Skip to content
Sam DespoNewsletter

Step-by-step guide 4 min readUpdated 19 Oct 2026

How to make Claude audit any social account

Get Claude to break down any Instagram, TikTok or YouTube account, compare it to yours and give you a 30-day content plan.

On this page

Claude opens the account in your own browser, reads the top posts and writes a full strategy report. Run it on yourself and on 3 to 5 competitors, then let Claude find the gaps.

โœ… What you need before you start

RequirementWhy
A paid Claude plan (Pro or higher)Cowork and Claude in Chrome aren't on the free plan.
Claude Desktop app with CoworkThis is where the workflow runs (Mac or Windows). Download it at claude.com/download.
Claude in Chrome extensionDownload it here. It only works in Google Chrome (not Edge, Brave or Arc). Without it Claude can't open, scroll or read the posts.
Logged into the platform in ChromeInstagram, TikTok or YouTube. Logged out, Claude hits login walls and can't see the numbers.
3 to 5 competitor account URLsPick creators in your niche who are clearly outperforming you.

๐Ÿ›  Step 1: Set up your environment

  1. Install Claude in Chrome, pin it to your toolbar and sign in with your Claude account
  2. In the Claude Desktop app, go to Settings > Connectors > Claude in Chrome and switch it on
  3. Go to Settings > Cowork > Preferred browser and choose Claude in Chrome
  4. Open Chrome and log into the platform you're auditing
  5. Start a new Cowork session

๐Ÿ” Step 2: Run the audit prompt on your own account

Edit the two lines in [CAPITALS] with your profile URL and platform. Claude takes over a Chrome tab, scrolls the grid, opens the top posts and reads them before writing anything. It takes a while, so let it run. Approve Instagram, TikTok or YouTube if Claude asks for permission to use the site.

How Claude "watches" posts: it reads the page and takes screenshots. It sees view counts, captions, on-screen text, cover images and comments, and on YouTube it can read the transcript. It can't hear audio or watch a video play. That's why the prompt tells it to work from what's actually on screen.

Prompt
You are a world-class viral content strategist with deep expertise in short-form
video, algorithm psychology, and what makes content spread. You have studied
thousands of viral posts across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. You
understand hook science, retention mechanics, emotional triggers, and the
structural patterns that separate a 1,000 view post from a 10 million view post.

Use Claude in Chrome to open and analyse the channel or profile I give you.
Work only from what you can actually see on the page: view counts, captions,
on-screen text, cover images, comments and (on YouTube) transcripts. You can't
hear audio or watch the video play, so if something can't be assessed, say so
instead of guessing. Do not rely on assumptions.

CHANNEL / PROFILE TO AUDIT: [INSERT SOCIAL PROFILE URL]
PLATFORM: [INSTAGRAM / TIKTOK / YOUTUBE]

---
STEP 1 - RESEARCH PHASE (complete before writing anything)

Open the profile and do the following in order:
- Scroll the most recent ~30 posts (on Instagram use the Reels tab, on YouTube
  the Shorts tab) and identify the top 10 highest performing posts based on
  visible view/play counts (likes may be hidden)
- Open each of those 10 posts. Screenshot the first frame to capture the visual
  or text hook, and read the caption, on-screen text, top comments and (on
  YouTube) the transcript. Note the structure, on-screen text and CTA
- Look at 5 average performing posts from the same account for comparison
- Note the posting frequency (from post dates), content formats used, and any
  patterns in thumbnail or cover design
- Check the bio, name field, and overall profile positioning

Only begin the report once you have reviewed all of the above.

---
STEP 2 - VIRAL BREAKDOWN REPORT

Write your full report across these exact sections:

---
CHANNEL OVERVIEW
Who is this creator? What is their niche? Who is their audience?
What is their current growth trajectory based on what you can observe?
Give a one paragraph summary of what they are doing and why it is or is not
working at a high level.

---
VIRAL POST BREAKDOWN
For each of the top 5 performing posts, break down:
- The exact hook (quote the on-screen text, caption or transcript word for word,
  or describe the visual hook precisely)
- Why the hook works. What psychological trigger does it use?
- The structure of the post. What keeps people watching?
- The emotional mechanic: curiosity, relatability, shock, aspiration, humour?
- The CTA or payoff at the end. Does it drive comments, saves, or shares?
- What single element made this specific post outperform the others?

---
PATTERN ANALYSIS
Across all 5 viral posts, what are the repeating patterns?
- Hook formulas they keep using
- Content formats that consistently outperform
- Topics or angles that drive the most engagement
- Visual styles (covers, on-screen text, framing) that appear in every high performer
- Audio choices where they're visible (original sound vs named trending audio)

What does this creator do better than almost anyone else in their niche?
Be specific and quote examples.

---
FAILURE ANALYSIS
Look at the 5 average or underperforming posts. What is different?
- Where did the hook fail?
- Was the topic wrong for the audience?
- Was the CTA weak or missing?
- What can you learn from what did NOT work?

