Shakl

Key results

• 20–100 — Stills saved per approved model
• 20 / 50 / 100 — Still pack sizes on approval
• Weekly — TikTok dance scrape → Instagram Reels
• 2 panels — User + admin with Stripe and affiliates

TL;DR

• Shakl lets users create a consistent AI influencer from a prompt or seed image, then approve or reject the base look before production runs.
• On approval, the backend generates a saved still library (20, 50, or 100 images) per model, plus on-demand image generation when creators need more assets.
• A weekly TikTok scraper harvests viral dances; each approved model is rendered into matching dance videos with automated editing and on-screen text.
• Finished Reels post to connected Instagram accounts via the Instagram API with AI-written captions—backed by user + admin panels, Stripe payments, and an affiliate system.

Project Overview

An end-to-end AI influencer product: identity creation, asset factories, trend ingestion, dance-video generation, and compliant Instagram publishing.

Shakl was built as a multi-tenant SaaS for creators and agencies who wanted AI influencer accounts without a full production studio. Users authenticate, create a model identity from a text prompt or reference photo, and review generated previews until the look is locked.

Once approved, the system kicks off a backend batch that materializes a durable still library—typically 20, 50, or 100 images—stored against that model for reuse across campaigns. Creators can also request fresh images on demand when a post needs a new outfit, setting, or angle.

• Prompt- or image-conditioned model creation with human approve/reject gates
• Backend still packs (20 / 50 / 100) persisted per model for lifelong reuse
• Weekly TikTok viral-dance scraper feeding the content calendar
• Model-in-dance video generation with automated editing and text-on-video overlays
• Instagram API publishing with AI-generated captions
• User dashboard + admin panel, Stripe subscriptions/credits, and managed affiliates

The product closes the loop from identity to distribution: trend discovery, multimodal generation, post-production, captioning, and publishing run as orchestrated jobs—so each model can ship viral-format Reels every week without a manual editing desk.

Business Challenge / Problem Statement

AI influencer content was stuck between one-off generators and expensive human production.

Creators could generate a pretty face once, but they lacked a consistent character library and a repeatable way to put that character into the week’s viral dance formats.

Manual TikTok trend hunting, video editing, caption writing, and Instagram posting consumed hours per account—and broke when someone tried to run ten models at once.

Agencies needed tenancy, billing, approvals, and admin oversight—not a loose collection of API keys and freelance editors.

Without an affiliate and plan structure, growth marketing had nowhere to plug in referrals or credit packs for still generation volume.

• Identity Drift — One-shot image tools could not keep the same model consistent across dozens of stills and dance videos.
• Trend Lag — By the time a human remade a viral dance, the audio and format had already cooled on Instagram.
• Ops Bottleneck — Editing, overlays, captions, and posting were separate tools with no shared queue or audit trail.
• SaaS Gaps — Missing admin controls, Stripe monetization, and affiliates blocked a real product launch.

Objectives & Goals

Ship a product, not a prototype demo.

Let users create and approve an AI model from prompt or image with a clear quality gate.

On approval, generate and store scaled still libraries (20 / 50 / 100) plus on-demand generation.

Scrape TikTok weekly for viral dances and map each trend onto every eligible model.

Produce dance videos with automated editing and on-screen text, then publish to Instagram with AI captions.

Deliver dual surfaces (user + admin), Stripe payments, and an affiliate program operators can manage.

• Approve-Before-Scale — Human taste check on the base model before expensive batch still and video runs.
• Trend-to-Reel Pipeline — Weekly TikTok dance intake becomes Instagram-ready videos starring the user’s model.
• Asset Memory — Per-model still libraries and on-demand generation so campaigns never start from zero.
• Monetized Multi-Tenant Ops — Stripe, affiliates, admin tooling, and publish logs for a real SaaS business.
• Caption + Edit Automation — AI captions and automated video finishing with text overlays—no CapCut babysitting.
• Compliant Publishing — Instagram API posting with connected accounts, retries, and status tracking.

