Repurpose existing content into a native Instagram post

Instagram Repurposer

Turn something you already made into a post that reads like it was born on Instagram. Repurposing is not copy-paste. A post that killed on LinkedIn or a thread that flew on X will die on Instagram if you paste it: wrong hook, wrong container, wrong rhythm, no media, and artifacts ("link in bio", @-handles, hashtag walls) that scream off-platform.

This skill transforms, it does not generate. It reads your source, keeps the idea, and rebuilds the delivery for Instagram.

When to use

• "Turn this LinkedIn post into an Instagram carousel / caption"
• "Repurpose my blog post / newsletter / YouTube script for Instagram"
• "This thread worked on X, adapt it for Instagram"
• "I have a rough idea in another format, make it native here"

Not for a blank-page draft (use ig-caption-writer for a single caption, ig-carousel-planner for a slide-by-slide carousel) and not for reviewing an already-Instagram draft (use ig-humanizer --mode audit).

How it works

Voice profile first (all drafts). If ../../references/voice-profile.md has filled: yes, load it and match the user's voice fingerprint, hard rules, and CTA/link style throughout. If it is not filled, mention once that ig-humanizer --mode profile can learn their voice from a few posts, then proceed with the generic voice rules.

1. Take the source. Any format: a post, a paragraph, a script, a caption, a transcript, a bullet list, a link to read. Ask for the source, the media the user has (Instagram needs an image or video), and the goal (saves / shares / comments / follows) if not given.
2. Extract the spine. Strip the source platform's shell and pull out the one claim, the one story, or the one number worth keeping. Most repurposing fails because it keeps the words instead of the point.
3. Choose the container. One claim or number -> single caption. A teach, a list, or a build -> carousel, one point per slide (hand structure to ig-carousel-planner, hook slide to payoff slide). A long video -> a carousel that delivers the payoff, not a summary.
4. Re-hook for the fold. Instagram hides everything after ~125 characters behind "more". Line one (or the hook slide) must land the whole punch on its own. The source's hook almost never survives; write a new first line using a 2026 Instagram formula (see ../../references/hook-formulas.md), picked by the goal.
5. Refit the format. Caption body skimmable, short lines, white space between beats. Carousel: one idea per slide, no wall. Cut the source's connective tissue; Instagram rewards the front-loaded payoff.
6. Strip off-platform artifacts. Remove "link in bio" carried from another platform, "smash subscribe", "read more below", X @-handles that only exist there, and any "as I wrote on LinkedIn" throat-clearing. A repurposed post should not admit it was repurposed.
7. Media reminder. Instagram rejects text-only posts. Confirm the image, video, or slide set the user will attach. A caption with no media is not publishable.
8. Hashtags at the end. Hand the topic to ig-hashtag-strategist or apply a 3-5 sized set yourself (see ../../references/hashtag-strategy.md). Place them as one block at the END of the caption or in the first comment, never as a mid-text wall.
9. Humanizer pass. Run ig-humanizer V3 on the result: 2026 AI vocab by paragraph density, em dashes above the cap (about one per 100 words, never swapped for a period), stacked rule-of-three triads, generic openers and reveal bridges. Fix only a paragraph that reads machine-flat; never manufacture variance. Keep the user's real numbers and named entities from the source.
10. Approval card. Show: source -> Instagram mapping (what became what), the container (single caption or N-slide carousel), formula used, the hook (flag if over 125 chars), hashtag set, the media the user must attach, primary goal.
11. On approval. Publish via lib.publish(kind="post", draft_text=<approved caption>, target_url="https://www.instagram.com/", media=[<local file paths>], platforms=[<INSTAGRAM_PLATFORM_ID>], scheduled_time=<iso_or_None>). For a Reel pass kind="reel". The wrapper runs the Publora draft then upload then schedule flow. With no media or no Publora key it returns a copy-paste block and a reminder to attach the media.

Native-fit rules (source -> Instagram)

• LinkedIn post -> Instagram: a long post becomes a carousel (one point per slide) or, if it is one sharp claim, a single caption. LinkedIn tolerates warm-up; Instagram does not. The LinkedIn hook is usually too long; rewrite it for the 125-char fold.
• Blog / newsletter -> carousel: turn the structure into slides, one point per slide, hook slide first, payoff slide last. Do not paste the whole piece into one caption.
• YouTube script -> carousel of the payoff: lead with the video's payoff, not its intro. Build the carousel around "here's what I found", not a scene-by-scene recap.
• Tweet / thread -> caption or carousel: a single tweet becomes a caption; a thread becomes a carousel, one tweet per slide with its own micro-point. Strip X @-handles and thread numbering.

Hard rules

Global voice rules: see root SKILL.md Voice rules. Additional skill-specific rules:

• Keep the source's claim and facts intact. Repurposing changes the delivery, never the meaning or the numbers.
• The new first line (or hook slide) must stop the scroll on its own before the 125-char fold. If it needs the second line, rewrite it.
• Never paste the source verbatim and trim. Rebuild the hook and rhythm from the spine.
• One specific number where the source offers one. Keep it.
• 3-5 sized hashtags as one block at the end, never 30 and never mid-caption.
• Media is required. Never present a repurposed caption as publishable without reminding the user to attach the image, video, or slides.
• Do not hard-sell the user's product. One natural mention max.

Anti-patterns (skill will refuse)

• Copy-pasting the source with light edits (that is not repurposing).
• Keeping the source platform's artifacts ("link in bio", "smash subscribe", X @-handles, thread numbering).
• A hook that only makes sense after the 125-char fold.
• A mid-caption hashtag wall instead of one block at the end.
• Presenting a caption with no media as ready to post.
• ALL CAPS first line for intensity. Carry it with word choice.
• Em dashes above the cap (more than about one per 100 words), or an em dash swapped for a period.
• "The result?" / "Here's the thing.." reveal bridges and staccato stacks added during the rewrite.
• Rule-of-three lists without specifics.
• "leverage", "fundamentally", "game-changer", "level up", "dive in".
• Meta throat-clearing ("I originally posted this on...").

Resources

• ../../references/hook-formulas.md - the 10 Instagram formula skeletons to re-hook with
• ../../references/algorithm-heuristics.md - 2026 Instagram ranking rules (fold, timing, signals)
• ../../references/hashtag-strategy.md - the 3-5 sized hashtag recipe
• ../../references/media-workflow.md - the draft, upload, schedule flow

Related skills

• ig-caption-writer - write a fresh single caption from scratch
• ig-carousel-planner - structure a slide-by-slide carousel (repurposer hands long builds here)
• ig-hashtag-strategist - build the sized hashtag set
• ig-humanizer - scrub AI tells, plus --mode audit to review the result