Simple Builder
An optional, guided way to ship your first automation in four quick steps — pick a trigger, write the reply, go live. The full flow builder is always one click away.
On this page
A gentler on-ramp
The flow builder is the heart of Ravela — a visual canvas with branching, variables, and steps for conversations and follow-up. If that sounds like more than you need for your first automation, the Simple Builder offers a smaller set of steps: a guided, four-step path from “someone comments my keyword” to a live automation, no canvas required.
It’s deliberately optional. You’ll find it on the Flows page next to New Flow, and everything it makes can be opened, edited, and extended in the full builder later. Think of it as the short staircase up to the same floor.
Four steps to live
The whole journey happens on one screen, one step at a time. Name the automation by clicking the title at the top, then:
- 1Trigger — choose the moment that starts the conversation: a comment keyword on your posts, a DM keyword, a story mention, or a story reply.
- 2Configure — pick the Instagram account it runs on (the first one is preselected for you) and, for keyword triggers, add your keywords and choose Contains or Exact match.
- 3Steps — build the reply: send a message, ask for input, or wait before the next step. Steps run in order, and the ending is handled for you automatically.
- 4Review — read the summary of what will happen, then Publish & go live, or Save as draft to finish later. Saving a draft does not activate the automation; live tests still send real messages.
Writing the message
The message step keeps the essentials close: a character counter (Instagram caps a DM at 1,000 characters), an emoji picker, and an Insert {{username}} button that drops the contact’s handle into your text with the spacing handled — no syntax to remember. Personal beats polished in the DMs, so write it the way you’d actually say it.
Collecting answers
The “ask for input” step sends a question and waits for the reply. Email and phone answers are validated and saved straight to the contact’s built-in email and phone fields — the Simple Builder wires that up for you. A free-text question saves to a custom field you name.
Explain what you will send before asking for an email address, then complete the required consent acknowledgement before publishing. Collecting the address does not send an email or subscribe the person to every future campaign.
What it creates — and when to graduate
Behind the scenes there is no special “simple flow.” The Simple Builder creates a completely standard flow and a standard trigger — the same things the full builder and the Automations page make. It appears in your Flows list, its trigger lives under Automations, it counts runs and analytics the same way, and you can pause it anytime.
That also means graduating is seamless: open the flow in the full builder whenever you want branching, buttons, asset delivery, or anything beyond a straight line. The Simple Builder keeps to linear conversations with three step types on purpose — the moment your idea outgrows that, the canvas is ready.
Starting from a comment
For a new commenter, start with one Ask for Input question and wait for their answer before sending another message or a link. For example, ask “Would you like the guide?” as a text question, then send the resource after they reply.
A Wait step only pauses for time; it does not wait for a reply or open Instagram’s messaging window. Open the full builder if you want an opening message with quick replies or more control over the response paths.