Strategy report · Updated Jul 14, 2026
What's working for @ssarahelizabeth on Instagram.
Sarah Elizabeth
1.9K followers · 194 posts
“𖦹 Slow living ~ happiest outside ❀ Just a girl trying to regulate her nervous system ↟ Bristol”
Engagement rate
5.10%
Per post, last 90 days
Posts per week
2.0
Niche avg 3.0
Average likes
87
9 avg comments
Post mix
Last 90 days · 194 posts indexed
01
Top-performing posts
The three posts pulling the most engagement in the last 90 days.
carousel 37.23% engagedBOOBS, non-hairy armpits… and other unexpected gifts of gaining weight that i wasn’t prepared for 😭🤍 this list started as a lighthearted list in my notes app and turned into something I enjoy adding to. because recovery is tricky and sometimes you need a reminder of what you’re doing it for 🥰 Popping it here to come back to on the off days, and for anyone else who needs it too 🤍 weight recovery | eating disorder recovery | HA recovery | body image | healing journey | recovery is possible | slow living | anorexia recovery
carousel 21.05% engaged*TW Eating disorder chat Last week I got told I’m still not at a high enough BMI for my period to likely come back… helluva kick that one and now I’m officially frustrated so im going all in 🫣 some days I feel so silly for even being in this situation, but the longer I feel crumby about the idea of recovery the longer it’ll take. So accepting, acknowledging and putting any anger into tackling it head on is giving me the fresh kick up the whatsits I needed ✨🌱 Thought I’d share bc anorexia recovery isn’t linear and takes a helluva lot longer to get over than I thought. Sending a big hug to anyone out there who resonates 🤍
carousel 14.17% engaged🫂 TW: disordered eating & weight recovery i’ve been sitting on this one for a while wondering whether to share, but the more I’m on this app the more I think if I’m going to create anything I want it to be useful. And perhaps sharing my story will help me do so ☁️ in an era where weight loss and Ozempic are hot topics, i’m actively trying to gain weight. and this is the full story of how i got here it’s deffo not a neat one. there’s no ‘and then i got better’ at the end but im sharing it because when i was in my hardest days of early recovery i found so much in other people’s stories. so here’s mine 🤍 if any of this sounds familiar, please reach out to someone who knows your full picture. Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk) are a great starting point in the UK, and STEPS if you’re local to Bristol. my DMs are always open x eatingdisorderrecovery | weightrecovery | harecovery | healingjourney | mentalhealth | periodrecovery | slowliving
02
Content pillars
AI-clustered themes the account posts about, with example posts pulled live from Instagram.
03
Posting rhythm
Cadence and timing patterns over the last 12 weeks.
2.0 posts/week
Niche benchmark · 3.0/week
Best days
Sunday · Monday · Saturday
Best hours
7-9am · 12-2pm
04
Signature hooks
Caption patterns the account reuses across high-performing posts.
stopping [X] was the best thing I ever did for my [outcome]
Used 2×
stopping the gym was the best thing I ever did for my mental health
a few things have changed around here as i heal my hypothalamic amenorrhea
let's [annoy / challenge] [group] with the actual radical thing you can do
Used 2×
let's royally annoy skinnytok. here's a list of the actual raaaadical things you can do instead
rest doesn't have to mean lying on the floor staring at the ceiling
TW: [topic]. I've been sitting on this / i'm going to start sharing mine
Used 3×
TW: disordered eating. i've been sitting on this one for a while wondering whether to share
*TW Eating disorder chat. Last week I got told I'm still not at a high enough BMI
i don't see many folk talking about what the physical/nourishment side of recovery actually looks like day to day. so i'm going to start sharing mine
unexpected [gifts / things] of [X] I wasn't prepared for
Used 2×
BOOBS, non-hairy armpits and other unexpected gifts of gaining weight that i wasn't prepared for
self-maxxing? I'm in my coming home to myself era after so long of feeling horribly disconnected
I felt [ick / fear / silly] about this but here goes nothing
Used 3×
eeeeep felt all sorts of ick about this but here goes nothing
weekends away used to give me the absolute fear, spontaneity, no routine and less control
I've felt a strong coexistence of two emotions throughout my recovery journey so far
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Strategy summary
What's working, what to fix, and what to ship next.
TL;DR
This account has a clear, rare asset: an ongoing recovery story told in real time, with the receipts. Post 24 (683 likes), post 28 (258 likes), and post 15 (379 likes) all outperformed the feed average by 10x or more, and every one of them named something specific and uncomfortable. That specificity is the engine. The biggest leak is cadence inconsistency: at 2.0 posts per week against a niche benchmark of 3, the account is leaving weekly reach on the table, and several low-engagement posts (likes of 3) suggest some content is published without a strong hook.
The slow living and countryside content (posts 0, 6, 14) pulls modest numbers but serves an important role as aesthetic breathing room. The problem is it is currently interleaved without strategy, so the feed reads slightly scattered. Batching nature content around recovery milestones would give it narrative purpose and lift its engagement.
The engagement announcement post 4 (191 likes, 65 comments) proves the audience is emotionally invested beyond the niche topic. That relationship capital should be used deliberately, with personal milestone posts placed as bridges into deeper recovery content rather than standalone moments.
Working
4- Specific, uncomfortable truths in recovery carousels consistently drive 200 to 683 likes, far above the account average.
- TW framing signals safety and actually increases opens rather than reducing them, as shown by posts 15 and 28.
- List-format carousels like post 26 and post 19 earn saves and longer dwell time, which feeds the algorithm.
- Counter-culture hooks like post 2 and post 21 generate shares and reach new audiences outside existing followers.
Risks
4- Cadence needs to reach 3 posts per week consistently. Several gaps in the posting calendar are visible and likely cost reach.
- Posts with only 3 likes (posts 5, 9, 10, 13) tend to lack a strong opening line. The first sentence is not doing enough work.
- Nature and slow living content needs a narrative hook tied to recovery, not just aesthetics, to convert browsers into followers.
- Reels are underused. Only 4 of 29 posts are reels, yet reels 21 and 0 show strong engagement relative to carousels.
Ship next
5- Publish one reel per week using the contrarian hook format, short punchy take under 30 seconds, to grow reach outside current followers.
- Write a dedicated post naming and explaining the ED brain character mentioned in post 11, it is the most underdeveloped high-potential concept on the account.
- Create a saved highlight or pinned carousel that maps the full HA recovery timeline, giving new profile visitors an immediate entry point.
- Test posting on Sundays before 9am for the next four weeks to confirm whether morning timing improves reach on lifestyle content.
- Build a content pairing habit: every nature or slow living post should link back to a recovery theme in the caption, even briefly.
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