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AI FOR INSTAGRAM · THE FULL SYSTEM

My full system for running Instagram with AI

How to take Instagram from 2300 followers to 6563 without writing code, 3x in just over 2 months. This page breaks down the flow I actually run every day.

Field notes, Jun 11 2026
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This isn't theory. It's what I actually run every day.

Once I handed the whole loop, picking topics, making images, publishing, over to AI, I could finally post every day and adjust from the data as I go. Below I lay out the system, the daily flow and the tools, all in one place.

2300→6563
Followers
3x
Just over 2 months
Every day
Posting steadily

The three-step system

String these three together and you have the whole line, from nothing to content to publishing on its own.

1

Trend radar

Every day AI pulls public trends together and tells me what people are looking at. No guessing at topics. Starting from what people already talk about lands far more often.

Tool Claude Frequency Every morning Output A topic list for the day
2

Auto layout

Give it a topic and AI lays the text out into a full carousel. I only do the final tweaks. Laying out slide by slide used to take two or three hours. Now it's picking words and reordering.

Tool Claude Code + Jimeng Output A full carousel in PNG I only do the final tweaks
3

Scheduled auto-posting

Set it once and it posts on time. Asleep or busy, it still clocks in. No sitting on my phone waiting for the posting slot. Content goes out when it should.

Tool Local scheduler + official API Setup Once, properly After that Fully automatic

Wire up the simplest possible workflow

Don't jump to automation yet. This is the smallest version you can run today in 5 minutes. Run it once and the logic of the whole thing clicks. (Tap a prompt to copy it.)

STEP 1

Give AI a topic, get the whole carousel script

Open Claude or ChatGPT (the free tier is fine), paste the block below, and swap in the topic you want to post about:

COPY THIS PROMPT TAP TO COPY I want to make an Instagram carousel post on the topic "(your topic here)". Write me 6 slides: slide 1 is an eye-catching cover headline, slides 2 to 5 each cover one point, slide 6 is a call to action. 30 to 50 words per slide, conversational, like talking to a friend, no corporate tone.
STEP 2

Have it write a visual for every slide

Once you have the script, paste this next. It gives each slide a visual description you can feed into an image generator:

COPY THIS PROMPT TAP TO COPY Great. Now give each of those 6 slides a one-line "visual description" I can feed into an AI image generator. Be specific: scene, main colour, mood, whether there are people in it.
STEP 3

Generate the images and lay them out

Drop each visual description into Jimeng (or use a ready-made Canva template) for the base images, then put the text on top. That's a complete carousel.

But did you notice? In those three steps AI only supplies material. The copying, pasting and laying out is still you doing the work. That's just chatting. The part of my system that actually saves time is below: letting AI run the whole line itself. That's getting AI to operate, not asking AI questions.

The key jump: let AI do the work itself

Going from AI writes for you to AI does it itself takes three things. This is the line most people never cross.

ACTION A

Switch to a tool that can act

A normal ChatGPT or Claude chat window only gives you words back. For AI to actually operate you need a tool that can execute: Claude Code (for people willing to learn a bit of setup) or Claude Cowork (nothing to install, works on desktop, web and phone). They can open files, make images, save folders, even connect to your Instagram and post for you.

ACTION B

Give it a task, not a question

Chatting is asking help me think of a headline. Operating is telling it turn these 6 slides of copy into images, save them in the IG folder, name them 01 through 06. The difference is the verb. You hand over a job and it runs the whole way, with no copy-pasting in the middle.

A TASK-STYLE INSTRUCTION LOOKS LIKE THIS TAP TO COPY Turn these 6 slides of copy into carousel images: use the visual description I gave for each slide as the base image, overlay the text, and save them as 01.png through 06.png in one folder. Tell me where you saved them when you're done.
ACTION C

Give it permission to act

For it to post and read your backend data, you have to connect the tools (official connectors or MCP). Once connected it goes from talking to doing. Hook this up and the whole line finally runs itself.

