| name | ig-repurposer |
| description | Repurpose existing content into a native Instagram post. Take a LinkedIn, blog, YouTube script, or X tweet or thread and rebuild it for Instagram: a long piece becomes a carousel or a caption, re-hooked before the 125-char fold, off-platform artifacts stripped (X @-handles, link in bio), published via Publora on approval. Use to adapt content across platforms into Instagram. Not for writing from scratch (use ig-caption-writer or ig-carousel-planner), not for auditing a draft (ig-humanizer --mode audit). |
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Humanizer pass. Run
ig-humanizer on the result: em dashes, AI vocab,
rule-of-three, generic openers. Keep the user's real numbers and named
entities from the source.
- 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.
- 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 anywhere.
- 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 scratchig-carousel-planner - structure a slide-by-slide carousel (repurposer hands long builds here)ig-hashtag-strategist - build the sized hashtag setig-humanizer - scrub AI tells, plus --mode audit to review the result
