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Platform-specific social media strategy for Design Machines. Use whenever drafting, scheduling, or advising on social media content for any platform — LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky, or Mastodon. Covers algorithm mechanics, format optimization, posting cadence, hashtag strategy, character limits, media specs, cross-posting adaptation, and content suppression triggers. Always pair with the voice skill for tone and register. Trigger this skill when the user mentions posting, social media, LinkedIn, Instagram, Mastodon, Bluesky, content calendar, hashtags, engagement, scheduling posts, or asks about content format, timing, or platform strategy. Also trigger when adapting existing content for social distribution, asking about optimal posting times from Bali, or discussing carousel/Reel/thread format decisions.
npx claudepluginhub design-machines-studio/depot --plugin ghostwriterHow this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/ghostwriter:social-mediaThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
This skill encodes what works on each platform as of early 2026. It covers algorithm mechanics, format strategy, posting cadence, and cross-posting rules. **Always pair with the voice skill** — specifically the "Platform-Specific Registers" section in `skills/voice/SKILL.md`, which defines how Travis sounds on each platform. This skill handles platform mechanics; voice handles tone and register.
Provides UI/UX resources: 50+ styles, color palettes, font pairings, guidelines, charts for web/mobile across React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, Tailwind, React Native, Flutter. Aids planning, building, reviewing interfaces.
Fetches up-to-date documentation from Context7 for libraries and frameworks like React, Next.js, Prisma. Use for setup questions, API references, and code examples.
Explores codebases via GitNexus: discover repos, query execution flows, trace processes, inspect symbol callers/callees, and review architecture.
Share bugs, ideas, or general feedback.
This skill encodes what works on each platform as of early 2026. It covers algorithm mechanics, format strategy, posting cadence, and cross-posting rules. Always pair with the voice skill — specifically the "Platform-Specific Registers" section in skills/voice/SKILL.md, which defines how Travis sounds on each platform. This skill handles platform mechanics; voice handles tone and register.
Every algorithm-driven platform now prioritizes value signals over vanity metrics. Saves, DM shares, and substantive comments drive distribution far more than likes. This rewards exactly the kind of substantive, longer-form content Design Machines produces. Shallow engagement bait is actively suppressed.
The golden rule across all platforms: Post when you're available to engage. The first 60-90 minutes after posting determine ~70% of a post's reach.
Travis is UTC+8 (Bali). Primary audiences are North America (UTC-5 to -8) and Europe (UTC+0 to +2). "Peak local time" means the audience's local, not yours.
| Platform | Audience Peak | Bali Posting Window |
|---|---|---|
| Tue-Thu 10-11 AM ET / 3-4 PM GMT | Tue-Thu 10-11 PM WITA | |
| Tue-Thu 11AM-6PM audience local | Tue-Thu 11 PM - 6 AM WITA (evening/overnight) | |
| Bluesky | Wed 10AM ET peak, 9AM-3PM ET weekdays | Wed 10 PM WITA peak, 9 PM - 3 AM WITA |
| Mastodon | European business hours UTC+1/2 | 4-6 PM WITA (best overlap with EU morning) |
For LinkedIn and Bluesky, late evening Bali time works well — post at ~10 PM WITA, engage for 60-90 minutes, then let it run. For Mastodon, late afternoon WITA catches European mornings. Instagram is the hardest fit — consider scheduling tools for early AM WITA or posting in the late evening and engaging before bed.
| Platform | Char Limit | Best Formats | Frequency | Peak Times | Hashtags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 | PDF carousels, text posts 1300-1600 chars | 2-5/week, 12-24hr gap | Tue-Thu 10-11 AM local | 3-5, niche > broad | |
| 2,200 caption | Carousels (20 slides), Reels <30s | 3-5 feed + 2-4 Reels/week | Tue-Thu, 11AM-6PM | 3-5 max (capped Dec 2025) | |
| Bluesky | 300 | Text, threads, link cards | 1-3/day | Wed 10AM peak, 9AM-3PM weekdays | 1-3 (counts toward char limit) |
| Mastodon | 500+ | Text-first, polls, threads | 2-4/day spread across hours | European business hours (UTC+1/2) | 3-5, CamelCase, footer placement |
LinkedIn's 150B-parameter model 360Brew reads posts semantically — context, tone, expertise — not just keywords. Posts surface up to 2-3 weeks after publishing if relevant. Personal profiles get 2.75x more impressions and 5x more engagement than company pages.
Ranking signals in order: (1) substantive comments (15+ words = 2.5x weight), (2) dwell time, (3) "see more" expansion rate, (4) saves, (5) DM shares, (6) profile clicks, (7) likes.
