN plus "enter" and "entry". 3. Paste the entry script, attach the lead magnet, and turn on the follow-gate. 4. Set auto-pause to the draw date and time so late comments are not falsely confirmed. 5. Test with the live tester, then go live.
Turn on the public comment reply ("Entry confirmed, check DMs 🎁"). It shows other viewers the giveaway is live without you replying to each comment.
How do you keep the giveaway fair and clean?
State the draw method in the DM ("picked at random"), announce on a fixed date, and pause entries at that moment with auto-pause. Do not promise prizes you have not already bought. Keep the rules identical in the caption and the DM.
After the draw, the per-automation funnel shows comments, matched and delivered, which is a tidy record of how many valid entries there were.
Frequently asked questions
**Can entrants enter more than once?** Instagram allows one private reply per comment, so a second WIN comment gets a second DM, but each email is one contact. Draw from the contacts list to count each person once.
**What if someone comments WIN after the draw?** With auto-pause on, no DM is sent. You can run a second automation on WIN that says the giveaway closed and shares the consolation offer.
**Can I run the giveaway from a story?** Yes. Use the story reply trigger with the same keyword and DM.
Start your 7-day free trial of Viralyze, no card needed, and run your next giveaway without a spreadsheet of comments.