Instagram competitor analysis

Not "they post more". The specific, copyable differences between an account that wins in the niche and the user's, with numbers.

Step 1. Get the data

Have	Do
IShort extension	the user opens the competitor's Reels tab with the IShort Chrome extension, lets it load, and exports CSV. Run ../instagram-reels-research/scripts/outliers.py export.csv --json for the median, multiples and outliers. This is the main path.
IShort MCP	list_my_competitor_reports, then get_competitor_report(handle=...) if a saved report exists (older extension versions saved these). Its stats.medianViews, best/worst reels and posting heatmap slot straight into the table below. Add transcribe_reel for their top reels.
Nothing	the user pastes 15-30 recent reels (views, date, duration, first line). Fewer than 15 = say the read is thin.

Get the user's own account the same way. The comparison is the product.

A report gives: stats (totalReels, avgViews, medianViews, avgEngagement, postingFrequency per week), insights (bestPostingDay, bestPostingHour, optimalDuration, topHashtags, audioBreakdown original vs licensed, bestReels, worstReels, contentTypeBreakdown, postingHeatmap, takeaways).

Step 2. The breakdown

@competitor vs @user                      them        you
  reels analysed                           48          31
  median views                             42K         3.1K
  posts / week                             4.5         1.8
  outliers (3x+ median)                    7           1
  best duration bucket                     30-60s      under 30s
  original audio share / its avg views     ...
  best day / hour (by avg views)           Tue 19:00   ...

Use the median, not the average: one viral reel inflates the average and lies about the account's normal day.

Then the three to five differences that matter, each with evidence:

• Format: what their top 5 reels share that their bottom 5 don't.
• Hooks: transcribe their top 3 (transcribe_reel, check get_my_usage) and name the formulas (../instagram-reel-script-generator/references/hooks.json).
• Cadence: their posting pace vs yours, and whether their views hold at it.
• Packaging: duration, audio, cover/on-screen text, caption length.
• Topics: what they repeat that works (series beat one-offs).

Timing claims need care: best day/hour from 30 reels is a hint, not a law. Say "in this sample".

Step 3. The 2-week action list

Five actions max, each one copyable, each tied to a number above:

1. Shoot 2 reels in their #3 format (<what>) - their 3 breakouts use it.
2. Move to 30-60s - their median in that bucket is 2.3x their <30s.
...

Hand script work to instagram-reel-script-extractor (their top reel) and instagram-content-calendar (the two weeks).

Rules

• Public data only. No logging in as anyone, no scraping beyond what the user loads in their own browser.
• Copy structure, not content.
• Never name a pattern from one reel.