What gets suppressed: Engagement bait (70+ patterns detected), external links in post body (25-40% reach penalty — put links in first comment), posting within 24hrs of previous post, 5+ hashtags, AI-generated content (30% less reach, 55% less engagement), recycled identical content (84% less reach).
PDF carousels dominate at 24.42% engagement — 3.7x higher than text-only. 8-12 slides at 1080×1350px portrait, exported as PDF at 300 DPI, 40-60pt headers, 24-36pt body. Great for frameworks, analyses, data breakdowns.
Text posts: Optimal 1,300-1,600 chars. First 140-210 chars appear before "see more" — this is the hook. Use short paragraphs (1-3 sentences), liberal line breaks for mobile. Personal failure stories outperform success stories (147 comments vs 23 likes in one benchmark). Personal stories generate ~300% more engagement than generic advice.
Emerging topics and new viewpoints get 165% more distribution. LinkedIn is reducing "viral but content-empty" posts by 76% while increasing substantive industry content by 124%.
Engagement strategy: Respond to every substantive comment within 2 hours. Before posting, engage with 5-10 relevant posts. Weekend posts face 68% less competition with 25% higher engagement — worth testing.
Polls have doubled in engagement since 2023 and remain underutilized. For DM's themes, polls work well: "Should workers have a say in company decisions?" or "What's the biggest barrier to workplace democracy?" generate substantive engagement and signal topic authority. Video (under 60 seconds, native upload) is also growing at 36% YoY.
Multiple independent ranking systems for Feed, Stories, Reels, Explore, Search. Top signals: (1) watch time, (2) likes per reach, (3) sends per reach — DM shares are the most powerful signal for non-followers. ~50% of reach now comes from non-followers via Explore and Reels.
Instagram uses visual fingerprinting: 70%+ visual similarity with existing content gets flagged. 10+ reposts in 30 days = excluded from recommendations. Hashtags capped at 5 per post since December 2025 (down from 30). Keywords in captions now generate ~30% more reach than hashtag-heavy posts.
"Your Algorithm" (Dec 2025): Users can now explicitly add or remove topic categories from their Reels feed. This means your content must clearly signal its topic category. For DM: consistently use keywords like "workplace democracy," "cooperatives," "worker ownership," "labor" in captions and alt text so Instagram categorizes your content correctly. Your last 9-12 posts influence how Instagram classifies your account.
Reels deliver ~36% more reach than carousels for discovery. Carousels generate 12% more interactions with more comments, saves, shares. Strategy: Reels to attract, carousels to build authority. Carousels support 20 slides; Instagram reshows unseen slides as "new content."
Dimensions: 1080×1350px (4:5 portrait) for feed/carousels, 1080×1920px (9:16) for Reels/Stories. Profile grid is 3:4 vertical rectangles since January 2025. Captions: first 125 chars before truncation = hook. 150-300 word captions perform well (reading time = positive signal). Structure: Hook → Value → CTA.
TikTok watermarks reduce reach up to 72%. Instagram detects repurposed content even without visible watermarks (~42% lower reach). Always save raw footage and upload natively.
Stories: Post 1-2 daily minimum. Stories carry behind-the-scenes building content, quick polls, process shots, and low-effort authentic updates. Good for DM: Assembly development progress, Live Wires experiments, co-op conversations, Bali work-life snippets. Stories don't need high production value — raw and real performs better. Use polls and question stickers for engagement (these feed the algorithm). Dimensions: 1080×1920px (9:16).
Three-tier feed: chronological Following (default), Discover (only algorithmic component), and 50,000+ custom feeds built by community. Getting into the right custom feeds is the primary discovery mechanism.
40.2M registered users, ~3.5M daily active. Community skews young (70% under 34), US-based (42-55%), heavy on journalists, academics, developers, and progressive political users. Average engagement rate 4.2% — significantly higher than X.
Replies are more important than likes. 50 replies + 10 likes > 100 likes + 2 replies. Quote posts spread content across follower networks. No ads, no pay-to-play — organic only.
300-character limit — every word counts. Lead with hook, one takeaway per post. Use link cards (paste URL → "Add Link Card" → delete raw text) to save characters. Links are welcome — unlike X, Bluesky doesn't penalize outbound links.
For threads: hook post → context → 3-5 value posts → example → summary → CTA. Educational threads with visuals get 60-80% completion vs 40-60% on X.
Starter Packs: Curated follow lists. Create one around your niche (labor, co-ops, political analysis) — keep 70%+ non-promotional. Custom domain handle (@yourbrand.com) replaces blue check verification for free.
Images: 1200×675px (16:9) or 1080×1080px (1:1), 1MB max per image (compress to 75-80%). Up to 4 images. Video: up to 3 minutes (expanded from 60s in 2025), 100MB max, MP4/MOV — good for quick screen recordings of Assembly demos or Live Wires walkthroughs. 1-3 hashtags (they count toward 300 chars). Research which custom feeds monitor which keywords.
