Rival Scout report
What’s working for @explain’s competitors
913 posts from 35 accounts competing for the same audience as @explain, over 14 days. These are the accounts actually reaching @explain’s customers, not the biggest names in the category.
Where @explain stands
7,325,923 followers. A usual post gets less than 1 like per 100 followers. @explain posts about 5 times a week; the top competitors post about 2 times a day.
What is resonating right now
What is resonating now
Right now, the niche is responding most to emotionally loaded storytelling: memorial/legacy posts, grief-centered tributes, and narratives that tie loss to broader meaning. A second active lane is curiosity-led discovery around rare nature, wildlife, and unusual phenomena, especially when presented as visually driven reveal content. There is also room for light, shareable absurdity, but the bigger gap is heartfelt storytelling with climate or conservation relevance. Even current high-performing curiosity carousels like @galaxies view post show that discovery performs when it feels expansive, not just shocking.
How your content aligns
You are partially aligned through curiosity-first carousel formats: your “blow your mind,” perspective-confusion, and unusual-image posts fit the audience’s appetite for visual discovery. But much of your recent output leans on dark shock, celebrity nostalgia, military lore, and household tips, which do not match the strongest current demand for legacy, loss, and emotionally resonant social storytelling. Your biggest miss is the absence of nature-, wildlife-, or conservation-linked narratives, and you are not currently tapping the memorial/tribute theme that is driving the deepest response.
Their best posts
- 1
@screenthrill · 72 likes per 100 followers · 307,894 likes · carousel
‘SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME’ ACTRESS MARY RIVERA HAS DIED AT 82. 🕊️ Rivera, remembered for playing Ned Leeds’ Filipino grandmother in the Marvel blockbuster, died on April 15 in Honolulu after suffering a severe stroke. Her family made the difficult decision to remove her from life support after doctor…
Posted Aug 4, 2026
- 2
@psychopoly_official · 65 likes per 100 followers · 770,476 likes · video
Iceberg of Animals only seen ONCE (part 1)
Posted Aug 6, 2026
- 3
@how.everything.works · 36 likes per 100 followers · 610,282 likes · image
Former NOAA employees terminated by the Trump administration have launched Climate.us, an independent, crowdfunded platform restoring over 15 years of climate data and the Fifth National Climate Assessment following the closure of Climate.gov. Supported by over 80 volunteer researchers, this effort…
Posted Aug 2, 2026
- 4
@brainnourishment · 33 likes per 100 followers · 1,862,864 likes · video
Kroshik is a famous Ladoga ringed seal whose unusual rescue story began in March 2016, when fishermen found him alone on the shore of Lake Ladoga in Russia. The tiny pup was severely underweight, dehydrated and exhausted, weighing just 4 kilograms when rescuers from the Baltic Seal Friends Foundatio…
Posted Aug 8, 2026
- 5
@lostintimehistory · 28 likes per 100 followers · 389,111 likes · carousel
New Zealand sea lions are unusual because some females travel inland through forests instead of staying on beaches. They have been found resting under trees, crossing roads and appearing kilometres from the sea. This behaviour is part of their return to areas they historically used before disappeari…
Posted Aug 8, 2026
- 6
@dateideasnearme · 17 likes per 100 followers · 40,055 likes · carousel
couples… quick question. why are we still doing the same dinner date every weekend when you could be doing rage rooms, trampoline park dates, or a blindfolded dining experience instead. that’s exactly why we built Date Ideas Near Me. the app helps you discover actually fun date experiences first, pl…
Posted Aug 5, 2026
- 7
@explainingterra · 16 likes per 100 followers · 35,797 likes · image
A tree can sometimes develop an unusual growth where a branch becomes thick and upright, eventually resembling a second trunk while the original trunk remains beside it. This can happen as the tree responds to damage, changing light conditions, or the natural growth of its branches. Such a formation…
Posted Aug 5, 2026
- 8
@buildyourmindsetdaily · 14 likes per 100 followers · 248,997 likes · carousel
🌍 Good News From Around the World 🌍 Amid the constant stream of bad news, here’s a reminder that humanity is still making incredible progress—through innovation, compassion, and inspiring acts of kindness. 🇪🇺 Europe: Replaceable phone batteries are making a comeback to reduce e-waste. 🐢 Galápagos: D…
Posted Aug 3, 2026
- 9
@galaxies · 10 likes per 100 followers · 421,378 likes · carousel
NASA just released some of the clearest footage ever captured from the surface of Mars, offering an incredibly detailed look at the Red Planet’s rocky terrain. From scattered stones and ancient sediment layers to the dusty landscape stretching toward the horizon, these views give us a glimpse of wha…
Posted Aug 9, 2026
- 10
@thishowthingswork · 9 likes per 100 followers · 345,347 likes · carousel
Nutritional value is about more than just calories. Protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, hydration, and antioxidants all contribute to how foods support the body in different ways. Some foods stand out for one specific nutrient, while others offer a wider mix. Comparing them side by sid…
Posted Aug 9, 2026
What to post next
Photos that look impossible until the last slide
Carousel · text-led reveal + image sequence · ~20s reading time
Hook: These 7 photos only make sense on the last slide
Opening shot: A confusing, uncanny photo fills the screen with bold centered text reading the hook over it.
Your current brain-bending photo posts already fit this curiosity lane, but this sharpens the payoff structure competitors use more explicitly.
- photo 1 full frame
- tight zoom on weird detail
- second impossible image
- final reveal breakdown
- caption adds context
Facts that sound fake but are true
Carousel · headline cards + supporting visuals · ~25s reading time
Hook: 5 facts that sound fake but are actually true
Opening shot: A bold black-on-white headline card with the number 5 large in the center appears before the first supporting image.