Put those three together and you have the core of my system: you give a task, AI operates, it reports back when it's done. Trend radar, auto layout, scheduled auto-posting all follow this pattern. I just tuned each one and strung them together so they run all day on their own.
Honestly, getting AI to operate has a setup curve, and most people get stuck on A and C. If you want to work through it yourself, start with my Claude Code install guide. If you'd rather be walked through installing the whole automatic line on your account, see the 1v1 below.

What my day actually looks like

Roughly this. AI finishes most steps first and I only make the calls at the key points.

Morning
Trend roundup: AI boils public trends from yesterday to today into a few points and hands them over so I can pick today's topic.
Midday
Content production: once the topic is set, AI lays out the whole carousel and the copy. I read it, change words, reorder.
Final cut
I make the call: personal stories and opinions I write myself, knowledge roundups go to AI. It ships only once the voice is right.
On time
Auto publish: the scheduler posts to Instagram at the set time and reports back. I see it whether it succeeds or fails.
Next day
Read the data and adjust: which topics landed and which didn't feeds back into the next round of topic picks.

The full tool list

You don't need to buy a pile of things. These few run the whole line, and getting started is close to free.

ClaudeFREE TIER

Trend roundups, writing knowledge posts, editing drafts. The interface is a chat, nothing to memorise. The brain of the whole system.

Claude Code

Lets AI work in the background: layout, running schedules, wiring up your tools. A little setup knowledge multiplies what you get out of it.

JimengFREE QUOTA

Base images for carousels. Accurate on Chinese-language scenes and Asian faces, and the free quota is plenty to play with.

Local scheduler (launchd)FREE

The scheduler built into macOS, paired with the official posting API to publish automatically. No paid third-party scheduler needed.

The one thing that matters most

That's the tools. But what actually multiplied the follower count isn't the tools.

Frequency × data, that's the growth engine

Tools are only an amplifier. They let me post every day and adjust from the data as I go. One post a week after long deliberation, versus posting steadily and fixing based on the response, is a world apart six months later. Have something to say first, then let AI help you go faster and wider.

Common questions

Can I keep up with this system if I can't code?

Yes. The core is just Claude and Jimeng, tools you talk to. The interface is a chat, nothing to memorise. The scheduled posting part is a one-time setup, you follow the steps. I set mine up the same way.

What does this cost to run?

Getting started is close to free. Claude and Jimeng both have free quotas, so run topic picking and image making on the free tiers first. When volume grows and you want scheduling, upgrade. Under US$40 a month runs it comfortably.

Does AI content come out fake, with that AI smell?

Depends how you use it. My way: AI does knowledge roundups and layout, personal stories and opinions I write myself. AI is an amplifier. Have something to say first, then let it help you go faster and wider.

Why did followers 3x? Is it the tools?

The tools only let me post every day and adjust from the data. What actually drove growth is frequency times data feedback. One post a week after long deliberation, versus posting steadily and watching which topics get a response, and it pulls up on its own.

What runs the scheduled auto-posting?

A scheduler on my own machine (launchd on macOS) plus the official posting API. Set the time and it posts the finished carousel to Instagram. No paid third-party scheduler, but it does cost you one round of setup.

STILL STUCK?

Followed the steps and it still won't come together? I'll run it with you

If you tried the steps above and are still stuck, or you want the whole thing (trend radar and scheduled auto-posting included) installed on your own account instead of feeling your way through it, I do 1v1 coaching plus setup. I walk you through getting it running, and you come out able to operate it yourself, not just having watched me do it.

L1 single method from NT$10,000 ・ the first 30-minute call is free, we talk about whether it fits you before you decide

See the 1v1 coaching plans →

Want to see how I run this day to day?

The full playbook and the daily content all go on Instagram. Follow along and put AI into your own content.

Follow @kanisleo328 See the full AI tool map