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Instagram Research

  • 1.2k installs
  • 194 repo stars
  • Updated January 23, 2026
  • bradautomates/head-of-content

Instagram Research is a content research skill that uses Apify's Instagram Scraper to find high-performing posts and reels, analyze top videos with AI, and generate hook-formula reports for developers planning Instagram

About

Instagram Research is a skill in bradautomates/head-of-content that researches high-performing Instagram content from tracked accounts using Apify's Instagram Scraper. The workflow identifies outlier posts and reels, runs AI analysis on the top 5 videos, and produces reports with actionable hook formulas and content ideas. Developers and content engineers invoke it when asked to find trending Instagram content in a niche, analyze competitor reels, identify viral patterns, or generate ideas from real performance data. Documented triggers include phrases like instagram research, find trending reels, and analyze instagram hooks. Output emphasizes structured research reports rather than raw scrape dumps, connecting Apify ingestion to hook-level creative guidance.

  • Scrapes Instagram posts and reels via Apify
  • Identifies statistical outlier content
  • Analyzes top 5 videos with Gemini AI
  • Outputs reports with actionable hook formulas
  • Supports tracked competitor and niche accounts

Instagram Research by the numbers

  • 1,212 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • +46 installs in the week ending Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion tracking)
  • Ranked #416 of 1,879 Marketing & SEO skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Security screen: MEDIUM risk (skills.sh audit)
  • Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
npx skills add https://github.com/bradautomates/head-of-content --skill instagram-research

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Installs1.2k
repo stars194
Security audit2 / 3 scanners passed
Last updatedJanuary 23, 2026
Repositorybradautomates/head-of-content

How do you research high-performing Instagram reels?

Quickly surface high-performing Instagram posts and reels, extract viral hooks, and generate fresh content ideas from real trend data.

Who is it for?

Developers and content engineers who need data-backed Instagram reel research with Apify scraping and AI hook analysis.

Skip if: Teams without Apify access or workflows that only need static copywriting without Instagram performance data.

When should I use this skill?

The user mentions instagram research, trending reels, competitor Instagram analysis, or viral hook identification.

What you get

Instagram trend reports with outlier identification, top-5 video AI analysis, and actionable hook formulas.

  • Instagram research reports with hook formulas
  • Top-5 video AI analysis summaries

By the numbers

  • AI-analyzes the top 5 videos from scraped Instagram content
  • Uses Apify's Instagram Scraper as the data ingestion source

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

Instagram Research

Research high-performing Instagram posts and reels, identify outliers, and analyze top video content for hooks and structure.

Prerequisites

  • APIFY_TOKEN environment variable or in .env
  • GEMINI_API_KEY environment variable or in .env
  • apify-client and google-genai Python packages
  • Accounts configured in .claude/context/instagram-accounts.md

Verify setup:

python3 -c "
import os
try:
    from dotenv import load_dotenv
    load_dotenv()
except ImportError:
    pass
from apify_client import ApifyClient
from google import genai
assert os.environ.get('APIFY_TOKEN'), 'APIFY_TOKEN not set'
assert os.environ.get('GEMINI_API_KEY'), 'GEMINI_API_KEY not set'
" && echo "Prerequisites OK"

Workflow

1. Create Run Folder

RUN_FOLDER="instagram-research/$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H%M%S)" && mkdir -p "$RUN_FOLDER" && echo "$RUN_FOLDER"

2. Fetch Content

python3 .claude/skills/instagram-research/scripts/fetch_instagram.py \
  --type reels \
  --days 30 \
  --limit 50 \
  --output {RUN_FOLDER}/raw.json

Parameters:

  • --type: "posts", "reels", or "stories"
  • --days: Days back to search (default: 30)
  • --limit: Max items per account (default: 50)

3. Identify Outliers

python3 .claude/skills/instagram-research/scripts/analyze_posts.py \
  --input {RUN_FOLDER}/raw.json \
  --output {RUN_FOLDER}/outliers.json \
  --threshold 2.0

