Instagram Nine-Square Test
Check whether a cold lead can understand and choose the brand in nine posts
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
Treat the top nine Instagram posts as a compact secondary website. View them without relying on prior knowledge and ask whether a cold lead can determine four things: who the brand is, what it does, why it is the best product or service for the job, and how to buy, access, or hire it. A profile fails when it looks polished but could swap handles with another brand in the same category without changing its meaning. Repair the unanswered questions through clearer, scannable, snackable posts rather than more generic aesthetic content. The test focuses on Instagram's verification role, where prospects may inspect a business without following, liking, or attributing a later purchase to the platform.
Origin
Camille Moore calls this the Instagram test and uses it in brand audits to expose profiles that look aesthetic but do not answer a cold lead's practical questions.
Core principles
- 01A social profile functions as a secondary website
- 02Cold visitors need immediate clarity
- 03Aesthetic consistency without meaning is insufficient
- 04Social content should support verification and soft selling
How to run it
- 1
Adopt a cold view
Open the profile and assume you know nothing about the company beyond the visible top nine posts.
Pro tip Ask someone outside the business to perform the test independently.
Watch out Internal familiarity can make missing information feel obvious.
- 2
Answer who and what
Check whether the nine posts clearly establish the brand's identity and offer.
Pro tip Use scannable language and concrete product or service context.
Watch out A consistent color palette does not answer either question.
- 3
Answer why
Find evidence of why this brand is a strong choice for the customer's job or problem.
Pro tip Show a relevant differentiator, outcome, or proof point.
Watch out Generic category claims make the profile interchangeable.
- 4
Answer how
Verify that a visitor can understand how to buy the product, access it, or hire the business.
Pro tip Make the next step visible without turning every post into an advertisement.
Watch out Do not make an interested visitor search for basic access information.
- 5
Repair the grid
Replace or supplement posts until all four questions are answered while preserving useful, human content.
Pro tip Balance verification content with material that gives value.
Watch out Do not solve clarity by making the entire grid repetitive sales creative.
In the wild
Moore says many jewelry profiles use the same polished, aesthetic grid. If the handle can be swapped for another brand without changing what the grid communicates, a cold visitor cannot identify a meaningful reason to choose it.
→ The test exposes visual effort that is not performing the profile's verification and soft-selling job.
Common mistakes
Mistaking aesthetics for clarity
A polished grid can still fail to explain the business, its difference, or the next step.
Judging only by followers
Follower count does not show whether a profile helps a prospect verify and choose the business.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for businesses whose prospects use Instagram to verify them before buying or enquiring.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal as the only audit for brands whose customers do not use Instagram during evaluation.
From the transcript
“I call this the Instagram test”
“could a cold lead tell you who you are 49 00 what you do why you're the best product or service for the job”
“media has changed to become a secondary website”
From the episode
583: The Branding Expert Behind Dior, L'Oréal & Mercedes
Camille Moore