Strategy report · Updated Jul 31, 2026
What's working for @kaustofficial on Instagram.
KAUST | King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
86.7K followers · 4K posts
“Saudi Arabia’s leading research university, advancing solutions for the world’s toughest challenges. 🇸🇦 جامعة الملك عبدالله للعلوم والتقنية”
Engagement rate
1.82%
Per post, last 90 days
Posts per week
1.6
Niche avg 4.0
Average likes
1.6K
25 avg comments
Post mix
Last 90 days · 4,013 posts indexed
01
Top-performing posts
The three posts pulling the most engagement in the last 90 days.
reel 19.11% engagedOur #ClassOf2025 is graduating at a time when Saudi Arabia is writing one of the most ambitious chapters in its history, powered by curiosity, innovation and a belief that talent, not background, shapes the future. At KAUST’s Commencement this week, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Energy and Chairman of the KAUST Board of Trustees, delivered a powerful message: This is the new Saudi Arabia — a nation built on meritocracy and talent, welcoming everyone who wants to live, build and dream with it. This message reflects the heart of #KAUST. Whether you were born here or came from across the world, you’ve helped build a community defined by openness, collaboration and scientific ambition. Class of 2025, you carry this momentum forward. #kaustclass2025🎓
reel 4.94% engagedHistoric discovery 4,000 meters below. KAUST researcher Paula Zapata participated in a landmark deep-sea expedition to the Doldrums Fracture Zone (Mid-Atlantic Ridge). A nearly 20-hour dive revealed the first hydrothermal vents in this little-explored region: superheated water, black smokers, and life thriving in the sunless deep. Led by Dr. Aaron Micallef (MBARI) and Schmidt Ocean Institute @schmidtocean, an international team explored one of Earth's rarest vent systems. Credit: ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute #KAUSTResearch #Doldrums #DeepSeaExploration #OceanScience #MATRICS
reel 2.66% engagedHave you ever seen coral spawn? What you’re watching wasn’t filmed in the ocean. It happened inside a lab at KAUST, in Saudi Arabia. Scientists recreated light cycles, water temperature, and lunar phases triggering Red Sea coral to spawn outside its natural season. 2 million eggs. Six species. Two million more chances to help restore reefs. Comments “corals” to get the full story.
02
Content pillars
AI-clustered themes the account posts about, with example posts pulled live from Instagram.
- 01
Discovery Science
30.00%Reels and carousels covering landmark research moments, from deep-sea vent dives to coral spawning in a lab. These posts consistently outperform the feed average because they deliver a genuine surprise in the first line. Visual drama and scientific novelty do the heavy lifting.
- 02
Rankings and Milestones
20.00%Carousels and images announcing competitive rankings, award counts, and global firsts for KAUST. The numbered proof points land well with an academic audience tracking institutional prestige. Engagement climbs when numbers appear in the first sentence.
- 04
Conservation and Environment
17.00%Reels and carousels tied to Red Sea ecosystems, turtle monitoring, coral restoration, and marine conservation. Emotional stakes and striking underwater visuals drive strong saves and comments. World awareness days provide reliable publishing hooks.
03
Posting rhythm
Cadence and timing patterns over the last 12 weeks.
1.6 posts/week
Niche benchmark · 4.0/week
Best days
Monday · Tuesday · Wednesday
Best hours
7-9am · 12-2pm
04
Signature hooks
Caption patterns the account reuses across high-performing posts.
Historic / first-ever [discovery or milestone] [scale detail].
Used 5×
Historic discovery 4,000 meters below.
For the first time, KAUST has entered the Global Top 50 in the Times Higher Education Impact Ratings 2026.
Have you ever seen coral spawn? What you're watching wasn't filmed in the ocean.
What looked like [X] turned out to be [surprising reality].
Used 3×
What looked like one turned out to be many.
What if the desert could become a sea of green?
Have you ever seen coral spawn? What you're watching wasn't filmed in the ocean.
Comment "[keyword]" for the full story / to know more.