Output JSON contains:

  • total_posts: Number of posts analyzed
  • outlier_count: Number of outliers found
  • topics: Top hashtags and keywords
  • accounts: List of accounts analyzed
  • outliers: Array of outlier posts with engagement metrics

4. Analyze Top Videos with AI

python3 .claude/skills/video-content-analyzer/scripts/analyze_videos.py \
  --input {RUN_FOLDER}/outliers.json \
  --output {RUN_FOLDER}/video-analysis.json \
  --platform instagram \
  --max-videos 5

Extracts from each video:

  • Hook technique and replicable formula
  • Content structure and sections
  • Retention techniques
  • CTA strategy

See the video-content-analyzer skill for full output schema and hook/format types.

5. Generate Report

Read {RUN_FOLDER}/outliers.json and {RUN_FOLDER}/video-analysis.json, then generate {RUN_FOLDER}/report.md.

Report Structure:

# Instagram Research Report

Generated: {date}

## Top Performing Hooks

Ranked by engagement. Use these formulas for your content.

### Hook 1: {technique} - @{username}
- **Opening**: "{opening_line}"
- **Why it works**: {attention_grab}
- **Replicable Formula**: {replicable_formula}
- **Engagement**: {likes} likes, {comments} comments, {views} views
- [Watch Video]({url})

[Repeat for each analyzed video]

## Content Structure Patterns

| Video | Format | Pacing | Key Retention Techniques |
|-------|--------|--------|--------------------------|
| @username | {format} | {pacing} | {techniques} |

## CTA Strategies

| Video | CTA Type | CTA Text | Placement |
|-------|----------|----------|-----------|
| @username | {type} | "{cta_text}" | {placement} |

## All Outliers

| Rank | Username | Likes | Comments | Views | Engagement Rate |
|------|----------|-------|----------|-------|-----------------|
[List all outliers with metrics and links]

## Trending Topics

### Top Hashtags
[From outliers.json topics.hashtags]

### Top Keywords
[From outliers.json topics.keywords]

## Actionable Takeaways

[Synthesize patterns into 4-6 specific recommendations]

## Accounts Analyzed
[List accounts]

Focus on actionable insights. The "Top Performing Hooks" section with replicable formulas should be prominent.

Quick Reference

Full pipeline:

RUN_FOLDER="instagram-research/$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H%M%S)" && mkdir -p "$RUN_FOLDER" && \
python3 .claude/skills/instagram-research/scripts/fetch_instagram.py --type reels -o "$RUN_FOLDER/raw.json" && \
python3 .claude/skills/instagram-research/scripts/analyze_posts.py -i "$RUN_FOLDER/raw.json" -o "$RUN_FOLDER/outliers.json" && \
python3 .claude/skills/video-content-analyzer/scripts/analyze_videos.py -i "$RUN_FOLDER/outliers.json" -o "$RUN_FOLDER/video-analysis.json" -p instagram

Then read both JSON files and generate the report.

Engagement Metrics

Engagement Score: likes + (3 × comments) + (0.1 × views)

Outlier Detection: Posts with engagement rate > mean + (threshold × std_dev)

Engagement Rate: (score / followers) × 100

Related skills

How it compares

Choose this over generic social listening when you need Apify-backed Instagram scrape data plus AI hook decomposition.

FAQ

What data source does Instagram Research use?

Instagram Research uses Apify's Instagram Scraper to collect high-performing posts and reels from tracked accounts. The skill identifies outliers and feeds top performers into AI analysis for hook-formula reporting.

How many videos does Instagram Research analyze with AI?

Instagram Research analyzes the top 5 videos with AI after outlier detection from scraped Instagram content. Reports include actionable hook formulas and content ideas derived from those top performers.

Is Instagram Research safe to install?

skills.sh reports 2 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.

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