Instagram Content Planner
Generate a weekly Instagram content plan from a theme, audience, and content pillars.
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Instagram Content Planner
Produce a weekly Instagram plan built around a pillar discipline and the format mix Instagram rewards: Reels for reach, carousels for saves, stories for the relationship. The plan sets a weekly saves-and-shares goal, because sends per reach and saves are the 2026 levers.
When to use
- User asks "plan my week on Instagram" or "what should I post this week"
- User wants to escape ad-hoc posting and establish a rhythm
- Before a launch week (the plan aligns a product pillar)
Input
- Theme (optional): e.g. "launching our design course"
- Audience description: e.g. "junior designers, career switchers"
- Pillar mix (optional): defaults to 40% Educational / 30% Story / 20% Engagement / 10% Promotion
- Posting cadence (optional): defaults to 4-5 feed posts/week + daily stories
- Voice samples (optional): past captions for voice calibration
Output
A markdown plan with:
7-day calendar
| Day | Format | Pillar | Formula | 1-line angle | Goal | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Reel | Educational | IG9 Pattern-Interrupt | "you post Reels at the worst time" | shares | 12:00 PM |
| Tue | Carousel | Educational | IG5 Listicle | "7 portfolio mistakes" | saves | 11:30 AM |
| Wed | Story set | Engagement | poll + question | "which layout wins?" | comments | 7:00 PM |
| Thu | Carousel | Story | IG6 Before/After | "my first $0 to first $4k" | follows | 11:00 AM |
| Fri | Single image | Engagement | IG3 Relatable | "opening Canva for one graphic" | comments | 1:00 PM |
| Sat | Reel | Educational | IG10 How-I Teardown | "how I edit a Reel in 20 min" | saves | 10:00 AM |
| Sun | Story set | Promotion | reshare + link | "course doors open" | follows | 6:00 PM |
(The skill fills real angles from the theme. Stories run daily underneath the feed posts.)
Weekly saves goal
- Set a concrete saves + shares target for the week (the primary lever). Default heuristic: at least 3 of the week's feed posts are save-bait formats (IG1, IG5, IG6, IG8, IG10) and at least 2 are send-bait (IG2, IG7, IG9).
- Track saves and shares as the headline metric, not likes.
Daily story cadence
- 2-4 story frames/day: behind-the-scenes, a poll or question sticker, and at least one reshare of a recent feed post (a send-equivalent signal that pushes the post to followers who missed it).
- Stories deepen the follower relationship; they do not chase non-follower reach.
Weekly balance check
- Format mix: at least 2 Reels (reach), at least 2 carousels (saves), stories daily
- At least 3 save-bait posts and 2 send-bait posts
- At least 1 real first-person story post (build trust, earn follows)
- No pillar over 50% of the week's feed posts
- No formula repeated more than twice in the week
- Promotion pillar 1-2 posts max
- Goal mix spread across saves, shares, comments, follows
Goal mix (balance the week)
Every formula earns a primary signal. A week that is all save-bait or all relatable reads as engineered. Spread the goals:
| Goal | Formulas | Weekly target |
|---|---|---|
| Saves | IG1, IG5, IG6, IG8, IG10 | at least 3 (the headline lever) |
| Shares | IG2, IG7, IG9 | at least 2 |
| Comments | IG3, IG4 | at least 1 |
| Follows | IG4, IG6, IG8 | at least 1 |
Rules
- Consistency beats frequency. 4-5 quality feed posts/week with daily stories beats a daily dump of filler. Do not pad to hit a count.
- Reels for reach, carousels for saves, stories for the relationship. Use the right surface for the job.
- Reels can run more often than carousels without fatigue, because each reaches a fresh non-follower audience.
- Best windows: weekdays 11 AM-1 PM and 7-9 PM local, plus Sunday evening. Check the user's own insights when available.
- Promotion pillar max 1-2 posts/week. Overuse buries reach.
- One formula per slot, varied across the week. Do not stack three IG5 carousels.
Formula -> pillar mapping
| Pillar | Preferred formulas |
|---|---|
| Educational | IG5 Listicle, IG8 Framework, IG10 How-I Reel, IG1 Number-First |
| Story | IG4 Confession, IG6 Before/After |
| Engagement | IG3 Relatable, IG9 Pattern-Interrupt Reel, story stickers |
| Promotion | IG6 (results that imply the product), IG1 (your own data) |
Steps
- Gather inputs. Ask for theme, audience, pillar preferences if not provided.
- Validate the pillar mix sums to 100%; warn if any pillar is over 50%.
- For each day, pick: format (Reel/carousel/image/story), pillar, formula (do not over-repeat), angle, posting time (audience timezone), goal.
- Set the weekly saves + shares goal and the daily story cadence.
- Run the weekly balance check and the goal-mix check; flag anything missing.
- Return as markdown, plus optional JSON for import.
Example
See references/example-week.md for a filled-in 7-day plan.
