How to Run a Promotion on AppSorteos to Boost Your Engagement on Instagram

What you’ll learn in this guide:

• What types of interactive promotions you can use to generate more engagement on Instagram
• How to configure an automation flow that replies to comments and sends the link via DM
• Real use cases for different types of businesses, with varied examples by tool
• The most common mistakes when configuring this flow and how to avoid them

Reading: 12 minutes | Flow active in: 15 minutes

Participation dynamics on Instagram have been one of the most effective engagement strategies for years. But there’s a problem that almost all creators and businesses encounter sooner or later: at some point the volume grows, the comments multiply, and managing everything manually becomes impossible.

When you communicate a promotion on Instagram (a prize wheel, a trivia, a slot machine, or a scratch-and-win) and ask your audience to comment to participate, the ideal flow would be to respond to each person, send them the link, and make sure they reach the experience you prepared. With ten comments, that’s manageable. With a hundred, it starts to cost you. With a thousand, it’s impossible without automation.

This guide explains how to configure that flow with Automation by AppSorteos: it detects comments with the keyword you define, automatically responds publicly, and sends the link of your promotion via direct message, without you needing to intervene even once.

Why interactive promotions are the most underrated engagement lever on Instagram

Instagram’s algorithm rewards posts that generate quick and sustained interaction. The more comments a post receives in the first hours, the more the platform distributes it to new audiences.

What changes with interactive promotions is the quality of that interaction. When someone comments because they want to participate in a trivia or spin a prize wheel, that comment has real intent behind it.

Key data: Posts with active participation dynamics (comment to receive something) generate up to 3x more comments than standard posts in the same niche.

More comments → more organic reach → more people discover your brand.

When you combine these dynamics with DM automation, each participant receives a personalized experience instantly. That generates a much more positive brand perception than simply commenting and receiving no response.

What type of promotion to use based on your goal

In AppSorteos you can create four types of interactive promotions and connect them to your Instagram with Automation. Each has its own logic and ideal use case.

The first three (prize wheel, slot machine, and scratch-off) share the same basic setup: you define the prizes, adjust the odds for each outcome, and customize the design with your brand’s colors.

The quiz, on the other hand, lets you set up correct answers (whoever gets it right wins) or function as a survey without correct answers, to explore your audience’s preferences.

Prize Wheel

Ideal for businesses with multiple prizes or discount levels. The user arrives at the link, spins the wheel, and discovers what they won. You can configure the probability of each section to control your budget and the stock of each reward.

Create your prize wheel directly in AppSorteos; customize the colors, prizes, and odds for each outcome in minutes.

Go to the tool →  ·  See how to create your prize wheel →

Slot Machine

Perfect for creating a fun experience linked to your brand. Works very well for e-commerce and businesses that want to associate their offering with moments of fun and surprise.

Access the slot machine on AppSorteos and customize every detail—from the symbols to your brand colors—without needing to write any code.

Go to the tool →  ·  See how to configure your slot machine →

Scratch and Win

One of the dynamics with the highest participation rate because it reproduces the physical scratch card experience in digital format. Works especially well for discounts, coupons, and product launches.

Design your scratch-off game on AppSorteos using your brand’s colors, set the prizes, and launch it in minutes. Every user gets a unique experience when they scratch.

Go to the tool →  ·  See how to create a scratch and win →

Trivia

The most versatile option: configure it with correct answers (whoever gets it right wins) or as a survey without correct answers, to explore your audience’s preferences. Ideal for educational content creators and brands that want to generate meaningful conversation.

Create your trivia game on AppSorteos, set the questions, choose the prizes for winners, and select the design that best represents your brand.

Go to the tool →  ·  See how to create your trivia →

Note before continuing: Make sure you have the promotion created and active in AppSorteos before configuring the automation. Each tutorial linked above explains the complete process step by step. Once your promotion is ready, come back here to connect it to your Instagram in a few minutes.

How the automation flow works

Before we get into the step-by-step guide, it’s helpful to understand the structure of the workflow you’re going to set up. The process has three key stages:

Flow structure

1. TRIGGER: Someone comments on your post or Reel using a specific keyword (for example, “PLAY,” “TRIVIA,” or “I’M IN”).
2. ACTION 1: Reply to the comment: AppSorteos automatically posts a reply to the comment, publicly and instantly.
3. ACTION 2: Send the DM with the link: Simultaneously, AppSorteos sends a direct message to the user with the link to your promotion and a direct access button.

Result: the user comments, receives public confirmation, and has the link in their message inbox within seconds. No manual intervention.

