social-post-series

Social Post Series

Purpose: Plan and write a coordinated sequence of city social posts that inform, drive action, and stay within government-speech, records, and moderation constraints.

Required inputs

• Goal and the single action residents should take (attend, register, report, apply)
• Dates, links, and facts verified by the department
• Channels and audience (Facebook, Instagram, X, Nextdoor, YouTube, email, text alerts)
• Languages and accessibility needs; images and approved brand assets
• Approval chain and posting windows

Workflow

1. Define the arc. Typical sequence: awareness, explain, how to participate, reminder, day-of, thank-you/results. Space posts to match deadlines.
2. Write each post with one idea, one call to action, and a link; lead with the benefit or deadline. Keep within platform norms (short on X, visual on Instagram, fuller context on Facebook).
3. Tone: warm, plain, neutral. Avoid sarcasm, slang that excludes, partisan framing, and defensive replies. Use identical facts across channels.
4. Accessibility: alt text on images, captions on video, CamelCase hashtags, no text-only graphics without a text equivalent, readable contrast, and plain-language copy. Provide translations or links to them.
5. Legal guardrails: no endorsement of candidates or ballot measures; election-period posts need review (verify state law). Do not post private resident information, minors' images without release, or confidential decisions. Credit and license images properly. Avoid promotional material for vendors.
6. Moderation plan: written comment policy (spam, threats, obscenity, off-topic by objective rules), no deleting criticism based on viewpoint (see first-amendment-comment-limits), a response rota, and templates for common questions. Direct service requests to 311.
7. Records: social posts and comments are generally public records; archive them per retention schedule (see records-retention-trigger-check).
8. Measure: reach, link clicks, registrations, resident questions; adjust next post.

Output structure

• Series calendar: date/time | channel | post copy | visual | alt text | link | owner | approval
• Reply bank for the three most common questions
• Moderation rules summary and escalation contacts

Example

Post 2 (Tue): "The Elm Street plan has 3 options. Learn what each means for parking, bikes, and travel time: [link]. Open house Thurs 6 pm at the library. Interpretation available."

Red flags / escalate to the city attorney

• Posts about investigations, claims, or personnel
• Emergency messaging (use the crisis workflow)
• Threats, doxxing, or harassment of staff in comments

Common mistakes

• Posting a decision before it is final
• Hiding critics' comments
• Link-only posts with no context

Not legal advice.