Files
SKILL.md- this filereferences/example-week.md- worked 7-day planreferences/pillars-framework.md- the Instagram pillar discipline explained
Related skills
ig-caption-writer- draft each single-image caption from the planig-carousel-planner- draft each carousel from the planig-hashtag-strategist- rotate sized hashtag sets across the weekig-hook-extractor- study competitors' posts while planning
| 1 | |
| 2 | name ig-content-planner |
| 3 | description "Generate a weekly Instagram content plan from a theme, audience, and content pillars. Produces a per-day mix of Reels, carousels, single images, and stories, each with a hook formula, angle, posting time, and primary goal, plus a weekly saves-and-shares goal (the 2026 lever), a story cadence, and a balance check across saves, shares, comments, and follows. Use to plan a week instead of ad-hoc posting. Not for drafting one caption (use ig-caption-writer) or one carousel (use ig-carousel-planner)." |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | # Instagram Content Planner |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Produce a weekly Instagram plan built around a pillar discipline and the |
| 9 | format mix Instagram rewards: Reels for reach, carousels for saves, stories for |
| 10 | the relationship. The plan sets a weekly saves-and-shares goal, because sends per |
| 11 | reach and saves are the 2026 levers. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | ## When to use |
| 14 | |
| 15 | User asks "plan my week on Instagram" or "what should I post this week" |
| 16 | User wants to escape ad-hoc posting and establish a rhythm |
| 17 | Before a launch week (the plan aligns a product pillar) |
| 18 | |
| 19 | ## Input |
| 20 | |
| 21 | **Theme** (optional): e.g. "launching our design course" |
| 22 | **Audience description:** e.g. "junior designers, career switchers" |
| 23 | **Pillar mix** (optional): defaults to 40% Educational / 30% Story / |
| 24 | 20% Engagement / 10% Promotion |
| 25 | **Posting cadence** (optional): defaults to 4-5 feed posts/week + daily stories |
| 26 | **Voice samples** (optional): past captions for voice calibration |
| 27 | |
| 28 | ## Output |
| 29 | |
| 30 | A markdown plan with: |
| 31 | |
| 32 | ### 7-day calendar |
| 33 | |
| 34 | | Day | Format | Pillar | Formula | 1-line angle | Goal | Time | |
| 35 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |
| 36 | | Mon | Reel | Educational | IG9 Pattern-Interrupt | "you post Reels at the worst time" | shares | 12:00 PM | |
| 37 | | Tue | Carousel | Educational | IG5 Listicle | "7 portfolio mistakes" | saves | 11:30 AM | |
| 38 | | Wed | Story set | Engagement | poll + question | "which layout wins?" | comments | 7:00 PM | |
| 39 | | Thu | Carousel | Story | IG6 Before/After | "my first $0 to first $4k" | follows | 11:00 AM | |
| 40 | | Fri | Single image | Engagement | IG3 Relatable | "opening Canva for one graphic" | comments | 1:00 PM | |
| 41 | | Sat | Reel | Educational | IG10 How-I Teardown | "how I edit a Reel in 20 min" | saves | 10:00 AM | |
| 42 | | Sun | Story set | Promotion | reshare + link | "course doors open" | follows | 6:00 PM | |
| 43 | |
| 44 | (The skill fills real angles from the theme. Stories run daily underneath the |
| 45 | feed posts.) |
| 46 | |
| 47 | ### Weekly saves goal |
| 48 | |
| 49 | Set a concrete **saves + shares target** for the week (the primary lever). |
| 50 | Default heuristic: at least 3 of the week's feed posts are save-bait formats |
| 51 | (IG1, IG5, IG6, IG8, IG10) and at least 2 are send-bait (IG2, IG7, IG9). |
| 52 | Track saves and shares as the headline metric, not likes. |
| 53 | |
| 54 | ### Daily story cadence |
| 55 | |
| 56 | 2-4 story frames/day: behind-the-scenes, a poll or question sticker, and at |
| 57 | least one reshare of a recent feed post (a send-equivalent signal that pushes |
| 58 | the post to followers who missed it). |
| 59 | Stories deepen the follower relationship; they do not chase non-follower reach. |
| 60 | |
| 61 | ### Weekly balance check |
| 62 | |
| 63 | [ ] Format mix: at least 2 Reels (reach), at least 2 carousels (saves), stories daily |
| 64 | [ ] At least 3 save-bait posts and 2 send-bait posts |
| 65 | [ ] At least 1 real first-person story post (build trust, earn follows) |
| 66 | [ ] No pillar over 50% of the week's feed posts |
| 67 | [ ] No formula repeated more than twice in the week |
| 68 | [ ] Promotion pillar 1-2 posts max |
| 69 | [ ] Goal mix spread across saves, shares, comments, follows |
| 70 | |
| 71 | ## Goal mix (balance the week) |
| 72 | |
| 73 | Every formula earns a primary signal. A week that is all save-bait or all |
