How to use Claude Code to automate content creation for Instagram reels

Ten Instagram Reel scripts in one Claude Code session, each one tied to an AI trend that's actually getting traction in the last 30 days. Not 2024 takes. Not generic “AI is changing everything” bait. Specific tools, named creators, real view counts — pulled fresh, written against a viral hook framework, then humanized to scrub the AI tells.

The pipeline is three Claude Code skills chained together. This guide is the playbook. Save the prompts, run them on a cadence, your content calendar fills itself.

The first move isn't writing. It's research. You don't want scripts based on what AI thinks is interesting. You want scripts based on what people are sharing right now.

/last30days research topics about AI for content creation for reels. I need topics that are newer, have good metrics, interest, and have shown proof for virality. research 10 of them

The skill hits Reddit, X, YouTube, and the web and comes back with named tools, named creators, and engagement numbers. The output reads like a list of viral proof points: “@ai.withphil's Kling swap hit 3.25M views,” “@BigYowie pulled 21M on a Veo 3 character series,” “Pika's Cakeify effect crushing for $8/mo.”

Before any scripting happens, lock down the angle. The trick is to pair each topic with a proven hook pattern. I use a 50-hook framework as the source — you can grab the PDF further down.

Ask Claude to list each topic with one hook pattern and a one-line angle. Approve them before drafts get written. Cheap to revise an angle. Expensive to revise a written script.

Before you write scripts, list the 10 topics back to me with:
1. The hook pattern from the 50-hook doc you're riffing on
2. A one-line angle for the reel

I'll approve or swap before you draft anything.

This is the prompt that does the heavy lifting. The key isn't “write me reel scripts.” The key is giving Claude a tight role, a fixed structure per script, and a list of phrases to avoid. Without the avoid-list, every other line will be “game-changer” or “unlock.”

ROLE
You are a senior short-form video scriptwriter. You write like someone who actually uses these tools daily — not a tech reporter, not a hype account.

TASK
Write one Instagram Reel script for each of the 10 topics. Each script 30–60 seconds when read aloud (80–160 words).

STRUCTURE (per script)
1. Hook (0–3s) — Pattern-match the 50-hook doc. Stop the scroll.
2. Setup (3–10s) — Stakes. One sentence.
3. Payoff (10–45s) — Concrete insight, demo, or walkthrough. Name tools. Show steps.
4. CTA (45–60s) — One clear ask. Vary it (save, comment a keyword, follow, link in bio). Never stack CTAs.

FORMAT (per script)
TOPIC: [name]
HOOK ANGLE: [which hook pattern]
SCRIPT:
[0:00] [spoken line] | [visual cue]
...
ON-SCREEN TEXT: [max 5 phrases]
CAPTION: [feed hook → value → CTA]
HASHTAGS: [5–8]

VOICE RULES
- Builder talking to builders, not educator to students
- Specifics over generalities. Name tools, dates, numbers
- One idea per reel
- No "in this video I'll show you" — show it
- Avoid: game-changer, revolutionary, unlock, leverage, in today's fast-paced world

BEFORE YOU WRITE
List the 10 topics back to me with a one-line angle each. I'll approve before you write the full scripts.

Two things make this prompt work. The explicit avoid-list kills the worst AI tics on the first draft. The “list angles first, wait for approval” gate lets you redirect before tokens get burned on bad framing.

Even with the avoid-list, the first drafts leak AI patterns. Em dashes everywhere. Three-beat rhythms in every sentence. “Not just X — Y” constructions. These read fine on a screen and terrible on camera.

/humanizer is a Claude Code skill that scans for the patterns from Wikipedia's “Signs of AI writing” guide and rewrites them. Run every script through it and overwrite the originals in place.

Run each script through /humanizer and overwrite the files in the batch.

Last step. Don't leave the scripts as orphaned .md files on your Desktop. Have Claude generate a CSV matched to your calendar schema and ship it into your Google Sheet.

Generate a CSV import for my content calendar with one row per script. Columns: Day, Date, Content Pillar, Reel Topic / Hook, Script Outline / Key Points, Audio / Music, Status, Notes. Then open the sheet and append the rows after the existing data.

If you have the Chrome DevTools MCP or Claude in Chrome installed, Claude can drive the sheet directly. Click into the next empty row, paste, verify. If not, the CSV is one File → Import away from being in the sheet.

Save these. Next cycle, paste them in order with a fresh topic input and you'll have 10 new scripts on the calendar in under an hour.

/last30days research topics about [YOUR NICHE]. I need topics that are newer, have good metrics, interest, and have shown proof for virality. research 10 of them

Pair each of the 10 topics with one hook pattern from the 50-hook doc and a one-line angle. List them back to me. I'll approve before you draft.

Run each script through /humanizer and overwrite the files.

Generate a CSV matching my calendar schema and import it into the Google Sheet at [URL].

Get the avoid-list right. The voice rules in Step 3 do more work than any other part of the prompt. Tune the avoid-list to your own ears. If you keep deleting a specific phrase across drafts, add it. The list is the cheapest way to upgrade output quality.

Approve angles before scripts. The single biggest time-saver is the “list angles first, wait for approval” gate. Five minutes of redirection at the angle stage saves an hour of rewrites at the script stage.

Humanize, then read aloud. /humanizer fixes the obvious AI tells, but it can't hear cadence. Read every script out loud before you film. Anything that trips your tongue gets rewritten in your voice. The script is a skeleton. Your delivery is the content.

Refresh the research every cycle. /last30days output goes stale fast in AI content. Re-run it at the start of every new content batch. The named tools, creators, and view counts change weekly — that specificity is what makes the scripts feel current instead of generic.

After one session:

• A research brief with 10 viral AI topics and proof points (creators, view counts, tools).
• 10 ready-to-film reel scripts on your Desktop, each with hook angle, timestamps, on-screen text, caption, and hashtags.
• A CSV import file in your calendar's exact schema.
• 10 new rows in your Google Sheet content calendar, dated and pillared.

The pipeline isn't magic. It's three Claude Code skills chained: /last30days for signal, the scripting prompt for the draft, /humanizer for the cleanup. Save the prompts. Run them on a cadence. Your calendar fills itself.