Key Features & Product System

From model birth to weekly Reel cadence inside one SaaS.

Model Creation & Approval Gate

Users sign in, submit a prompt or reference image, and receive candidate looks. Approve locks identity; reject regenerates until the creator is happy. Nothing expensive runs until that gate clears.

Still Library Factory

• Batch packs: Backend jobs generate 20, 50, or 100 consistent images tied to the approved model.
• On-demand: Extra stills on request for outfits, sets, and campaign variants without rebuilding identity.
• Storage: Assets saved per model for reuse across dance videos, carousels, and ads.

TikTok Viral Dance Scraper

• Weekly crawl: Harvests trending dance formats, audio cues, and structure signals.
• Trend queue: Normalized jobs so every eligible model can remake the same viral format.
• Freshness: Cadence tuned so Reels ship while the dance is still circulating.

Model-in-Dance Video Engine

Each approved model is rendered into the viral dance performance—same move language, consistent face/body identity—then finished through automated editing with text overlays on top of the clip.

AI Captions & Instagram Publish

Captions are generated for hook, hashtags, and brand tone, then posts ship through the Instagram API to the user’s connected account with scheduling, retries, and delivery status in the dashboard.

Admin, Stripe & Affiliates

• Dual panels: Creator workspace for models and posts; admin for users, jobs, moderation, and ops.
• Stripe: Subscriptions and credit packs for still generation and video runs.
• Affiliates: Managed referral program with tracking and payouts operators can control.

Operational Controls

• Job queues: Still packs and dance videos run as background workers with status surfaces.
• Quality gates: Model approval before batch spend; admin tools for stuck or unsafe outputs.
• Publish trail: Every Reel traces back to model, trend source, caption, and Instagram delivery state.

Reliability at Content Scale

Generation queues, approve/reject state machines, scrape schedules, and publish audits keep dozens of models shipping weekly without operators babysitting every clip.

Results & Impact

Creators could lock an AI model once, then scale a still library and a recurring dance-video calendar without rebuilding identity every post.

Trend scraping plus automated editing and captions compressed the path from viral TikTok dance to Instagram publish into an always-on pipeline.

Stripe billing, affiliates, and admin tooling turned the stack into a monetizable multi-tenant product instead of a one-off automation script.

What our clients say

Shakl gave us a real product loop—approve the face, get the still pack, ride the week’s viral dances, and wake up to Instagram posts with captions and text overlays already done. Admin, Stripe, and affiliates meant we could sell it, not just demo it.

Product Owner — Shakl

Technologies & Tools Used

Generative media + scraping + social APIs + SaaS infrastructure

Built as a multi-tenant application with AI image/video generation, TikTok trend scraping, Instagram Graph publishing, Stripe monetization, and affiliate tracking across user and admin surfaces.

Background workers handle still packs, dance-video renders, caption generation, and publish queues so the product stays responsive while heavy jobs run offline.

Technology stack

• AI Image Generation — Prompt- and image-conditioned model creation, approve/reject previews, batch still packs, and on-demand generation.
• AI Video Generation — Model-consistent dance/performance videos mapped to weekly viral TikTok formats.
• TikTok Trend Scraper — Weekly harvest of viral dances and structure signals into a normalized content queue.
• Automated Video Editing — Finishing pipeline with cuts, timing, and text overlays for Reel-ready delivery.
• LLM Caption Engine — AI-written Instagram captions tuned for hooks, hashtags, and brand voice.
• Instagram API — Connected-account publishing, media upload, and delivery status tracking.
• Stripe — Subscriptions and credit packs for still generation volume and video runs.
• Affiliate System — Managed referral tracking and payouts operated from the admin panel.
• User + Admin Panels — Creator workspace for models and posts; ops console for users, jobs, and moderation.
• Job Queues & Storage — Async workers and per-model asset storage for still libraries and rendered videos.