Strategy report · Updated Aug 7, 2026
What's working for @surfandfriends on Instagram.
Surf and Friends Lodge
11.7K followers · 441 posts
“Ocean lovers & adventure seekers 🌊 Surf Lodge · Taghazout Bay 🇲🇦 Surf · Yoga · Heated Pool Don’t surf alone 🤙— @surfandfriendscafe 📩 DM or book below”
Engagement rate
0.88%
Per post, last 90 days
Posts per week
1.2
Niche avg 4.0
Average likes
99
4 avg comments
Post mix
Last 90 days · 441 posts indexed
01
Top-performing posts
The three posts pulling the most engagement in the last 90 days.
carousel 8.64% engagedMeilleur déconnexion at @surfandfriends 🔅 Chill surf yoga on repeat avec la best team 💛🧡🩷 Merci @charlottedrc
carousel 1.75% engagedSand dune surfing is serious business. I love you Morocco. I love you @surfandfriends I love you @salty.retreats
reel 1.43% engagedGood vibes are CONTAGIOUS ☀️✨💛 come join our camp in Tamraght 🇲🇦 for a fun adventure, we got surf 🏄♂️, we got 🧘♀️, and best of all, a beautiful view from our rooftop 🌊 #surfandfriends #tamraght #yoga #taghazout #waves #goodvibes #goodvibes #summer #surfcamp #relax
02
Content pillars
AI-clustered themes the account posts about, with example posts pulled live from Instagram.
- 01
UGC & Guest Moments
27.00%Reposted or credited content from guests and partner accounts showing real people living the experience. It works because authentic faces and genuine reactions build social proof far better than branded video. Posts 24, 17, 15, and 29 are the clearest examples.
03
Posting rhythm
Cadence and timing patterns over the last 12 weeks.
1.2 posts/week
Niche benchmark · 4.0/week
Best days
Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday
Best hours
7-9am · 6-8pm
04
Signature hooks
Caption patterns the account reuses across high-performing posts.
POV: you actually [did the thing].
Used 2×
POV: you actually booked it. We know the morocco trip has been living in your group chat for months.
🚨 warning ‼️ you may not want to go on this trip
STOP [scrolling/doing X] — [reason].
Used 2×
🌊 STOP SCROLLING — TON HIVER MÉRITE DU SOLEIL ☀️
B…MLUE Our waves this week, summed up. Small, clean, perfect to learn on.
Good vibes are [adjective] — come join us for [experience].
Used 3×
Good vibes are CONTAGIOUS ☀️✨💛 come join our camp in Tamraght 🇲🇦 for a fun adventure
It's summertime ! time to kick back and relax with the best vibes here in Tamraght 🤙
Summer is already here in Tamraght ☀️ come enjoy the sun with us at surf and friends lodge
[Person] arrived as [X] and left with [Y].
Used 2×
Sarah arrived as a solo traveler and left with a crew. Sunrise workouts on the rooftop, sunset sessions in the water
A group of strangers who leave as friends. We're partnering with @salty.retreats for their Morocco retreat May 16–23
[X]% OFF [offer] — [deadline or scarcity].
Used 4×
15% off late June | 10% off July. Book via link in bio.
come join us for 15% OFF on your bookings (ONLY FOR JUNE) link in bio 🔗
For 10% OFF (limited time offer - until 25th February) link in bio 🔗
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Strategy summary
What's working, what to fix, and what to ship next.
TL;DR
The single biggest lever for @surfandfriends is UGC and collab content. Posts credited to guests or partner accounts, including posts 24 (990 likes), 17 (193 likes), 15 (128 likes), and 29 (146 likes), generate three to five times the engagement of house-produced reels. Yet the account posts only 1.2 times per week, roughly one third of the four per week benchmark for surf-camp accounts. That cadence gap is the biggest leak: the feed goes quiet for days at a time, losing algorithmic momentum between spikes.
The @salty.retreats collab series (posts 11, 13, 20) is the strongest conversion play in the feed. It combines storytelling, real pricing, and scarcity in a way that no other content cluster does. Expanding this model to more partners or returning guests would compound both reach and booking intent without requiring expensive production.
Hashtag strategy is shallow and repetitive. Nearly every post recycles the same five tags, which limits discovery. The account also posts almost entirely in English while post 15 (128 likes) and post 24 (990 likes) in French outperform the English average, suggesting an underleveraged French-speaking audience.
Working
4- UGC carousels credited to guests or partners consistently earn the highest like and comment counts, led by post 24 at 990 likes.
- The @salty.retreats collab posts (11, 20) combine narrative, concrete pricing, and scarcity, making them the strongest booking-intent content in the feed.
- Carousels outperform single images and match or beat reels on engagement, making them a reliable format regardless of topic.
- French-language captions reach a visibly more engaged audience, as shown by posts 24, 15, and 29 all clearing 128 likes.
Risks
5- Posting cadence is 1.2 per week against a 4 per week benchmark. Tripling output is the fastest way to improve algorithmic reach.
- Hashtag sets are nearly identical across every post. Build three to four distinct tag clusters targeting different audiences such as yoga travelers, solo female travelers, and French surf camps.
- Discount posts (3, 19) get among the lowest engagement. Anchor promos to a story or guest quote rather than a standalone percentage offer.
- Most reels have zero comments, suggesting captions do not ask a question or invite a reply. Add a simple conversation prompt to every reel.
- English-only captions dominate despite French posts clearly outperforming. Add a French version or alternate languages by post.
Ship next
5- Build a repeatable UGC request flow: after checkout send every guest a templated ask for a photo or video with tagging instructions.
- Increase posting to four times per week by repurposing existing guest content and supplementing with behind-the-scenes lodge clips.
- Create a dedicated French-language content series targeting the French and Belgian surf-travel market, mirroring the tone of post 24.
- Develop two to three new partner collab series using the @salty.retreats model, targeting yoga retreat organizers and solo-travel communities.
- Rotate hashtag clusters per post, including niche tags like #solotravel, #retreatmorocco, and #campdesurf to reach new audience segments.
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