| 74 | relatable reads as engineered. Spread the goals: |
| 75 | |
| 76 | | Goal | Formulas | Weekly target | |
| 77 | |---|---|---| |
| 78 | | Saves | IG1, IG5, IG6, IG8, IG10 | at least 3 (the headline lever) | |
| 79 | | Shares | IG2, IG7, IG9 | at least 2 | |
| 80 | | Comments | IG3, IG4 | at least 1 | |
| 81 | | Follows | IG4, IG6, IG8 | at least 1 | |
| 82 | |
| 83 | ## Rules |
| 84 | |
| 85 | **Consistency beats frequency.** 4-5 quality feed posts/week with daily stories |
| 86 | beats a daily dump of filler. Do not pad to hit a count. |
| 87 | **Reels for reach, carousels for saves, stories for the relationship.** Use the |
| 88 | right surface for the job. |
| 89 | **Reels can run more often** than carousels without fatigue, because each |
| 90 | reaches a fresh non-follower audience. |
| 91 | **Best windows:** weekdays 11 AM-1 PM and 7-9 PM local, plus Sunday evening. |
| 92 | Check the user's own insights when available. |
| 93 | **Promotion pillar max 1-2 posts/week.** Overuse buries reach. |
| 94 | **One formula per slot, varied across the week.** Do not stack three IG5 carousels. |
| 95 | |
| 96 | ## Formula -> pillar mapping |
| 97 | |
| 98 | | Pillar | Preferred formulas | |
| 99 | |---|---| |
| 100 | | Educational | IG5 Listicle, IG8 Framework, IG10 How-I Reel, IG1 Number-First | |
| 101 | | Story | IG4 Confession, IG6 Before/After | |
| 102 | | Engagement | IG3 Relatable, IG9 Pattern-Interrupt Reel, story stickers | |
| 103 | | Promotion | IG6 (results that imply the product), IG1 (your own data) | |
| 104 | |
| 105 | ## Steps |
| 106 | |
| 107 | Gather inputs. Ask for theme, audience, pillar preferences if not provided. |
| 108 | Validate the pillar mix sums to 100%; warn if any pillar is over 50%. |
| 109 | For each day, pick: format (Reel/carousel/image/story), pillar, formula (do |
| 110 | not over-repeat), angle, posting time (audience timezone), goal. |
| 111 | Set the weekly saves + shares goal and the daily story cadence. |
| 112 | Run the weekly balance check and the goal-mix check; flag anything missing. |
| 113 | Return as markdown, plus optional JSON for import. |
| 114 | |
| 115 | ## Example |
| 116 | |
| 117 | See `references/example-week.md` for a filled-in 7-day plan. |
| 118 | |
| 119 | ## Files |
| 120 | |
| 121 | `SKILL.md` - this file |
| 122 | `references/example-week.md` - worked 7-day plan |
| 123 | `references/pillars-framework.md` - the Instagram pillar discipline explained |
| 124 | |
| 125 | ## Related skills |
| 126 | |
| 127 | `ig-caption-writer` - draft each single-image caption from the plan |
| 128 | `ig-carousel-planner` - draft each carousel from the plan |
| 129 | `ig-hashtag-strategist` - rotate sized hashtag sets across the week |
| 130 | `ig-hook-extractor` - study competitors' posts while planning |
| 131 |
Discussion
Alternatives
Also in Platform postsInstagram Caption WriterDraft an Instagram caption with the hook in the first 125 characters, a skimmable body, and one clear CTA, using a 2026 hook formula chosen by goal (saves, shares, comments, follows). Runs the humanizer pass and, on approval, publishes with the image or video you supply via the Publora media flow. Use to caption a single image or a Reel. Not for slide-by-slide carousels (use ig-carousel-planner) or auditing a draft (use ig-humanizer --mode audit).Instagram Carousel PlannerPlan an Instagram carousel slide by slide, up to 10 slides, with a hook slide that opens a loop, value slides that front-load the payoff, and a payoff slide that earns the save and follow. Picks a 2026 carousel formula (listicle, before/after, myth-buster, framework) by goal (saves, shares, follows), drafts each slide's text plus the caption, then publishes the images you supply via Publora. Use to structure a multi-slide carousel. Not for single-image captions (use ig-caption-writer).LinkedIn Carousel CreatorCreate LinkedIn carousel posts as high-quality PNG images. Design informational multi-slide posts like "5 AI GTM workflows" with consistent styling, then automatically screenshot each slide at LinkedIn's optimal 1080x1080px format.Instagram Hashtag StrategistBuild a sized Instagram hashtag set for a post using the 2026 reality that 3 to 5 well-chosen tags beat 30 random ones. Sizes each tag as niche (under 50k posts), mid (50k to 500k), or broad (500k+), then assembles a 2-3 niche, 1-2 mid, 0-1 broad mix that a small or mid account can actually rank in, matched to the post content and rotated to avoid spam patterns. Use to choose hashtags for a caption, carousel, or Reel. Not for writing the caption itself (use ig-caption-writer).