What is a sequence

Summary

A sequence tells your Agent what to do when a certain topic or keyword is mentioned in your post’s comments or your DMs. The Agent then replies from your connected Instagram account each time a conversation fits.

You do three things:

Build the sequence from four parts: When, Then, Follow up and Until.
Test it in the Test AI Agent panel. Nothing is sent to Instagram during this test.
Revise the wording until the test gives the result that you want. Expect to revise at least once.

This guide builds one example from start to finish. The example is called “Airport check”. When a person asks where you are, the Agent says that it is at an airport and talks about travel. The topic is not a business topic on purpose: it makes each reply easy to recognise in the pictures.

The four parts of a sequence

Part	Question it answers	In the example
When	Which conversations start the sequence?	A person asks where you are.
Then	What does the Agent do?	It says a fixed line, then talks about travel.
Follow up	What happens if the person does not answer?	Left off.
Until	What ends the sequence early?	The person says that they do not like planes.

What you need

Your Sociable AI login.
Your Instagram account connected to Sociable AI. Check this under Settings, then Integrations. The account must show the status Connected.
A second Instagram account, if you want a live test. You do not need one for the test in this guide.

Reply to comments

The example starts from a DM. A sequence can also start from a comment on your posts. In Step 2, choose Comments under When a user messages you in. The Then part then offers two more actions:

Action	What the Agent sends
Comment Action	A public reply to the comment.
Comment to Direct Message Action	A public reply and a DM, both at once.

We did not test comment triggers for this guide.

Limits

Platform	What can start a sequence	What the sequence can send
Instagram	DMs, comments	DMs, comment replies, or a comment reply with a DM.
Facebook	DMs, comments	DMs, comment replies, or a comment reply with a DM.
TikTok	Comments	One comment reply.

A DM that answers a comment has a limit of 1,000 characters when you use Say exactly this. Instagram allows one private reply to each comment, so a longer message cannot be split.
A TikTok comment reply has a limit of 150 characters when you use Say exactly this. This is the TikTok limit for comments.

Words used in this guide

Word	Meaning
Agent	The part of Sociable AI that writes and sends replies for one brand. You choose it at the top of the page. The screen also calls it “AI Agent”, “AI” and “Persona”.
Sequence	A set of instructions for one kind of conversation. It has the parts When, Then, Follow up and Until.
Trigger	The description in the When part. A conversation that fits it starts the sequence.
Scenario	A trigger rule that describes what the person wants, in a sentence.
Action	One entry in the Then part. It can last for several messages.
Stop trigger	The description in the Until part. A message that fits it ends the sequence.
Person	Whoever sends the DM or writes the comment. They do not have to follow your account. The screen sometimes says “follower” or “user”.
DM	Direct message. A private message on Instagram or Facebook.
Brand Voice	The setting that tells the Agent how to write in every conversation.
Connected account	A social media account that you linked to Sociable AI under Settings, then Integrations.

Get help

In Sociable AI, click Get help fast at the top right. You can also email contact@sociable.how.

Include these three details:

The name of the sequence.
The test message that you sent, and where you sent it: the Test AI Agent panel or Instagram.
What the Agent did, and what you expected.

If a part of this guide is unclear, send the heading of that part to the same address.

Sociable AI: where you sign in and open Sequences.
Risks and considerations for Sequences: Meta’s rules, and how to keep your Agent within them.
Sociable AI documentation: other guides for Sociable AI.