Collect emails and phone numbers in DMs
Updated
A comment is a moment. A lead is a way to reach that person again. Dartzo gives you two switches for this: Collect info asks one question in the DM and saves the answer, and Capture leads in DM quietly saves everyone your DM reaches. This page covers both, the option to hold your link until someone answers, and where the results show up.
Collect info: ask for an email or phone number
Instagram has no button that fills in an email or phone number for the fan, so they type it. Collect info asks your question, checks the answer and saves it on the person. It is free on every plan.
- Turn on “Collect info”In Simple it is in the More options card under your message; in Advanced it is in the Advanced card. On a comment automation turn on Opening message first: after a comment you can only send one message until the person replies or taps, so the switch stays locked until then.
- Write the questionThe Question box starts with “What's the best email to reach you?”. Write it the way you would ask a friend, for example “Where should I send it? Just type your email here 👇”.
- Choose what to saveUnder Save answer as pick Email, Phone number or Custom property (name it, like “City”). Emails and phone numbers go into the person’s Email and Phone columns; a custom property becomes one of their fields.
- Decide whether they can skipTurn on Allow skipping to add a Skip button. Edit button changes its words, up to 20 characters.
- A wrong format is asked again. If the reply doesn’t look like an email, Dartzo answers “That doesn’t look like an email. Could you type it again?” (for a phone number it also asks for the country code). If the reply still doesn’t fit after two retries, Dartzo stops asking.
- Answers are checked before they are saved. Emails are stored in lower case; phone numbers keep a leading + and the digits only.
- Consent is recorded. The person is saved as having agreed by replying in the DM, with the date and the question they answered.
- One question per automation.
Send the link only after they answer
By default the question comes after your DM, so people already have your link and many never answer. Turn on Send the link only after they answer (inside Collect info) and the order flips: the question goes first, and your message with its link goes out only once they give a real answer, or tap Skip if you allowed it. No answer, no link.
| Trigger | What the fan sees, in order |
|---|---|
| Comment on a post or reel | ① Your Opening message with its button (never the link) → they tap → ② your question → they type their email → ③ your DM with the link. |
| DM keyword, story reply or story mention | Their message opens the chat, so the question is your first DM → they answer → your DM with the link. |
- The DM that follows the answer is exactly the one you wrote: the same text, link button and image.
- The question waits up to 24 hours for an answer. With Follow up to re-engage on, its message is sent after the hours you chose if they still haven’t answered, and answering that sends the link too.
- A comment automation needs Opening message on. The studio tells you if it's missing.
- A link is optional. Without one, your message alone follows the answer, which suits building an email or WhatsApp list.
- It can’t be combined with Ask to follow yet. Turn one of them off.
- The phone preview in the studio shows the real order: the question, their answer, then your DM.
Capture leads in DM: save everyone your DM reaches
This switch saves every person whose DM was delivered to your Leads list, with their Instagram username and ID. It doesn’t ask anything and the fan sees nothing. In Simple it is in the Settings popup; in Advanced it is in the Advanced card. It is a Pro feature, and on paid plans new automations start with it on.
The same person is never listed twice: Dartzo matches people by their Instagram ID, so a later answer to Collect info fills in the email on the row that is already there.
What consent looks like on a lead
| How the person was saved | Consent recorded | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Capture leads in DM only | None. You have their Instagram identity, not permission to contact them elsewhere. | Row in Leads; Email and Phone empty; exported with consented false |
| Answered Collect info | Yes: “replying in the DM”, with the date and the question they answered. | Email or Phone filled in; exported with consented true and consent_source dm_reply |
| Opened a ref link into your DMs | Yes: source ref, because they chose to message you. | Row in Leads, carrying the link’s campaign id if you set one |
Where your leads show up
- Leads in the sidebar: the list, with tags, custom fields, segments and an Export CSV button. See People and leads.
- Analytics: the leads captured stage counts people with an email or phone. See Reading your analytics.
- Dashboard: people saved by Capture leads in DM appear in the live feed while you have the page open.
Plans
| Free | Pro, Max, Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Collect info and Send the link only after they answer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Capture leads in DM | Locked (Pro badge) | ✓ |
| Follow up to re-engage | Locked (Pro badge) | ✓ |
| Export CSV on the Leads page | Hidden | ✓ |
Every paid feature works during a 14-day trial. If a plan lapses, nothing already saved is deleted, and Collect info keeps working. See Plans and features.
Privacy
You hold your fans’ details on their behalf. Ask only for what you need and say why in the question. Dartzo saves an email or phone only when the person types it in answer to your question; it never scans comments or other messages for addresses. To remove someone, contact us; to remove everything, see Delete your account.