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Free Guide — August 2026

The 3 AI Tools That Helped Me
Grow Over 10,000 Followers in 60 Days

I've tested every "viral" AI tool that's supposed to help you grow on social media. Most don't work like they say. These 3 actually did. Here's exactly how I use each one, setup included.

Blotato logo Sandcastles logo Stanley logo

Overview

What's In This Guide

Blotato: connects Claude to every social account you have, posts, repurposes, pulls analytics, and generates graphics

Sandcastles: shows Claude exactly what topics and formats are working in your niche right now

Stanley: lives in your messages, turns a random idea into a ready-to-shoot script in minutes

The exact setup for all 3, copy-paste commands included

How I actually stack all 3 together

Before Anything Else

30% off Blotato, on me

Blotato partnered with me on this guide. Use the code below when you subscribe and get 30% off, valid for 3 months from the day you apply it.

ZACH30

Blotato requires a paid subscription to connect via MCP. This code is the cheapest way in.

Blotato logo

Blotato

Claude MCP

Blotato connects Claude to every social account you run. Once it's in, Claude can post and repurpose your content, pull your analytics, and generate post graphics, all from inside a chat.

It's the one for anyone who wants to grow without spending hours a day on the posting itself. You stop context-switching between five apps and just tell Claude what you want published.

Set it up

  1. 1

    Go to Customize, then Connectors, then Add custom connector.

  2. 2

    Name it Blotato.

  3. 3

    Paste this URL: https://mcp.blotato.com/mcp

  4. 4

    Press Connect and approve access. You need to be logged into Blotato in the same browser for this to work.

Prefer the terminal? In Claude Code, run:

claude mcp add \ --transport http \ Blotato https://mcp.blotato.com/mcp

Verify it worked

Ask Claude: "What social media accounts do I have connected?" If it lists your platforms, you're live.

Sandcastles logo

Sandcastles

Claude MCP

Sandcastles is built for topic and format research. Connect it and Claude can see exactly what topics and formats are working in your niche right now, pull up outlier posts across your niche, and spot what's about to blow up before everyone else catches on.

I use it every time before I sit down to write a script, so I'm never starting from a blank page. Every outlier post it surfaces becomes inspiration instead of a scroll session.

Set it up

  1. 1

    In Sandcastles: Settings → Connectors → MCP section → Download Plugin.

  2. 2

    In the Claude Desktop app: switch to Cowork → Customize → "+" under Personal Plugins → Upload Plugin → drag the Sandcastles zip in.

  3. 3

    Press Connectors under the new Sandcastles plugin → Install (the URL https://mcp.sandcastles.ai/ comes pre-filled) → Add.

  4. 4

    Switch to Chat → Customize → Connectors → Sandcastles (Custom) → Connect → log in to your Sandcastles account in the browser tab.

Full official walkthrough with video: help.sandcastles.ai/mcp

Test it

"Give me a list of the top 10 performing videos from my watchlist in the last 7 days. Tell me the common topics and formats that are outperforming, and suggest my next 3 videos based on what's working."

Stanley logo

Stanley

Standalone

Stanley isn't a Claude plug-in, it lives right inside your messages. Text it any content idea the second it hits you, and it pulls up what your competitors are doing right now, then fine-tunes that idea into something ready to shoot.

I've been using this one for the past month, and it's turned into the fastest way I go from a random thought to an actual script. No app to open, no blank page, just text the idea and keep moving.

Get started

  1. 1

    Go to getstanley.ai and tap "Message Stanley." No waitlist anymore, you start texting right away (Telegram works too if you'd rather not use SMS).

  2. 2

    Connect your socials so it can read what you've already posted and learn your voice.

  3. 3

    Text it a raw idea, even a half-formed one. It fine-tunes it into something ready to shoot and flags what competitors are doing with similar content right now.

Note

Stanley is its own tool, not a Claude connector. This one's less about a setup command and more about texting it your ideas and letting it learn you over time.

The Stack

How I Actually Use All 3 Together

Sandcastles

Shows me what's already working.

Stanley

Turns the idea into a ready script.

Blotato

Posts it everywhere and tracks it.

Research the outlier, text it into a script, post it everywhere. That's the whole loop, and none of it requires you to sit down and stare at a blank page.

Try It Yourself

Try Blotato free for 7 days

Everything in this section runs on the free trial, so you can connect it and see it work before you pay anything. When you're ready to subscribe, use the code below.

ZACH30 30% off, valid 3 months
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