Analyze Competitor Instagram Reels

Analyze Competitor Instagram Reels

This workflow analyzes a competitor's Instagram Reels and generates a comprehensive strategy report. It scrapes recent Reels, extracts viral metrics, synthesizes insights, and produces actionable recommendations — including original scripts, hashtag sets, posting schedules, and growth tactics — all saved directly to your Notion content calendar.

What It Does

1. Receives a webhook request with a competitor's Instagram handle and an optional test mode flag.
2. Processes the payload to determine whether to run in test (mock) or production mode.
3. Routes the workflow accordingly and passes the competitor handle to downstream nodes.
4. Fetches up to 20 recent Reels from the competitor's Instagram profile using the Apify Instagram Reel Scraper API.
5. Analyzes each Reel individually, extracting hook types, engagement scores, content themes, and viral factors.
6. Synthesizes all per-Reel analyses into a master strategic report, including top performer identification, hook pattern analysis, a deep content breakdown, and three original Reel scripts.
7. Generates tailored hashtag sets, a posting schedule, audio strategy guidance, and a quick-win recommendation, then saves the full report as a new page in your Notion content calendar.

Prerequisites

• A Needle account with access to AI workflow nodes.
• The Instagram handle of the competitor you want to analyze.
• An Apify API token for the Instagram Reel Scraper (available at apify.com).
• A Notion account with a Content Calendar database and a configured API integration.

How the Flow Works

Output

At the end of this workflow, you get a structured, data-driven competitor analysis saved to Notion. It includes:

• Identification of the competitor's top-performing Reel with URL and view count.
• Hook pattern analysis explaining which hook types appear most and why they work.
• A deep strategic breakdown covering content pillars, audience psychology, and posting patterns.
• Three original 30-second Reel scripts, each with a hook, audio recommendation, visual direction, and call to action.
• Hashtag sets grouped into broad, niche, and trending categories.
• Recommended posting times and weekly frequency.
• Audio strategy guidance tailored to the niche.
• A quick-win action step you can take immediately.

Setup Notes

• Apify Token: Make sure your Apify API token is active and has sufficient usage remaining. Set it as the APIFY_TOKEN variable in your workflow.
• Notion Database: Connect your Notion integration and update the Notion node to point to your own Content Calendar database ID. The template includes a placeholder database ID that you must replace with your own.
• Test Mode: Send "Test_Mode": true in the webhook payload to run the workflow with mock data — useful for verifying the setup before making real API calls.
• Instagram Handle Format: Provide just the handle (e.g., englishwithlucy), without the @ symbol or full URL.
• Rate Limits: Because Instagram's official API access is limited, this workflow relies on Apify's third-party scraper, which may occasionally experience rate limits or downtime.