Sulok Coffee & Kitchen: from quiet mornings to a full laptop corner
A complete month of Instagram for a small café, done the way I work for clients: research first, a clear goal, content pillars, a planned feed, and posts built to be shared, not just liked.
1. Research → goal → persona
Two weeks of research before any posting: the café's numbers, its customers' words, and three competitors.
Persona: "Remote-work Rina"
From customer chats, Google reviews and Reddit threads
- Who
- 27–35, works remotely 3 days a week, lives within 1 km
- Wants
- A quiet seat, a plug, fast Wi-Fi, coffee that isn't overpriced
- Worries
- "Will I get kicked out after one coffee?" "Is it too noisy for calls?"
- Searches
- "work friendly cafe Makati", "cafe with wifi Legazpi Village"
- Online
- 6:30–8 AM and lunch; shares food spots with friends in DMs
Competitor gap
3 cafés nearby (2K, 9K and 40K followers)
- All three post menu photos and promos, 5–7 times a week
- None of them answer the questions remote workers ask (Wi-Fi, plugs, noise, time limits)
- None show the people behind the counter
Our gap: be the work-friendly café with a story. Fewer posts, each one answering a real question.
2. Profile optimisation
The profile is the first impression after someone sees a Reel. Keywords also make it searchable.
Before
sulokcoffeeSulokCoffee • Food • Good vibes ☕✨Open daily!
✗ No keyword in name · no location · no reason to visit · no link
After
sulok.coffeeSulok · Work-friendly Café Makati☕ Fast Wi-Fi + 6 laptop seats in Legazpi Village🥖 Pandesal out at 6:45 AM, daily
👇 Reserve a seat or see the menu
🔗 sulokcoffee.ph/seat
✓ Search keyword in name · who it's for · why visit · one clear link · highlights: Menu · Seats · Reviews · Hours
3. Strategy: pillars and mix
Four pillars, each tied to the goal. Mix: 80% awareness, 15% nurture, 5% sales.
Content idea card
Every post is planned like this before editing
- Pillar
- Community + story · awareness
- Format
- Carousel, 10 slides, with audio (so it also shows in the Reels tab)
- Hook
- "We almost closed Sulok in our first year."
- Slide 2
- "What saved us wasn't a promo." (Instagram re-shows carousels from slide 2, so it's a second hook)
- Caption
- The full story, then: "What should we add next? Tell us below."
- Keywords
- #makaticafe #workfriendlycafe #legazpivillage (3 search terms, not 30 tags)
- Success
- Shares (sends) + saves + comments
4. Feed plan with reel covers
Every cover is a hook, because visitors decide from the grid what to tap. Custom look, no stock templates.
5. Storytelling carousel
Hook on slide 1, a second hook on slide 2, then a real story with a lesson and a question that invites comments. Swipe →
Sample caption
We almost closed in 2023. Great coffee, empty tables, savings running out. So for 30 days we asked every customer one question: "What would make you come back tomorrow?" The answers changed everything… 🥖☕
What should we add next? Tell us below 👇
#makaticafe #workfriendlycafe #legazpivillage
6. A post people screenshot and send
Shares and sends are the strongest reach signal on Instagram now. Useful, simple, made to be passed on.
Why this works
- Answers a question people are shy to ask at the counter
- Saved for later + sent to a friend = two signals in one
- Evergreen: can be reshared to Stories every few months
7. Stories that build the relationship
Followers only watch the first few Stories in their tray. Interactive stickers keep us near the front.
8. Reels: Trial Reels hook test
Same footage, two different first 3 seconds. Both go out as Trial Reels (shown to non-followers first). The winner is shared to followers; the hook style is reused all month.
How we pick the winner
Filled in from Insights after 48 hours
| Metric | Hook A | Hook B |
|---|---|---|
| 3-second hold (skip rate) | — | — |
| Average watch time | — | — |
| Shares per 1,000 views | — | — |
| Comments "WIFI" (DM automation) | — | — |
| Profile visits | — | — |
Rule: change one thing at a time (only the hook), so we know what caused the difference.
9. Comment-keyword DM automation
A Reel asks people to comment a word. They get a friendly DM with the info, and every comment boosts the Reel.
Reel caption: "Comment WIFI and we'll DM you our quiet hours + seat link"
WIFI
Setup and rules
- Built in Meta's own automation or a tool like ManyChat; one keyword per campaign
- Every DM sounds human, answers the question first, and offers one next step
- Reply to comments by hand too. Real replies in the first hour help reach
- Anything sensitive (complaints, refunds) goes to the owner the same day
10. 4-week calendar
3 posts a week, a pace the café can keep all year. Ideas approved by the 15th of the month before; filming list sent with them.
| When | Format | Pillar | Hook / topic | Funnel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W1 Mon | Reel | Community | POV: your 6:30 AM pandesal run | Awareness |
| W1 Wed | Carousel (10 + audio) | Our story | We almost closed Sulok in our first year | Awareness |
| W1 Fri | Post | Coffee 101 | Coffee menu words, explained (screenshot this) | Awareness |
| W2 Mon | Trial Reel A/B | Work-friendly | Where to work in Makati with fast Wi-Fi | Awareness |
| W2 Wed | Reel | Coffee 101 | Barista rates your weirdest orders | Awareness |
| W2 Fri | Carousel | Proof | “Best tapsilog near Legazpi Village” + 4 more reviews | Nurture |
| W3 Mon | Reel | Coffee 101 | Ube latte: worth the hype? Rate it 1–10 | Awareness |
| W3 Wed | Carousel | Work-friendly | 5 rules of our laptop corner (and why) | Nurture |
| W3 Fri | Reel | Community | Meet Ate Joy, our 5 AM baker | Awareness |
| W4 Mon | Reel | Work-friendly | Comment WIFI: our quiet hours, sent to your DMs | Awareness |
| W4 Wed | Carousel | Coffee 101 | Iced vs hot: what changes in the cup | Awareness |
| W4 Fri | Post | Offer | Pour-over + pandesal ₱120 before 8 AM | Sales |
11. Monthly report
Sample layout · fictional numbers. Real reports use Instagram Insights exports only.
- Top post: the coffee words cheat sheet (most shares)
- Trial Reels: the question hook beat the bold statement, so all Reels in month 2 open with a question
- Learned: the baker's story Reel got the most comments, so a monthly "meet the team" series starts
- Next month (one change): 20-slide "laptop corner guide" carousel with audio
12. What's new on Instagram (2026), and how this plan uses it
- Shares/sends matter most for reach to non-followers → the cheat sheet and story carousel are built to be sent
- Carousels with music can show in the Reels tab; carousels can run up to 20 slides → audio on every carousel; a longer guide planned for month 2
- Trial Reels (non-followers first) → used for the A/B hook test before showing followers
- Originality (reposts and watermarked videos get less reach) → every Reel is filmed and edited for Instagram; TikTok gets its own native upload
- Search keywords in name, bio and captions; 3–5 keyword hashtags, not 30
- AI labels → anything AI-generated is labelled as Instagram requires