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Social mediaInstagramReelsRestaurant

How reels grew a restaurant's Instagram engagement by 212% in 90 days

An independent Manchester restaurant posted beautiful photos that few people saw. Switching to reels-led content and small local ads grew engagement by 212% in 90 days.

Client
Independent restaurant, Manchester (anonymised)
Industry
Hospitality
Location
Manchester, UK
Timeline
90 days
+212%Engagement
+4,100New local followers
+38%Booking link clicks
90 daysTimeline
Overview

Project overview

This independent restaurant is known locally for its brunch and seasonal dinners. Its Instagram had lovely photography but low reach.

The owners wanted more local people to discover them without spending hours on content.

The challenge

Great food, low reach

Three things limited growth:

01

Photos only

Still images were reaching fewer people than short video.

02

Inconsistent posting

Posts came in bursts during quiet weeks and stopped when busy.

03

No local push

Most followers lived far away or were other businesses.

Goals

What success looked like

  • Double engagementwithin 90 days.
  • Grow a local followingof people likely to visit.
  • Drive booking link clicksfrom Instagram.
What we did

Our approach, step by step

  1. 1

    Reels plan Week 1

    Planned recurring reel formats: dish of the week, behind the pass, meet the team and local events.

    StrategyReels
  2. 2

    Batch filming Monthly

    Filmed a month of reels in one session to keep posting consistent.

    ContentVideo
  3. 3

    Local ads Weeks 3–12

    Promoted the best reels to people living or working nearby.

    Paid socialLocal targeting
  4. 4

    Engage Ongoing

    Replied to comments and shared customer posts with permission.

    Community
Instagram metrics

Before and after: key metrics

Instagram performance in the 30 days before vs days 61–90.

MetricBeforeAfterChange
Engagements per month1,9005,930▲ 212%
Accounts reached12k41k▲ 3.4x
Local followers2,3006,400▲ 4,100
Booking link clicks420580▲ 38%
Results

The results

Engagement grew quickly once reels became the main format.

Engagements per monthLikes, comments, shares and saves
01500300045006000 D0D30D60D90 +212%
+212%engagement
+4,100local followers
+38%booking clicks

“We're seeing new faces every week who tell us they found us on Instagram.”

CO
Co-ownerIndependent restaurant, Manchester
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