Set up a follow gate
Make people follow you before they get the link, and turn comments into followers automatically.
A follow gate checks if the person follows you. Followers get the link right away. Non-followers get a friendly “follow first” message, and the link once they follow.
Switch on “Must follow first”
Open or create an automation and go to the Message step. Make sure “Also send a DM” is on, then under “Extra power” switch on “Must follow first”. The quickest way is the “Follow to unlock” template in step 1.
Write the opening and follow-check messages
The opening message comes with a button they tap to get the link. If they don’t follow you yet, they get the follow-check message, with a button to visit your profile and one to confirm they’ve followed. You can rename every button. Keep the messages short and friendly.
Decide what happens after 3 tries
DMGO checks up to 3 times. Under “Retry 3 times and if the user still hasn’t followed:” choose “Send them the DM anyway” or “Don’t send them the DM”. Click “Preview flow map” to see the whole gate, then launch the automation.
Instagram can take a moment to report a new follow, which is why DMGO retries before giving up.
Error messages you might see
The exact text DMGO shows, what it means and how to fix it.
"Follow to unlock" is a PRO feature. Upgrade to go live. Your work is saved.What it means: Shown when you launch an automation that uses “Must follow first” on a plan where follow gates are a paid feature. Your setup is saved, not lost.
Fix: Tap “Upgrade & launch” and it goes live after payment, or choose the “or launch without” option to save it without the follow gate.
Saved — but it's paused because Follow to unlock, email capture and reminders are paid features. Upgrade to activate it.What it means: The automation was saved but kept paused because it uses a follow gate, email capture or reminders, which your plan doesn’t include.
Fix: Upgrade from Billing and switch it on, or edit the automation and turn off “Must follow first”.
It uses a PRO feature (Follow to unlock, email capture or reminders). Upgrade and it goes live automatically. Nothing to rebuild.What it means: Shown when you try to switch on a paused automation that has a follow gate, on a plan without it.
Fix: Tap “Upgrade & activate”, or choose “or edit it to remove the PRO features”.
Write the follow-gate opening messageWhat it means: “Must follow first” is on, but the opening message (the first DM with the button) is empty.
Fix: Write a short opening message in the Message step, then launch again.
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