Step by step: configure your automation flow with a promotion

Prerequisite: You need your Instagram account connected to AppSorteos and an active promotion already created. If you haven’t done this yet, start with the DM Automation introduction guide (link below) and then create your promotion following the corresponding tutorial.

Recommended prior resources: DM Automation Introduction Guide · How to send an automatic DM when someone comments on your Post or Reel

Step 1: Access DM Automation and create a new flow

From the AppSorteos dashboard, go to the Automation section and click “Create new flow.”

The flow editor will open, displaying three areas: the settings panel on the left, the central canvas showing the flow’s visual structure, and the device preview on the right.

From the canvas, you can view the automation’s complete status at any time and click on each block to edit it.

Step 2: Configure the Trigger

The trigger defines which Instagram action activates the workflow.

In the left panel, you’ll see the settings for the “Comment on Post/Reel” trigger.

In the “When someone comments on” section, select “a specific post or reel” to link the workflow to a specific post.

Then, under “And the comment contains,” select “one or more specific words” and enter the keyword you’ll use in your post.

In the screenshot example, the keyword is “I want to participate!”, but you can use any short term: “PLAY,” “TRIVIA,” “ROULETTE,” “SCRATCH,” or any variation that fits your message.

Tip: The more specific the keyword, the more precise the trigger will be. Avoid very generic words that might trigger comments unrelated to your campaign.

Step 3: Configure Action 1 — Reply to the comment publicly

The first action is to respond to the comment publicly, directly in the post’s comments section. This serves two purposes: it confirms to the user that their comment was recorded and increases visible activity on the post, which boosts its organic reach.

In the left panel, under the “Reply to Comment” action, type the message that AppSorteos will post in response to each comment containing the keyword. In the screenshot example: “Thanks for your comment! Check your DMs to participate. Good luck!”

You can add more than one message by clicking “Add New Reply.” If you include multiple options, AppSorteos will rotate them randomly so that not all replies are identical. We recommend setting up at least three variations to make the interaction look more natural.

Step 4: Configure Action 2 — Send the DM with the promotion link

The second action is what takes the user to your promotion: AppSorteos sends them a direct message with the link and a shortcut button.

In the “Play Promotion” action, you have three fields to configure:

• Promotion: Select the platform where your promotion is hosted from the drop-down menu (in the example, “Instagram”).

• Message: Write the text that will accompany the link in the DM. Keep it brief and to the point, because the real star is the access button. In the example: “Enter below. Good luck! .”

• Button Text: Enter the call to action that the user will see in the direct message. In the example: “Participate.” This button takes the user directly to the experience with a single tap from the DM.

The preview on the right shows you exactly how the user will see the DM on their phone: your account name, the promotional image, the message, and the button.

Step 5: Activate the flow and publish your post

Before publishing the post on Instagram, verify that the workflow is active from the Automation dashboard (each workflow displays its status in the list).

When you publish the post or Reel, include the instruction with the keyword clearly and prominently in the caption. The more direct the call to action, the higher the engagement rate will be.

The workflow will start running as soon as the post receives its first comment.

Best practices for your caption

A good caption for this type of dynamic has four key elements:

1. The keyword the user must comment (in uppercase): “Comment TRIVIA and…”, “Comment WHEEL and…”
2. What they’ll receive by commenting: the link to the experience
3. The type of experience awaiting them, to build anticipation
4. The concrete incentive: the prize, the discount, or the benefit

Example: “Comment WHEEL and we’ll send you the link to join our prize wheel. You could win a 10%, 20%, or 30% discount on your next purchase. Good luck!”

Ideas and use cases: how to apply this automation for your type of business

One of the advantages of this setup is that it can be adapted to any type of account or business. Here are four specific examples that illustrate how to use each tool in different contexts:

Fashion or accessories e-commerce → Seasonal slot machine

Post a Reel showcasing the new products in the collection. In the caption: “Comment ‘COLLECTION’ and we’ll send you your slot machine. You could win a 10%, 20%, or 30% discount.”

The playful slot machine experience enhances the excitement of discovering a new collection and ensures that the launch post generates many more comments than a standard post.

Create my slot machine in AppSorteos →

Restaurant or local business → Scratch and win for loyalty

Post a photo of the dish of the month or a weekly promotion. The caption: “Comment ‘PROMO’ and scratch off your digital card to see what discount you’ll get this week.”

The scratch-and-win format replicates the feeling of a physical reward and works very well for local businesses that want to keep their customers engaged and give them a reason to come back.

Create my scratch and win in AppSorteos →

Educational content creator → Knowledge trivia with exclusive access

Post a carousel with key facts about your area of expertise. The caption: “How much do you know about [topic]? Comment ‘TRIVIA’ and I’ll send you the link to test your knowledge.”

