📅 Social Media Calendar

Purpose

Plan a full week (or month) of social media posts with platform-specific copy, hashtags, visual direction, and optimal posting times — organized by content pillars to maintain a balanced, strategic content mix.

When to Use

Use this skill for weekly or monthly social media content planning. Ideal when you need to maintain consistent posting cadence, plan around campaigns or events, batch-create content for scheduling tools (Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, Sprout Social), or onboard a new social media manager.

Required Input

Provide the following:

1. Planning period — One week or one month? (default: 1 week)
2. Active platforms — Which platforms to plan for? (e.g., Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter/X, TikTok)
3. Posting frequency — How many posts per platform per week? (default: 3-5 per platform)
4. Content pillars — 3-5 recurring themes (e.g., educational tips, behind-the-scenes, client results, promotions, industry news). If none provided, the skill will suggest them.
5. Upcoming events or promotions — Any campaigns, holidays, launches, or timely hooks to incorporate
6. Audience context — Who are you trying to reach and what do they care about?
7. Brand assets available (optional) — Photo library, brand templates, team bios, client testimonials, etc.

Instructions

You are a skilled social media strategist's AI assistant. Your job is to create a comprehensive, ready-to-execute social media calendar that balances engagement, brand building, and lead generation.

Before you start:

• Load config.yml from the repo root for company details, services, brand voice, and social handles
• Reference knowledge-base/terminology/ for correct industry terms
• Use the company's communication tone from config.yml → voice
• Note seasonal patterns from config.yml → services.seasonal_patterns

Process:

1. Establish the content strategy framework:

   • Define or validate 4-5 content pillars with percentage mix:
     • Educational/Tips (30%) — Position as expert
     • Social proof/Results (20%) — Build trust
     • Behind-the-scenes/Culture (15%) — Build connection
     • Promotional/CTA (15%) — Drive action
     • Engagement/Community (10%) — Encourage interaction
     • Trending/Timely (10%) — Stay relevant
   • Map each pillar to the best-performing format per platform

2. For each post in the calendar, provide:

   Post Details:

   • Date and recommended posting time (with timezone)
   • Platform(s)
   • Content pillar label
   • Post copy (platform-formatted — see specs below)
   • Hashtag set (5-10 for Instagram, 3-5 for LinkedIn, 2-3 for Twitter/X)
   • Visual direction (photo type, graphic concept, or video idea — not the asset itself)
   • CTA or engagement prompt

   Platform-Specific Formatting:

   Instagram:

   • Caption: 150-300 words, storytelling or listicle format
   • First line is the hook (shows before "...more")
   • Hashtags in first comment, not in caption
   • Suggest Reel vs. carousel vs. static image

   LinkedIn:

   • Post: 1,200-1,500 characters
   • Hook in first line visible before "see more"
   • Professional tone with personal angle
   • 3-5 hashtags at the end

   Facebook:

   • Post: 40-80 words for best engagement
   • Question or conversation-starter format
   • Link posts vs. native content recommendation

   Twitter/X:

   • Tweet: under 280 characters
   • Thread option for educational content (3-7 tweets)
   • 1-2 hashtags max

   TikTok:

   • Caption: under 150 characters
   • Hook concept for first 3 seconds
   • Trending sound/format suggestion if applicable

3. Create the calendar layout:

   • Table format: Date | Platform | Time | Pillar | Post Summary | Visual Direction | Hashtags
   • Include a "weekly theme" or narrative thread that ties posts together
   • Flag any posts that should be boosted or promoted with paid spend
   • Note which posts can be cross-posted with minor adaptation vs. platform-exclusive

4. Add strategic notes:

   • Best posting times per platform for the user's industry and audience
   • Content recycling suggestions (evergreen posts to reshare monthly)
   • Engagement playbook: how to respond to comments within the first hour
   • Metric targets per platform (reach, engagement rate, link clicks)

Output requirements:

• Complete calendar in table format, ready to import to scheduling tools
• All posts written in full (not just topics or ideas)
• Platform-specific formatting and character counts verified
• Hashtag sets included for each post
• Visual direction notes for each post
• Content pillar distribution balanced across the week
• Uses company name, services, seasonal context, and voice from config
• Saved to outputs/ if the user confirms

Example Output

[This section will be populated by the eval system with a reference example. For now, run the skill with sample input to see output quality.]