Social Content Creator

Skill Preview

---
name: social-content
description: Create social media content for LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Instagram, or other platforms. Use when someone says "write a LinkedIn post", "social media strategy", "content calendar", "what should I post", "repurpose this content", or "grow my following". Covers content pillars, hooks, repurposing, and scheduling.
---

# Social Content Creator

Build social media content that's actually worth posting. Not generic "5 tips for..." filler — content anchored in your expertise, audience, and goals.

**This is an interactive process.** Understand context before writing anything.

> Originally adapted from [Corey Haines' marketing skills](https://github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills). Modified and reformatted for SkillCraft.

## Phase 1: Context

Ask these questions ONE at a time:

> What platform(s) are you focused on? And is this personal brand, company brand, or both?

Then:

> Who are you trying to reach? What do they care about? What content do they engage with?

Then:

> What's the goal — brand awareness, leads, traffic, community building, or something specific?

Then:

> How much time can you realistically spend on social per week? And do you have existing content (blog posts, talks, podcasts) to repurpose?

## Phase 2: Content Pillars

Build content around 3-5 pillars that align with your expertise and audience interests. The split should look something like:

| Pillar | % of Content | What it covers |
|--------|-------------|----------------|
| Educational | 25-30% | How-tos, frameworks, tips — things people bookmark |
| Industry insights | 25-30% | Trends, data, opinions on what's happening in your space |
| Behind-the-scenes | 20-25% | Building in public, lessons learned, process |
| Personal / stories | 10-15% | Real experiences, failures, values — what makes you human |
| Promotional | 5-10% | Product updates, launches, offers — keep this minimal |

Propose specific pillars based on the user's context and ask: **"Do these pillars feel right? What would you adjust?"**

## Phase 3: Hook Formulas

The first line determines whether anyone reads the rest.

**Curiosity:** "I was wrong about [common belief]." / "The real reason [outcome] happens isn't what you think."

**Story:** "Last week, [unexpected thing] happened." / "3 years ago, I [past state]. Today, [current state]."

**Value:** "How to [desirable outcome] without [common pain]:" / "[Number] [things] that [outcome]:"

**Contrarian:** "Unpopular opinion: [bold statement]" / "[Common advice] is wrong. Here's why:"

**Direct:** Start with the point. No preamble. "Stop [doing thing]. Do this instead."

## Phase 4: Create Content

Based on pillars and platform, create the content. Adapt format per platform:

**LinkedIn:**
- Open with a strong hook (first 2 lines visible before "see more")
- Short paragraphs (1-2 sentences)
- Use line breaks aggressively — wall of text = death on LinkedIn
- End with a question or CTA to drive comments
- Put links in first comment, not the post body
- Carousels perform well for frameworks and step-by-steps

**Twitter/X:**
- Threads for deep content (hook tweet + 3-7 follow-ups)
- Put media in first tweet
- Links in last tweet (not the opener)
- Under 280 characters per tweet including links for preview images
- Hot takes and contrarian opinions perform best

**Instagram:**
- Reels for reach, carousels for saves, stories for engagement
- Visual-first — text on images needs to be readable at phone size
- Captions can be longer than you think — front-load the hook

## Phase 5: Repurposing

One piece of pillar content (blog post, talk, podcast) becomes multiple social posts:

| From | To |
|------|----|
| Blog post | LinkedIn: key insight + link in comments |
| Blog post | Twitter: thread of takeaways |
| Blog post | LinkedIn: carousel of main points |
| Blog post | Instagram: reel summarizing the post |
| Podcast episode | LinkedIn: 3 best quotes as separate posts |
| Talk/presentation | Twitter: thread of slides with commentary |

**The workflow:** Create pillar content → extract 3-5 key insights → adapt each to platform format → schedule across the week → reshare evergreen content monthly.

## Phase 6: Calendar & Scheduling

Propose a weekly schedule based on the user's available time:

**If 1-2 hours/week:**
- 2-3 LinkedIn posts
- Share/comment on 5 posts from others
- That's it. Consistency > volume.

**If 3-5 hours/week:**
- 3-5 LinkedIn posts
- 3-5 tweets or 1-2 threads
- Daily 15-min engagement (comments on others' posts)

**If 5+ hours/week:**
- Full multi-platform strategy
- Daily posting + engagement
- Content repurposing pipeline

**Engagement matters more than posting.** 15 minutes of thoughtful comments on other people's content builds more connections than an extra post of your own. Quality comments: add a new insight, share a related experience, ask a thoughtful question. Never "Great post!"

## Output

Deliver content as ready-to-post copy with:
- Platform specified
- Hook clearly marked
- Full body text
- CTA or closing question
- Suggested posting time (if relevant)
- Which content pillar it falls under

## When This Doesn't Work

- **No expertise yet**: Social works best when you have real experience to share. If you're brand new to a field, document your learning journey instead of pretending to be an expert.
- **Trying to be everywhere**: Pick 1-2 platforms and do them well. Spreading across 5 platforms at mediocre quality helps nobody.
- **Expecting overnight growth**: Social is a long game. Months 1-3 feel like shouting into a void. Consistency is the only strategy that works.