How to configure and launch an Instagram prospecting campaign?

Reading time: 3 minutes

Quick summary: Configure your Instagram campaign in 6 steps: choose sources (posts/profiles), targeting filters, personalized messages, sending intervals, CRM pipelines and name. Compatible with posts and follower profiles.

Launching an Instagram prospecting campaign with Novalya lets you automatically send private messages (DMs) to people who interact with your Instagram sources.

This complete guide explains how to configure and launch your first Instagram campaign step by step.

Instagram campaign overview

An Instagram prospecting campaign automates sending Instagram DMs from 2 types of sources:

Available sources:

• Instagram Posts → Target people who liked a post
• Instagram Profiles → Target followers of an account

Step 1: Choose your prospecting sources

Navigation: Novalya Dashboard > Instagram > New campaign

Available Instagram sources:

1. Instagram Posts you imported
2. • People who liked the post
   • Limitation: 50 hidden likes on other accounts' posts
   • No limit on your own posts
2. Instagram Profiles (followers) you imported
3. • Followers of a targeted profile
   • Limitation: 50 hidden followers on other accounts
   • No limit on your own account

Selection:

• Check sources you want to include in this campaign
• You can combine multiple posts and profiles
• Prospected profiles will be the union of all selected sources

Step 2: Configure targeting filters

Filters let you refine your Instagram audience.

Available filters:

Gender:

• Male
• Female
• All (default)

Already prospected profiles:

• Include only new profiles (recommended)
• Include all profiles

Profiles with existing conversations:

• Exclude profiles I've already talked to (recommended)
• Include all profiles

Step 3: Create your prospecting messages

Write messages that will be automatically sent in Instagram DMs.

Message rotation:

Novalya rotates several message variants to reduce detection risk and keep sending natural. Provide at least 3 variants (up to 10): for each send, Novalya automatically picks one.

⚠️ No first-name personalization on Instagram:
Unlike Facebook, Instagram does not allow automatically inserting the first name (or last name) into the message. The [first name] tag works on Facebook only. Write messages that work without a first-name variable.

Best practices:

• Stay natural and conversational
• Avoid spam and overly commercial messages
• Keep messages short and authentic
• Test multiple variants to optimize

Step 4: Choose sending intervals

Intervals define wait time between each message to reproduce natural human behavior.

4 available modes:

Recommendations based on your situation:

• New Instagram account → Secure mode (2-3 weeks)
• Established account never used for prospecting → Optimized mode (1-2 weeks)
• Already warmed-up account → Efficient or Boost mode

Step 5: Add to CRM pipeline (optional)

Automatically add contacted prospects to a CRM pipeline to organize your follow-up.

How it works:

• Each contacted person will be added to chosen pipeline
• Organize your prospects by campaign, status or theme
• Track your conversation history

Configuration:

1. Select existing pipeline from dropdown menu
2. Or create new pipeline directly
3. Prospects will be added in first stage

Step 6: Name your campaign and launch

Give your campaign a clear name to easily find it.

Example names:

• "Fitness Posts Prospecting March 2026"
• "Competitor Followers - E-commerce"
• "Free Webinar Leads"

Campaign launch:

1. Click Launch campaign
2. Chrome must stay open during entire sending duration
3. Instagram must stay open in Chrome tab
4. Novalya will send messages automatically according to configured intervals

Real-time tracking:

• Number of sent messages
• Success rate
• Any errors
• Remaining profiles to contact

Differences with Facebook campaigns

Similarities:

• Identical 6-step configuration
• Filters and intervals work the same way
• Similar CRM and organization

Important differences:

Best practices for your Instagram campaigns

✅ To do:

• Warm up your account before intensive prospecting
• Use Secure or Optimized mode at start
• Prepare at least 3 message variants
• Test multiple message variants
• Organize your prospects in CRM pipelines
• Respect Instagram sending limits

❌ To avoid:

• Sending too commercial or spammy messages
• Using Boost mode without warm-up
• Exceeding recommended quotas (50-80 msg/day max)
• Prospecting 24/7 without natural pauses
• Ignoring Instagram restriction signals

What happens after launch?

Automation:

1. Novalya browses your selected Instagram sources
2. Applies configured targeting filters
3. Sends messages in DM automatically
4. Respects chosen sending intervals
5. Adds prospects to CRM if configured

Tracking and management:

• Check dashboard to track progress
• Pause or stop campaign anytime
• Instagram conversations appear in your DMs normally
• Manually respond to interested prospects

Message pool:

• Each sent message consumes 1 message from your monthly quota
• Quota is shared between Facebook and Instagram
• Check your plan to know your limit (300/800/1500)

FAQ - Frequently asked questions

How long does an Instagram campaign last?

Duration depends on number of profiles to contact and chosen intervals. Example: 100 profiles in Efficient mode = approximately 2-3 hours. Campaign stops automatically once all profiles are contacted.

Can I launch multiple Instagram campaigns at the same time?

No, you can only launch one campaign at a time per social network. However, you can launch 1 Facebook campaign + 1 Instagram campaign simultaneously.

What happens if I close Chrome during campaign?

Campaign stops immediately. Chrome must stay open with Instagram connected during entire sending duration. You can put Chrome in background.

Can I modify a campaign after launching it?

No, once launched, settings are fixed. You can pause, stop, then create new campaign with new settings.

How do I know if my Instagram messages are being sent?

Check your Instagram DMs: all sent messages appear in your conversation history normally. Novalya dashboard also displays number of successfully sent messages.

Need help?

If you encounter difficulties configuring or launching your Instagram campaign, our support team is available:

• Email: support@novalya.com
• Ticket Center: From your Novalya dashboard

Useful information to provide:

• Your campaign name
• Step where you're stuck
• Screenshots if possible
• Any error messages

Updated on: 17/06/2026