No algorithm. Zero. Three chronological timelines: Home, Local (your server), Federated (all known servers). Boosts are the only distribution mechanism — favorites don't distribute content at all. Hashtags are the only reliable discovery for non-followers. Full-text search is opt-in and most users haven't enabled it.
Federation matters: Your post only reaches another server if someone there follows you or a relay connects the servers. Larger, more connected instances provide broader reach.
~1.5M active users across 9-15M accounts. Skews heavily European (27%+ German). A post can go "viral" with just 50-100 favorites.
Text-first. 500 char default (instance admins can raise to 5,000+). Links always count as 23 chars regardless of length — URL shorteners are unnecessary and discouraged (community wants to see where links go).
Best formats: short field notes with one insight, mini-guides (3-7 bullet steps — get bookmarked and boosted heavily), structured threads, image explainers with thorough alt text. Polls are natively supported and more flexible than X (more options, multi-select) — good for DM topics like governance preferences, co-op questions, and community temperature checks. Low effort, high engagement.
Content Warnings (CWs) are mandatory for political content on most instances. CWs function like email subject lines — post body collapses until clicked. Put hashtags in CW text for discoverability: "Thoughts on the election #USPol". For DM's political commentary, CW use is essentially required.
Alt text on every image is a strong social expectation. Some users filter to only see posts with alt text. For charts, infographics, screenshots — thorough alt text is non-negotiable.
Anti-corporate ethos is real. Overtly promotional content gets pushback. Participate as community member first, creator second. Boost others generously. Label promotional posts explicitly. Use clean URLs without tracking parameters.
Hashtags are survival. Only work on Public posts (globe icon). 3-5 per post, CamelCase for screen readers (#WorkplaceDemocracy not #workplacedemocracy), placed at footer. Community ritual hashtags: #FollowFriday, #FediFriday, #Introduction (pin one). For DM content: #Cooperatives, #WorkerCoops, #LaborRights, #WorkplaceDemocracy.
Account verification: add rel="me" link on your website pointing to your Mastodon profile. Free, decentralized.
Never copy-paste across platforms. Each has different character limits, cultural expectations, and format strengths. LinkedIn and Instagram both detect and deprioritize recycled content (LinkedIn: 84% less reach for identical reposts).
The adaptation principle: Same core idea, four native expressions. A political analysis becomes:
Stagger timing. Don't post simultaneously. Each platform has different peak hours. Space posts so you can engage during each platform's golden hour.
Mastodon-specific: The community views lazy cross-posts negatively. Some instances ban automated cross-posting. Adjust tone (Mastodon prefers nuanced discussion over punchy takes), add CWs, include alt text, clean URLs.
Bluesky-specific: More tolerant of cross-posting but rewards native engagement. Post there at your peak time, then adapt for other platforms later.
| Platform | Primary Content | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Cornerstone ideas — co-op movement, workplace democracy, labor analysis, what's wrong with corporate ownership, alternatives that work | PDF carousels, 1,300-1,600 char text | |
| Propaganda posters — visual-first quotes, satirical infographics, parody corporate announcements, sharp one-liners | Carousel graphics, short Reels | |
| Bluesky | Maker updates + sharp political takes — building Assembly, Live Wires progress, quick reactions to labor/tech news | Text posts, threads with link cards |
| Mastodon | Workshop door open — tech experiments, design process, Bali life, co-op building journey, curiosity and community | Text posts, mini-guides, process screenshots |
skills/voice/SKILL.md. Voice owns how Travis sounds; this skill owns format and mechanics.For detailed media specs, suppression triggers, and extended platform data, read: ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/platform-specs.md
For systems-informed propaganda strategy, narrative insurgency principles, and content topic guidance, read: ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/propaganda-strategy.md
Three reference files hold cornerstone content blocks (LinkedIn long-form / Bluesky compressed / Mastodon w/ CW / Instagram carousel) for the most-reused DM themes. Adapt, don't drop in. Load when drafting any post on the matching theme.
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/survival-reframe-blocks.md: cornerstone blocks for the survival statistics (UK 76%/42%, France 80–90%/66%, Italy 87%/48%) and the inversion framing (the data inverts the frame).${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/enforcement-angle-blocks.md: cornerstone blocks for "bylaws become operational" with concrete BC Co-op Act enforcement examples (special resolutions, AGM deadlines, director-change filings, blocks in consent decision-making).${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/plain-language-blocks.md: cornerstone blocks for the decolonizing-governance-language move per Chris Galloway's framing (legal terms stay in bylaws and statutory filings; member-facing surfaces use plain language).The blocks are register exemplars, not drop-in templates. Real posts paraphrase based on the moment, the conversation joined, and the audience.