Learning · Community report
Turn an Instagram post into a reading list
A user on X reports saving an Instagram post of 20 books Elon recommends by having Instinct turn it into a reading list to check out later. The post does not show the list itself, so this page adds a prompt and checks for getting the titles right.
What you can get
- Prepare
The Instagram post link, its caption text or a screenshot of the book list
- Ask and review
Grab the source in the most readable form you have: the post link, the caption text, or a screenshot of each slide if the books appear only in images.
- Check the result
A reading list of the books named in one Instagram post, with each title and author checked against a catalog. It is a list to read from later, not a purchase or a library hold.
The source case
@santosanttt says they use Instinct on mobile for saving things to look at later while they scroll Instagram. Their example is an Instagram post with 20 books Elon recommends, which they say they had Instinct turn into a list to check out later. The post does not show the list Instinct produced, whether all 20 titles were captured correctly, or where the list was saved. It also does not say whether the author shared a link, a screenshot or the caption text.
A public report by someone outside this library. Not independently reproduced here.
From the source
Source excerpt
Mobile is just for chilling, scrolling Instagram, and saving stuff for later with my favorite PA @instinct.
Source excerpt
For example, I came across an Instagram post with 20 books Elon recommends and had instinct turn it into a list to check out later.
Quoted from the original posts. Not written by this guide, and not a result produced here.
Suggested prompt
Bring The Instagram post link, its caption text or a screenshot of the book list, Where you want the reading list kept, Any books you have already read, so they can be marked or left out. Source community report, checked 2026-10-25.
Written by this guide as a starting point, not quoted from the source. Your edits stay in this browser.
What you need
You supply
- The Instagram post link, its caption text or a screenshot of the book list
- Where you want the reading list kept
- Any books you have already read, so they can be marked or left out
How to try it
Editorial, not from the source
- Grab the source in the most readable form you have: the post link, the caption text, or a screenshot of each slide if the books appear only in images.
- Paste it in with the prompt, and say up front where the finished list should be kept.
- Compare the number of books in the list with the number the post claims; a carousel post often hides titles on later slides.
- Check every unclear or shortened title against a library catalog or a bookseller search before you accept it, since covers in images are easy to misread.
- Mark the books you have already read or own, then reorder the rest by whatever you care about: length, topic or which one is easiest to borrow.
- Only after you have approved the list, ask for any next step such as library holds or prices, and approve each one separately.
What the post describes
The report comes as a reply in a thread about which assistants people use. @santosanttt writes that desktop is for another tool, while on mobile they scroll Instagram and save things for later with Instinct, which they call their favorite PA.
Their one example is a post listing 20 books Elon recommends; they say they had Instinct "turn it into a list to check out later." That is the whole account. There is no screenshot of the result in the text we have, and nothing about whether every title made it onto the list.
Getting every title off the post
Book roundups on Instagram are often carousels, with one cover per slide and the caption holding only a few names. If you share just the link or the caption, titles that appear only in images can be missed, so a screenshot of each slide is the safer input when the caption is thin.
Covers are also easy to misread: subtitles get dropped, series names get mistaken for titles, and two books can share a name. Checking each entry against a library catalog or a bookseller search, and comparing the final count with the number in the post, catches most of these before the list goes stale in a notes app.
Open Instinct to try it. That is the product's own site; this guide is not part of it.
Limits and confirmation points
- The post does not show the reading list itself, so it is unknown how complete or accurate it was.
- The source does not say how the Instagram post was shared with Instinct or where the list was stored.
- The claim that the 20 books are recommended by Elon comes from the Instagram post the author saw; neither the source nor this guide confirms it.
- This is an attributed community report, not reproduced by this guide. The suggested workflow and checks are editorial guidance, not a recovered conversation or guaranteed product capability.
Editorial, not from the source
- The list has fewer books than the post says
- The missing titles are probably on carousel slides or in comments. Share screenshots of each slide and ask for a fresh count.
- A title or author looks wrong
- Search the title in a library catalog or bookseller site, and correct the entry or mark it unclear rather than keeping a guess.
- You cannot find the saved list later
- Name the place and title of the list in your prompt, and ask for the list to be shown in full in the chat as well.
Common questions
Can Instinct turn an Instagram post into a reading list?
One user on X reports having Instinct turn an Instagram post of 20 recommended books into a list to check out later. The post does not show that list, and this guide has not reproduced it.
What should I share: the link, the caption or a screenshot?
The source does not say what the author shared. As general practice, give whichever form actually contains the book names; if the titles appear only on image slides, screenshots are more likely to capture them than the link alone.
How do I know the list is complete?
Ask for a count and compare it with the number the post claims, then look through the slides yourself for anything missing. Treat any title marked unclear as unconfirmed until you have checked it.
Will it buy or reserve the books?
The report only describes making a list. The suggested prompt tells the assistant not to buy, borrow or reserve anything until you approve it.
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