Used 5×
Comment 'Camels' for the full story.
Comment "corals" to know more.
Comment "Elevate" for more information.
[Number]. [Number]. [Number]. [Punchy restatement of achievement].
Used 4×
Asia Top 25. 2nd in Saudi Arabia. Global Top 50. For the first time.
31 divers. 3 days. 10 reef sites. One mission.
Hundreds of turtles monitored. Thousands of hatchlings protected.
From [starting point] to [career outcome]: [name] is [impact verb].
Used 5×
From KAUST Ph.D. student to Assistant Professor.
From KAUST to global academia: Lana Joharji is turning engineering into real-world impact.
Research, innovation and entrepreneurship have shaped Abdulelah Ahmed Saleh's career since graduating from KAUST.
Unlock signature hooks
Continue to Postana to put this strategy to work with a paid content plan.
Build my content plan with Postana05
Strategy summary
What's working, what to fix, and what to ship next.
TL;DR
The single strongest lever for @kaustofficial is posting frequency. At 1.6 posts per week against a healthy benchmark of 4, the account is leaving consistent reach on the table regardless of content quality. The top-performing posts prove the content model works: post 14 (Commencement reel) hit 16,095 likes, post 11 (deep-sea discovery reel) hit 4,275 likes, and post 27 (Terraxy startup reel) hit 2,205 likes, all driven by genuine discovery moments or milestone specificity. The numbered-hook format, used across posts 4, 20, and 17, is the most portable and reusable pattern in the library.
The biggest leak is the wide variance between reel performance. Post 8 (Eid greeting reel) earned only 599 likes and zero comments, and post 10 ("A perfect pause") earned 611 likes with no comment prompt, confirming that reels without a knowledge hook or a clear call to action underperform by a wide margin. Alumni carousels are steady mid-performers but rarely break out, likely because they lack the visual surprise that drives shares on discovery content.
Cadence is the fix that costs nothing. Scheduling three to four posts per week, anchored by one discovery science reel, one milestone or ranking carousel, and one alumni or talent story, would compound reach without changing the content pillars that already work.
Working
5- Discovery science reels with a specific number or world-first claim in the opening line consistently earn the highest likes and comments.
- The numbered-fact hook (31 divers. 3 days. 10 reef sites.) is punchy, scannable, and reusable across all pillars.
- Comment-keyword CTAs on posts 6, 26, and 16 drive comment volume and signal strong intent from the audience.
- Ranking and milestone carousels perform above feed average when the number leads the caption rather than appearing mid-copy.
- Underwater and field-research visuals tied to Red Sea or marine themes generate strong emotional pull and saves.
Risks
5- Posting cadence is critically low at 1.6 per week. Doubling to at least 3 posts per week is the highest-priority fix.
- Standalone reels without a knowledge hook or CTA (posts 8 and 10) drag the reel average down. Every reel needs a reason to comment or save.
- Alumni spotlights follow a repetitive structure. Adding one unexpected data point or a visual proof element would lift engagement on that pillar.
- No consistent posting schedule is visible in the timestamps. Irregular gaps hurt algorithmic distribution and audience expectation.
- The account has almost no UGC or collaborative content, which limits reach into partner and student communities.
Ship next
5- Build a 4-post weekly content calendar: 1 discovery reel, 1 ranking or milestone carousel, 1 alumni story, 1 conservation or environment piece.
- Add a comment-keyword CTA to every reel that covers a research topic. Use the 'Comment X' pattern already proven in posts 6, 16, and 26.
- Develop a short-form reel series around the numbered-hook format, one new Red Sea discovery or KAUST research finding per episode.
- Test posting discovery reels on Monday or Tuesday mornings (7 to 9am) for three consecutive weeks and compare reach against the current irregular schedule.
- Pitch two to three co-created carousels with partner accounts like @schmidtocean or @coralrestorationfoundation to expand reach into adjacent audiences.
Unlock the full strategy
Continue to Postana to put this strategy to work with a paid content plan.
Build my content plan with Postana