Those who answer correctly unlock access to an exclusive resource. This combination brings together engagement, establishing yourself as an expert, and lead generation in a single workflow.

Create my trivia in AppSorteos →

Health, wellness, or cosmetics brand → Prize wheel at launches

In the Reel announcing a new product launch: “Comment ‘LAUNCH’ and spin our wheel to see if you’re one of the lucky ones to receive the product for free or a special discount.”

The wheel builds anticipation, makes the launch feel like an event, and keeps the audience engaged and waiting for the result even after the post goes live.

Create my prize wheel in AppSorteos →

Common mistakes when configuring this type of flow

• Publishing the post before activating the flow. If someone comments before the automation is active, that comment won’t activate the flow. The rule is clear: activate first, publish after.
• Selecting the wrong post in the trigger. Verify that you’ve selected the correct post. If the post isn’t published yet, you can temporarily use the option “any post or reel” and adjust it once live.
• Not mentioning the keyword in the caption. The instruction must be in the caption clearly, in the first lines and in uppercase.
• Using only one comment reply. Configure at least three variations of the reply message to maintain the naturalness of the interaction.
• Not verifying that the promotion is active before launching the campaign. Verify the status of your promotion in AppSorteos before activating the flow and before publishing the post.

Combine this automation with others to multiply the results

This workflow is effective on its own, but it becomes even more powerful when combined with other automations in the DM Automation ecosystem.

• If you want to build a contact list while increasing engagement, you can complement it with an email capture workflow from Instagram. That way, in addition to providing the promotion link, the workflow can ask for the user’s email address for confirmation or for follow-up. More engagement and more first-party contact data—all in one go.

• If you use the quiz as a tool, you can add a second automated flow to send digital resources to those who completed the experience, offering an exclusive resource or an additional discount as a reward. The combination of a quiz and a follow-up DM is especially effective for educational and training accounts.

To explore all the possibilities, visit the Automation tutorials section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this automation with any of the four promotional tools?

Yes. The automation works the same way with the roulette, slot machine, scratch-off, and trivia games. Once you’ve created your promotion in AppSorteos, select it in the “Promotion / Game” action of the flow, regardless of the type of tool you’ve chosen.

Does the automation respond to all comments or only those containing the keyword?

Only to those containing the keyword configured in the trigger. You can change this by selecting “any word (no filter)” in the trigger so that it responds to all comments, although this isn’t recommended for this type of activity because it can generate unwanted messages for users who comment on something else.

Can users participate more than once?

The control for unique entries is managed through the promotion settings, not through the automation. In AppSorteos, you can limit how many times each user can participate. The automation simply delivers the link; the promotion controls access.

Does this automation negatively affect my Instagram account?

No. All AppSorteos automations operate through the official Meta Business API, the channel authorized by Instagram for this type of integration. No bots or unauthorized tools are used, so there is no risk to your account.

Can I see how many people clicked on the promotion link in the DM?

Yes. From the AppSorteos dashboard, you can view participation statistics for each promotion, including the number of visits, entries, and prizes awarded.

What happens if the promotion ends but the flow remains active?

If the promotion reaches its end date or the prize inventory runs out, new users who receive the DM will find that the experience is no longer available. To avoid confusion, pause or delete the Automation flow when your promotion ends.

Your turn!

Combining an interactive promotion with automation is probably the most impactful strategy you can implement on Instagram right now, relative to the effort required.

Not only do you increase engagement on your posts—you’re creating a personalized and professional experience for everyone who interacts with them, generating genuine participation, and, if you pair it with lead generation, building your own database that doesn’t depend on any algorithm.

The process is straightforward: create your giveaway on AppSorteos, set up the workflow in DM Automation in less than fifteen minutes, publish your post with clear instructions, and let the tool do the rest.

Next Steps: Other Automation Guides

Guide: How to Automate Instagram with AppSorteos Automation (Complete Guide) — The starting point if you haven’t set up your first automation yet.

Guide: How to Send an Automatic DM When Someone Comments on Your Post or Reel — The basic workflow without follow-up verification, ideal for delivering content to anyone who comments.

Guide: How to Automatically Reply to All Your Incoming DMs — Set up automatic replies for your direct messages inbox.

Guide: How to Capture Your Followers’ Email Addresses from Instagram — Combine content delivery with email capture to build your contact list.

Guide: How to Send an Automatic DM When Someone Replies to Your Instagram Story — Take advantage of one of Instagram’s most intentional interactions to expand your exclusive content delivery strategy.