This gives you a cleaner numbered packaging style than your current broad teaser copy while staying inside your proven facts-and-surprise niche.
- headline card
- fact one with photo
- fact two with label
- fact three close crop
- final fact strongest reveal
Home myths people still believe
Carousel · claim cards + practical visuals · ~20s reading time
Hook: 3 home habits quietly wasting your money
Opening shot: A familiar household scene appears with a large money-focused text overlay and one habit circled in red.
Your home-habits post shows range beyond trivia, and this angle adds a stronger consumer stake that your feed currently underuses.
- habit one mistake
- costly object close-up
- habit two example
- habit three example
- simple fix card
News worth knowing before everyone else
Reel · text-first roundup + b-roll · ~15s
Hook: If you check Instagram before work, these 3 updates matter
Opening shot: Fast-cut headline screenshots stack vertically while the hook appears as large on-screen text in the first frame.
This turns your broad news identity into a direct viewer callout, creating a stronger consumer-centered entry point than your current mostly topic-centered openers.
- headline one screenshot
- map or face cutaway
- headline two screenshot
- headline three screenshot
- one-line takeaway card
When to post
Tuesday is the best day. Posts on Tuesday got 2 likes per 100 followers across 146 posts.
| Day | Likes per 100 followers | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1 | 150 |
| Tuesday | 2 | 146 |
| Wednesday | 1 | 178 |
| Thursday | 1 | 176 |
| Friday | 1 | 64 |
| Saturday | 1 | 77 |
| Sunday | 1 | 116 |
The top competitors post about 2 times a day.
Best kind of post
video posts win, at 1 like per 100 followers.
- image: 172 posts, 1 like per 100 followers; best from @how.everything.works at 36 likes per 100 followers
- video: 190 posts, 1 like per 100 followers; best from @psychopoly_official at 65 likes per 100 followers
- carousel: 545 posts, 1 like per 100 followers; best from @screenthrill at 72 likes per 100 followers
Closest competitors and the rest
Competitors further out get 4× the likes of your closest ones. Try going a little broader.
- Closest to you: 11 accounts, less than 1 like per 100 followers, posting about 2 times a day, mostly carousel
- Close: 12 accounts, 3 likes per 100 followers, posting about 2 times a day, mostly video
- Further out: 12 accounts, 1 like per 100 followers, posting about once a day, mostly carousel
Who to team up with
People and brands these competitors already team up with, ranked by how many extra likes the team-up posts got.
- @justinshekoski, 10,250 followers, worked with 1 of these accounts, team-up posts got 1.6× the usual likes
- @learntostargaze, 30,481 followers, worked with 1 of these accounts, team-up posts got about the same the usual likes
- @dr.lindsayinthehouse, 4,218 followers, worked with 1 of these accounts, team-up posts got about three quarters the usual likes
- @aj.smadi, 67,648 followers, worked with 1 of these accounts, team-up posts got about a third the usual likes
- @danielciurlizza, 12,559 followers, worked with 1 of these accounts, team-up posts got about a fifth the usual likes
- @elite.mindsets, 2,224,410 followers, worked with 1 of these accounts, team-up posts got about half the usual likes
- @growyourmindsetdaily, 1,580,826 followers, worked with 1 of these accounts, team-up posts got about half the usual likes
- @jamesvickmma, 136,891 followers, worked with 1 of these accounts, team-up posts got about half the usual likes
Accounts competing for the same audience
@psychopoly_official · psychopoly
1,186,654 followers · 20 likes per 100 followers · posts 5 times every 2 weeks
CEO of Explaining Every follower = 1 braincell gained (lost) Email: [email protected]
@buildyourmindsetdaily · Inspiration | Motivation
1,838,313 followers · 9 likes per 100 followers · posts about once a week
🧠 Mindset under construction 🏗 Building stronger thinking daily 📈 Growth • Discipline • Clarity 📥 [email protected]
@screenthrill · SCREEN THRILL
427,410 followers · 4 likes per 100 followers · posts about 3 times a day
SCREEN THRILL 🎬 Movie & TV News ⠀ 📩 Promotions & Partnerships ✉️ [email protected] ⠀ 📍 Texas
@lostintimehistory · Lost In Time History
1,408,305 followers · 4 likes per 100 followers · posts about 2 times a day
Learn about the past through scrolling 🏛️ Follow to join the community 👥 [email protected] 📧
@dateideasnearme · Date Ideas App | Date Ideas Near Me
239,123 followers · 3 likes per 100 followers · posts about 2 times a day
💘 find actually fun date ideas ✨ discover unique experiences in your city 👇 get the app
@brainnourishment · brain nourishment
5,589,657 followers · 3 likes per 100 followers · posts about 2 times a day
Follow to stay on the good side of Instagram 🧠 ✉️ [email protected] 👇 Click here to cure your brainrot
@how.everything.works · How Stuff Works ⚙️
1,714,863 followers · 3 likes per 100 followers · posts about 2 times a day
🧠 Welcome to the most educative page on Instagram 📲 Follow to learn how everything in the world works! 📩l [email protected]
@galaxies · Galaxies
4,030,457 followers · 1 like per 100 followers · posts about 3 times a day
#1 source for everything Space, Robotics, Ai and Tech Business: [email protected] 📩
@explainingterra · Earth Explained
230,602 followers · 1 like per 100 followers · posts about 2 times a day
🌎 Here to explain everything about The Earth 🧠Follow to join our community, learn more about the oceans one post at a time 📩Dm for credits/removal
@inavinate · Inavinate
430,189 followers · 1 like per 100 followers · posts about 2 times a day
Exploring Innovation, Tech and News
Report generated Aug 13, 2026 from 913 posts across 35 accounts.