Sample reel check: score, fixes and rewrites for a sourdough reel
👋 This is a sample verdict for a made-up sourdough reel — here's what yours will look like.
Check my reel — freeUseful tip, but the payoff arrives at 0:14 and nothing gives people a reason to send it — fix those two and it's ready.
A few changes and it's ready. Start with fix #1.
Virality score
65+ means worth posting
Do these 3, in order
#1 moves your score the most. Tick them off as you go.
- 1
Open on the result: put “FLAT SOURDOUGH? It's your water.” on screen in the first second, and say it out loud.
People decide in about three seconds with the sound off. Right now the first line is a warm-up, so most of them leave before the tip.
- 2
Add one line at the end: “Send this to the friend whose bread keeps coming out flat.”
The tip is useful enough to send — nobody is asked to. A send tells Instagram more than a like.
- 3
Swap the 9 tags for 4 specific ones (#sourdoughtips #sourdoughbeginner #homebaking #breadbaking) and say “sourdough” in the caption's first line.
Generic tags like #viral help nobody find it. Words people actually search for do.
How it earns reach
Instagram pushes reels people send, save and comment on — not just like.
It earns Likes. It's missing Sends.
Right now it earns likes. It's missing sends — the strongest signal, and the easiest one to add here.
What Instagram sees
Eight things the feed reads before it decides who to show your reel to.
Hook
Weak
People start leaving at 0:04
Sendable
44/100
Nothing asks people to send it
Findable
38/100
Search can't find the caption
Reach allowed
Yes
No watermark or repost flags
Text on screen
None
What muted scrollers see first
Script
Ok
The plan below can rewrite it
Edit
Basic
Cuts, text and pacing
Sound
Niche
Original audio
Fix it for me
Rewrites for this exact reel. These are free.
Want this reel rewritten, line by line?
A hook-first rewrite of this exact reel: the opening line, every beat, the payoff, the ask and the caption.
The 26° sourdough fix
HOOK · 0:00–0:03
Your sourdough isn't flat because of the flour.
on screen FLAT BREAD? IT'S THE WATER
- 0:03
It's the water. Here's the ten-second test.
on screen: 10-second test↪ opens a loop: what's the test? - 0:08
Too cold and the yeast basically goes to sleep. Mine was 18.
on screen: 18°C = sleepy yeast - 0:14
Warm it to 26 before you mix. That's it.
on screen: aim for 26°C↪ opens a loop: does it work?
PAYOFF
“Same flour. Same starter. Twice the rise.”
🔁 loops back with: “So no — it was never the flour.”
the askSend this to the friend whose bread keeps coming out flat.
Caption — ready to paste
Flat sourdough? It's probably your water, not your starter. Warm it to 26°C before you mix. Send this to the friend whose bread keeps coming out flat.
Backup hooks — pick one or A/B test
“One number fixed my flat sourdough: 26.”
“Stop feeding your starter more. Check this first.”
“POV: your fifth flat loaf this month.”
Why this works: It opens on the viewer's problem, flips who they blame, and pays off with a number they can use tonight — then asks for the send it has earned.
🔬 The full breakdownEvery signal we checked, for when you want the detail.
A genuinely useful tip buried under a slow start. Open on the result, ask for the send, and fix the caption so search can find it.
Hook & script
Shareability
Caption & tags
Look & sound
Format & reach
Scores estimate what you control before posting. Real reach also depends on timing, your audience and the day's trends.