HOW WE HELPED BUILD ONE OF INSTAGRAM’S MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOK COMMUNITIES
Client
@underthecover.books
Challenge
Build a recognisable social platform for book lovers
Solution
Interview-led Instagram content strategy
Results
From launch to 150,000+ followers in 1 year
90 interview posts
~10k follower growth per week
Highly engaged community
UnderTheCover was the brain child of entrepreneurs Juliet and Felicity. They approached us with a clear ambition, they wanted to create and grow an Instagram channel that celebrates “the faces behind your favourite books.”
The goal wasn’t simply growth. It was identity.
The platform needed to:
Feel premium but not corporate
Maintain authenticity and independence
Release content twice weekly
Build genuine engagement with book lovers
And importantly, it had to become a community that authors and booksellers wanted to be part of.
The Strategy
The strategy was to publish two pieces of high-quality content every week.
We needed to create a consistent production style where every post would feel intentional, socially crafted and high-end while still being turned around quick enough to sustain momentum. The channel had to develop a recognisable identity, something audiences could immediately associate with UnderTheCover without becoming boring and repetitive.
We also refined an edit process that allowed for speed without sacrificing quality. We shaped a narrative rhythm that viewers would begin to recognise while keeping every conversation feeling fresh and personal.
The content couldn’t feel like a brand pushing product or a corporate sponsor promoting an agenda. It needed to feel warm and intimate, like you’d stumbled into a brilliant conversation in your favourite bookshop.
Visually, the channel had to be premium and considered but unmistakably independent.
The Results
90 interview posts created
150,000+ followers on Instagram
Growth currently at ~10k followers per week
Highly positive, organic engagement
Regular audience endorsements in comments:
“This is my favourite place on Instagram.”
“I love these posts so much, thank you.”
UnderTheCover is now being approached as an influencer platform. The format is working, the community is forming and the brand is recognisable. But how do they make money?
The Bookshop
The channel has built its audience, now it needs to generate its income.
The first step towards this is a recently launched online bookshop in partnership with Bookshop.org. The store has a unique format that allows users to buy the recommended books from the bookshop owners and authors that feature on their channel.
Not only does this help fund the channel but every sale supports independent bookshops at the same time.
This is the first of several revenue ideas designed to make the channel self-sustaining while being careful to keep in place everything that made people fall in love with it.
Key Takeaways
A strong format builds recognition
Audiences respond to consistency. By developing a repeatable interview format with a distinctive visual style and editorial rhythm, UnderTheCover became instantly recognisable while still allowing every conversation to feel fresh and authentic.
Expertise becomes more engaging when it feels personal
The success of the channel came not from promoting books, but from creating space for meaningful conversations. Audiences connected with the people behind the recommendations, turning expertise into something relatable and shareable.
Consistency matters more than virality
Rather than chasing trends or one-off viral moments, the focus was on publishing high-quality content twice a week. This regular cadence helped build audience trust, establish expectations and create sustained growth over time.
Community is more valuable than reach
Follower growth was important, but the real success was the formation of an engaged community. Positive audience feedback, repeat viewers and growing participation from authors and booksellers demonstrated that the platform had become something people genuinely wanted to be part of.
Content works best when it supports a wider ecosystem
The audience built through Instagram created opportunities beyond social media. The launch of the online bookshop demonstrated how thoughtful content can become the foundation for new partnerships, revenue streams and long-term sustainability.