Can an agency edit creators' DM keywords without passwords?
Yes. On the BetterSocials Agency plan, an agency edits each creator's comment-to-DM keywords with no passwords and no view of their DMs or inbox.
By Stack & Funnel staff7 min readUpdated Nov 13, 2026
Yes. A creator agency can add, edit, pause and delete the comment-to-DM keywords on its creators' accounts without holding a password or reading a DM, as long as the tool keeps keyword control apart from the inbox. A comment-to-DM keyword is a word that, when someone comments it, sends that person a reply and a link. BetterSocials is our pick for agencies running one campaign across a roster, through its Agency plan at $29 per creator a month with four social accounts each. Manychat suits creators who also need WhatsApp, and Meta Business Suite covers a basic Instagram and Facebook keyword for free.
Running a roster's keywords in five steps
On November 5, 2026, BetterSocials added the Agency plan as a fourth plan beside Creator, Pro and Team. The steps below follow its Agency Admin from the first invite to the first client report.
1. Add creators by email
The agency adds each creator by email. Each creator keeps their own BetterSocials account, with four social accounts, 1,000 AI credits a month, link click tracking and analytics. Every creator added gets a 14-day free trial.
2. Let creators connect their own accounts
Creators connect Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook from their own login, through each platform's own sign-in screen. The password never reaches the agency or BetterSocials.
3. Write a keyword template once
A keyword template holds the word, the public reply, the DM and the link. {first_name}, {name} and {code} fill in per creator, and {code} is that creator's own code. One template can send every creator's commenters a DM carrying that creator's own promo code.
4. Apply it to the roster
Apply the template to many creators at once. When the brand changes the link, edit the template and apply it again, and every creator gets the new version. Creator setups go a step further: a campaign, keyword templates and settings that a new creator starts with when they accept the invite.
5. Read the numbers by campaign
The Agency Admin reports keyword DM triggers, DMs sent, links clicked and click rate for each creator and each campaign, over 7, 14, 30 or 90 days. A campaign is a brand the agency runs creators for. Links clicked counts real people only, with the automatic checks apps run on links left out.
Why the agency never holds a creator's password
A creator's password never reaches the agency on BetterSocials, because the creator does the connecting. Each platform's own sign-in screen grants the access, and the agency works from the Agency Admin on top of it.
The password question comes back when a creator leaves. The agency can change the email the account signs in with to an address the agency controls. The account keeps its connected accounts, keywords and history, the creator is signed out and told by email, and the agency can later hand the account to a new creator.
Whoever holds that login can open the whole account, inbox included. Moving the sign-in email hands over the account, so treat it as a handover and not as one more keyword permission.
What the agency sees, and what stays in the creator's inbox
BetterSocials splits each creator's account in two. The agency can add, edit, pause and delete every keyword (the reply, the DM and the link) and change the creator's account settings. It never sees a creator's messages, comment threads, who they talked to or their inbox, and it can't write or send a reply for them.
The creator answers their own comments and DMs.
The same line holds for AI. On the Agency plan, the agency can run its roster from Claude as a custom connector, or from Claude Code and other apps with a key. A connected assistant can read the numbers, add creators, edit or pause a keyword, apply a template to everyone, set up campaigns and make a client report link. It cannot read an inbox, a comment thread or a DM, cannot send a message as a creator and cannot move a login.
Client reports are what the agency takes to the brand. Pick a campaign and a date range, then Save as PDF, Download CSV with one row per creator, or Get a client link, a read-only page that stays up to date and needs no account. The agency chooses whether creators show by name or as Creator 1, Creator 2, and the report never carries a creator's email address.
Where the other three tools fit
Manychat works on Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and TikTok, and it prices its plans by active contacts. An agency whose creators already run their keywords there can keep that setup and compare the bill against a per-creator plan.
Manychat's prices below were listed in October 2026, and CreatorFlow's in September 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Channels | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetterSocials | Rosters on one campaign | Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, LinkedIn | $29 per creator a month |
| Manychat | Creators who also need WhatsApp | Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, TikTok | $39 a month on Pro |
| Meta Business Suite | One keyword, no budget | Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp | Free |
| CreatorFlow | Instagram-only rosters | $15 a month on Pro |
Manychat Pro is $39 a month with 2,500 active contacts, billed monthly, and each contact past that costs $0.05 on Pro. If your creators already run flows in Manychat or need WhatsApp, staying there is the shorter path.
Meta Business Suite includes keyword automations at no charge. Per Meta's help page, each automation holds at most 5 case-sensitive keywords, setup is desktop only, and a keyword message can wait 15 minutes before it sends. It fits one creator testing one keyword before the agency pays for anything.
CreatorFlow is Instagram only, with template replies and no AI replies. Pro is $15 a month ($12 a month billed yearly) for 5,000 DMs and two accounts, and Growth is $30 a month ($24 billed yearly) for 10,000 DMs, five accounts and five seats. A four-point check of whether CreatorFlow is Instagram only covers the rest.
Which platforms send a DM and which post a reply
Only Instagram and Facebook get a DM with the link from a BetterSocials keyword. On TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages, the keyword posts a public reply that carries the link instead.
That split comes from the platforms. YouTube has no DM API for any tool, and a TikTok comment cannot trigger a private DM on any tool outside TikTok's limited rollout in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.
Reporting follows the same split. Public replies count as public replies, not DMs, and a link in a public reply is not click tracked. Plan a TikTok or YouTube push knowing its clicks won't show in Links clicked. The steps for setting up comment-to-DM with a public reply apply to the Instagram and Facebook half.
The Agency plan price per creator
At $29 per creator a month, the BetterSocials Agency plan gives each creator four social accounts and 1,000 AI credits a month. Every creator added starts with a 14-day free trial. Logins for the agency's own team are free.
The plan starts with a conversation, through Talk with us on the BetterSocials pricing page, not a self-serve checkout. Creator, Pro and Team stay as the plans for a single business or creator running their own account.
FAQ
Can an agency manage Instagram comment-to-DM automation without the creator's password?
Yes. On BetterSocials each creator connects Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook from their own login, through each platform's own sign-in screen. The agency then adds, edits, pauses and deletes that creator's keywords from the Agency Admin. The creator's password never reaches the agency or BetterSocials.
Can an agency edit keywords but stay out of the creator's DMs?
Yes. The BetterSocials Agency Admin shows keyword DM triggers, DMs sent, links clicked and click rate for each creator. It never shows a creator's messages, comment threads, who they talked to or their inbox, and the agency can't write or send a reply for them.
Can one keyword go out to every creator on a roster?
Yes. A BetterSocials keyword template holds the word, the public reply, the DM and the link. Apply it to many creators at once, then edit it and apply again to update them all. {first_name}, {name} and {code} fill in per creator, so each DM can carry that creator's own promo code.
Does a comment keyword send a private DM on TikTok and YouTube?
No. On Instagram and Facebook a keyword comment sends the person a DM with the link. On TikTok, YouTube, Threads and LinkedIn Company Pages the keyword posts a public reply carrying the link. Those count as public replies, and a link in a public reply is not click tracked.
What happens to a creator's account when they leave the agency?
On BetterSocials the agency can change the email the account signs in with to an address the agency controls. The account keeps its connected accounts, keywords and history, and the creator is signed out and told by email. Whoever holds that login can open the whole account, inbox included.
Can an agency run its creators' keywords from Claude?
Yes. The BetterSocials Agency plan connects to Claude as a custom connector, and to Claude Code with a key. The assistant can read the numbers, edit or pause a keyword and apply a template to everyone. It can't read an inbox, a comment thread or a DM, and it can't send a message as a creator.