The First Comment feature lets you automatically post a comment immediately after your main post publishes. This is commonly used to add hashtags to Instagram posts (keeping captions clean) or to boost initial engagement on your content.
Supported Platforms
First comments are available on these platforms:
| Platform | Post Types |
|---|---|
| Posts, Reels, Stories | |
| Posts, Reels | |
| Posts, Documents | |
| YouTube | YouTube Shorts |
First comments are not available on Pinterest, Twitter/X, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, or Mastodon.
Enabling First Comment
To add a first comment to your post:
- Create your post in the composer
- Look for the ChatBubbleBottomCenterIcon (speech bubble) in the text area footer controls
- Click the icon to enable first comment
- A separate text field appears below your main caption
Icon States
- Gray (text-gray-400): First comment is disabled
- Blue (text-blue-600): First comment is enabled
- Light gray (text-gray-300): Feature not available on your plan (click to upgrade)
Hover over the icon to see the tooltip “Add First Comment”.
Writing Your First Comment
Once enabled, the first comment text field appears:
- Click in the text field (placeholder: “Write your first comment”)
- Type your comment content
- A character counter shows your remaining characters
- The comment will be posted automatically when your main post publishes
Common Use Cases
- Instagram hashtags: Keep your caption clean by putting hashtags in the first comment
- Call to action: Add “What do you think? Comment below!” as engagement prompt
- Links: On platforms where links in captions don’t work well
- Credits: Attribution or source information
Character Limits
Each platform has its own character limit for first comments:
| Platform | Character Limit |
|---|---|
| 500 characters | |
| 500 characters | |
| 1,248 characters | |
| YouTube | 500 characters |
The character counter at the bottom of the text field shows how many characters you’ve used.
Plan Requirements
The First Comment feature is available on:
- Influencer plan
- Business plan
- Agency plan
- Enterprise plan
Not available on the Free plan.
Upgrading for Access
If you’re on the Free plan and click the first comment icon, you’ll be redirected to /settings/subscription to upgrade. Session storage flags are set to show “First Comment” as the feature requiring an “Influencer” plan.
Permission Requirements
First comments require specific permissions from each social platform. If your connected account doesn’t have the necessary permissions, you’ll see a dialog asking you to reconnect your profile.
Required Permissions by Platform
| Platform | Required Permissions |
|---|---|
| pages_manage_engagement | |
| instagram_business_basic + instagram_business_manage_comments | |
| w_organization_social_feed + w_member_social_feed | |
| YouTube | youtube.force-ssl |
Reconnecting for Permissions
If you see a permission error:
- A dialog appears explaining the missing permissions
- Click Reconnect Profile
- Re-authorize your account with the platform
- Ensure you grant all requested permissions
- Return to Viraly and try enabling first comment again