---
HOOK BREAKDOWN
Pull the opening line or visual from each of the top 5 viral posts.
Analyse each hook using this framework:
- Hook type: Question / Controversy / Curiosity gap / Bold claim /
  Relatability / Pattern interrupt
- Emotional trigger activated
- Why a viewer would stop scrolling at this exact moment
- Score out of 10

Then give 5 original hook templates this creator could use again based on
what is clearly working for their audience.

---
ALGORITHM MECHANICS
Based on what you observed, how is this creator working with the algorithm?
- What signals are their posts generating? (comments, shares, saves where visible)
- How are they optimising the first frame and opening line?
- Are they using trending audio, SEO-friendly captions, or keyword hooks?
- What posting behaviours or timing patterns are visible?

---
REPLICATION PLAYBOOK
This is the most important section. If someone wanted to model this creator's
success and apply it to their own channel, what would they do?

Give a step-by-step replication playbook:
1. The hook formula to steal (with examples)
2. The content structure to model
3. The topic angles to test first
4. The visual style to replicate
5. The CTA mechanic to use
6. The posting rhythm to match

Be specific enough that someone could sit down today and create their first
post using this playbook without needing to ask a single follow-up question.

---
TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS
The 5 most important things this creator is doing that anyone can apply to
their own channel right now. No fluff. No theory. Actionable only.

---
FORMAT RULES:
- Use every section header exactly as written above
- Quote specific posts, hooks, and captions back. Never be vague
- Include a summary table at the end showing each viral post, its view count,
  hook type used, and primary emotional trigger
- Write this as if it is a $2,000 paid strategy report
- Be direct. Insight over encouragement
- Make this into a visual report with blocks, graphs and charts so it is easier
  to digest. Only chart numbers you actually saw, and label any estimates
- Ensure the colours are consistent so it is easy to read and digest the
  information

๐Ÿ‘ฅ Step 3: Repeat on 3 to 5 creators

Run the same prompt on competitors in your niche, one at a time in a new Cowork session. From my own experience, stick to no more than 5 creators, otherwise Claude struggles to pull out all the key insights. Save each report as you go.

๐Ÿ“ˆ Step 4: Run the gap analysis

This is where the real value lands: what you're missing, what to fix this week, and what to post for the next 30 days. Paste in (or attach) your competitor reports and your own report along with this prompt. Edit the [CAPITALS] first.

Prompt
Here are multiple reports from top creators within my niche:

Report A: Viral breakdown of [@CREATOR 1], [@CREATOR 2], [@CREATOR 3].
What is making their content go viral.

Report B: My own content audit for [@YOUR USERNAME].
What I am currently doing.

Your job is to identify every gap between what is working in my niche
and what I am currently doing.

Give me:

1. GAP ANALYSIS
For each viral pattern identified across the competitor reports,
tell me whether I am using it, underusing it, or missing it entirely.
Be specific. Reference actual examples from both reports.

2. QUICK WIN LIST
The 5 gaps I can close this week with the least effort and highest
likely payoff. For each one give me the exact action.

3. CONTENT OPPORTUNITIES
Topics, angles, or formats that are clearly working in my niche
that I have not touched yet. Give me 10 specific post ideas I could
create based on proven viral patterns from the competitor analysis.

4. MY UNFAIR ADVANTAGE
Based on my content and positioning, what do I have that none of
the competitors you analysed have? What should I be leaning into
harder that nobody else in this space is doing?

5. 30-DAY SPRINT PLAN
Based on the gaps and opportunities above, give me a 30-day content
plan. Week by week. Max 3 priorities per week. Tell me exactly what
to test, why, and what a successful result looks like.

๐Ÿงฏ Troubleshooting

ProblemFix
Report feels generic or made upClaude didn't actually browse. Check Claude in Chrome is switched on and set as the preferred browser in Cowork (Step 1).
Claude hits a login screenIt's using Cowork's built-in browser. Set Settings > Cowork > Preferred browser to Claude in Chrome, and make sure you're logged in there.
Claude can't see view countsLog into the platform in Chrome. On Instagram, check the Reels tab, where play counts are public. Some creators hide likes.
Claude says the site isn't allowedApprove the site when it asks. If it says "safety restrictions", the site is blocked and you can't override it.
It stops partway throughTell it to continue from the last section it completed. Long audits sometimes need a nudge.
Gap analysis is shallowYou probably gave it too few competitor reports. Three is the minimum, five is better.
Hooks come back paraphrasedAsk it to quote the on-screen text or caption word for word. It can only quote spoken hooks if there are captions or a transcript.

Follow me for more AI workflows ๐Ÿค™

Every new guide, tool and setup goes out as a short video first. The write-ups land here.

From the library

  • Claude

    AI Assistants & LLMs

    Anthropic's assistant for writing, analysis and thinking things through with you.

    Freemium

More free resources