---
name: social-content
description: When the user needs to build a LinkedIn authority system, create social content strategy, define content pillars, write posts, or establish thought leadership positioning. Activate on "LinkedIn strategy," "content pillars," "what should I post," or "build my personal brand."
related: [content-strategy, email-marketing, launch-strategy]
reads: [startup-context]
origin: "startup"
---

# Social Content

## When to Use
- Building a LinkedIn authority or thought leadership system from scratch.
- Defining content pillars and weekly posting rhythm.
- Writing individual posts with strong hooks.
- Creating a content calendar with real dates and ready-to-write hooks.
- Establishing positioning before content creation begins.
- Reviewing 30-day performance and adjusting content ratios.

## Context Required
From `startup-context` or the user:
- **Positioning statement** — Your one-liner: who you help, what you do, how you are different. If the user lacks this, help them clarify it before building a content system.
- **Target audience** — Specific titles, company stages, industries on LinkedIn
- **Historical performance** — Past posting data, what worked, what fell flat (if any)
- **Content goal** — Leads, job opportunities, speaking invitations, partnerships, or community
- **Time commitment** — Realistic weekly hours available for content creation and engagement

A critical gate: positioning clarity must come first. An unfocused content system produces unfocused results. If the user cannot articulate who they serve and why they are different, address that before building pillars.

## Workflow
1. **Clarify positioning** — Confirm or develop the user's one-liner. This is the foundation. Every pillar, hook, and post must connect back to this positioning.
2. **Select mode based on need:**
   - **Quick:** 3 content pillars + 1-week starter plan (for getting unstuck)
   - **Standard:** Full system with pillars, formats, rhythm, and first week of posts written (default)
   - **Deep:** Complete 90-day calendar with 10 written posts and engagement strategy
3. **Build content pillars** — Each pillar must satisfy four criteria:
   - You have genuine expertise in this area
   - Your target audience genuinely cares about this topic
   - You can sustain 6+ months of content on this pillar
   - It connects to your revenue or stated objective
4. **Allocate pillar ratios:**
   - **70% core expertise** — Authority-building content that demonstrates deep knowledge
   - **20% adjacent insights** — Differentiation content connecting your expertise to unexpected areas
   - **10% personal content** — Relatability, behind-the-scenes, founder journey
5. **Assign format strategy per pillar:**
   - **Story posts** — Drive connection and high engagement through narrative tension and personal insight
   - **Framework/list posts** — Establish authority and credibility through structured thinking
   - **Case studies** — Build trust through proof and results
   - **Hot takes** — Generate visibility through informed contrarian opinions
   - **Behind-the-scenes** — Create relatability and relationship depth
   - Recommended weekly mix: 2-3 frameworks, 1-2 stories, 1 proof point
6. **Build the calendar** — Use actual dates (YYYY-MM-DD), not generic placeholders. Provide 4-week calendars with real hooks ready for immediate writing. Include 5 starter post hooks to eliminate blank-page paralysis.
7. **Write the first batch** — For standard and deep modes, write complete posts with hooks, body, and CTAs. Posts should be 150-300 words, short paragraphs (1-2 sentences), end with a question or discussion prompt.

## Output Format
- **Positioning statement** — Confirmed or refined one-liner
- **Content pillars** — 3-5 pillars with rationale, percentage allocation, and format assignments
- **4-week calendar** — Real dates, assigned pillar, format, and hook for each post
- **Written posts** — Complete ready-to-publish posts (quantity depends on mode)
- **Engagement strategy** — Daily engagement routine with time allocation
- **30-day review criteria** — What to measure and how to adjust

## Frameworks & Best Practices

### The Core Philosophy
"Being remembered by the right 500 people when they need what you do — that pays your bills." This is not about going viral. It is about consistent, positioned content that makes you the obvious choice when your audience has a need.

### Content Pillar Validation
Reject any pillar that fails even one of these tests:
- Do you have genuine expertise here? (Not "interested in" — actually expert)
- Does your target audience search for, discuss, or struggle with this?
- Can you generate 50+ unique post ideas in this space?
- Does it connect to how you make money or achieve your stated goal?

### Hook Formulas
The first 1-2 lines determine whether anyone reads the rest:
- **Contrarian:** "Most [people] think [common belief]. They're wrong."
- **Specific result:** "I [did X] and [got Y result] in [timeframe]."
- **Curiosity list:** "5 things I wish I knew about [topic] before [experience]."
- **Story opener:** "Last week, a [person] told me something that changed how I think about [topic]."
- **Bold claim:** "[Counterintuitive statement]. Here's why:"

### Platform-Native LinkedIn Rules
- Start with a hook line that earns the "see more" click
- Short paragraphs (1-2 sentences), generous line breaks
- 150-300 words optimal length
- End with a question to drive comments
- No hashtags in body text; add 3-5 relevant hashtags at the end
- Personal accounts consistently outperform brand accounts in B2B

### Engagement Strategy
- Spend 15-20 minutes before and after posting to engage with others' content
- Reply to every comment on your posts within the first 2 hours (algorithm signal)
- Comment on 5-10 posts from ICP members or industry voices daily
- Comments must add value: share an insight, ask a follow-up question, offer a personal experience. No "Great post!" comments.

### 30-Day Review Process
After 30 days, analyze which pillars generated: comments, DMs, profile views, and impressions. Adjust content ratios based on what actually resonated, not what you assumed would work.

### Consistency Over Virality
One viral post means nothing without a consistent presence. Show up regularly with positioned content and compounding does the rest. Post 3-5 times per week on LinkedIn.

## Related Skills
- `content-strategy` — when social content is part of a broader content ecosystem
- `email-marketing` — when social content drives newsletter signups or email content is repurposed for social
- `launch-strategy` — when social content is part of a coordinated product launch

## Examples

**Example 1: Founder needs a LinkedIn system**
> "I'm the CEO of a dev tools startup. I post occasionally but have no strategy."

Good output: Confirms positioning ("I help engineering teams ship faster by catching API failures before customers do"). Defines 3 pillars: engineering leadership lessons (70%), building-in-public product updates (20%), founder journey (10%). Provides a 4-week calendar with real dates, each entry having a pillar, format, and hook. Writes 5 complete posts for week 1. Includes a daily 20-minute engagement routine targeting CTO and VP Engineering posts.

**Example 2: Founder stuck on what to post**
> "I know I should post on LinkedIn but I stare at a blank page every time."

Good output (Quick mode): Identifies 3 pillars from a brief conversation. Provides 5 starter hooks with the first lines already written. Gives a 1-week plan with one post per day, each mapped to a pillar and format. Focus is on eliminating the blank-page problem and building the habit.