social-distributor

name: social-distributor description: "Convert approved articles into platform-optimized social posts. Multi-platform (Facebook, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Threads). Legally defensible marketing copy—libel exposure is identical to article text. A/B test hooks. Metadata verified."

Social Distributor Skill

Overview

Social Distributor transforms a published, fact-checked article into platform-optimized social media posts that drive traffic while maintaining legal defensibility.

Critical principle: Marketing copy is legally liable to the same libel/defamation standards as the article itself. A misleading social hook can expose the newsroom to legal risk even if the article is accurate.

This skill covers:

• Platform-specific post optimization (Facebook, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Threads)
• Hook generation (surprising fact, question, local paradox)
• Character limit optimization and platform formatting
• Legal defensibility (avoid editorializing, motive attribution, unverified claims in the hook)
• OpenGraph/metadata verification (social cards display correctly)
• A/B testing framework (test 2–3 hooks; measure CTR)
• Implementation workflow
• Common mistakes and red flags

Platform-Specific Posting Standards

Facebook

Audience Profile:

• General population (all ages, demographics)
• Prefer emotional hooks and storytelling
• Longer engagement (likely to read 3–5 paragraph posts)
• Heavy use of images/video

Post Format:

Character Limit: None (Facebook de-prioritizes longer posts but doesn't truncate)

Example Post:

We spent 6 months investigating a hidden problem in your community.
We found: [one-sentence revelation].

Our reporters obtained internal documents showing [tease]. Here's what you need to know:
• [Key finding 1]
• [Key finding 2]
• [Call to action: Read full investigation]

Read the full investigation: [link]

#Investigation #LocalNews

X (formerly Twitter)

Audience Profile:

• News junkies, journalists, engaged readers
• Fast-moving feed; brevity rewarded
• Retweets/shares crucial for reach
• Prefer breaking-news or contrarian angles

Post Format:

Character Limit: 280 characters per tweet (including spaces, punctuation, links)

Threading Strategy:

Tweet 1 (hook):

Breaking: Municipal contracts worth $5M went to single vendor with no competitive bidding.

(137 chars)

Tweet 2 (data):

We obtained city council records revealing the vendor was awarded 47 of 50 contracts since 2020.
No other bidders were solicited.

(136 chars)

Tweet 3 (CTA):

Full investigation: [link]

Retweet Bait Tips:

• Lead with surprising number or contradiction
• Use "thread" format (encourages conversation)
• Avoid qualifiers ("may," "might," "allegedly") until evidence presented
• Tag relevant reporters/organizations (not spam)

LinkedIn

Audience Profile:

• Professional/business audience
• Longer form acceptable (up to 3,000 chars)
• Prefer data, trends, industry analysis
• Executive decision-makers, policy influencers

Post Format:

Character Limit: 3,000 characters (includes spaces, line breaks)

Example Post:

Our 6-month investigation into municipal procurement reveals systemic bias in contract awards.

In government, competitive bidding ensures fair resource allocation. When skipped, taxpayers lose.

Key findings:
• 94% of $5M in contracts awarded to single vendor
• Zero competitive solicitations since 2020
• Pattern identified across 4 fiscal years
• Internal documents show decision-makers did not follow procurement policy

Governments must require competitive bidding documentation for all contracts >$50K. Transparency protects taxpayers.

Read the full analysis: [link]

Bluesky

Audience Profile:

• Early-adopter tech/media professionals
• Less algorithm-driven (chronological feed)
• Prefer thoughtful, nuanced discussion
• Smaller but engaged audience

Post Format:

Similar to X/Twitter but:

• Slightly longer than Tweet (300 chars approx.)
• More room for nuance and qualifiers
• Less "breaking news" expected; more analysis
• Threads encouraged (similar to Twitter)

Example Post:

We investigated municipal procurement over 6 months. Found: one vendor awarded 47 of 50 contracts worth $5M.

City council records show zero competitive bidding solicited. Either procurement policy wasn't enforced, or it was deliberately circumvented.

Full investigation: [link]

Threads (Meta's Twitter Alternative)

Audience Profile:

• Overlaps with Facebook (Meta ecosystem)
• Shorter attention span than Bluesky
• Prefer visual posts; threads format encouraged
• Growing but still niche

Post Format:

Treat like X/Twitter with Threads-specific features:

• Longer character limit (500 chars per thread post)
• Can build narrative across 10+ connected posts
• Hashtags less important than X
• Video performs well

Example Thread:

Post 1: "We spent 6 months investigating municipal contracts. What we found should alarm every taxpayer."

Post 2: "One vendor was awarded $5M across 47 contracts since 2020. Competitive bids? Zero."

Post 3: "City council records obtained by our reporters show procurement policy was either unenforced or deliberately bypassed."

Post 4: "The real question: was this negligence or corruption? Read our investigation: [link]"

Hook Generation Framework

Hook Types (with Legal Safeguards)

Red-Flag Hook Language (AVOID)

A/B Testing Framework

Test 2–3 hooks for the same article; measure click-through rate (CTR):

article: "Municipal Procurement Investigation"
publish_date: "2025-04-01"
platform: "Facebook"

hook_a:
  text: "We spent 6 months investigating city contracts. What we found is shocking."
  post_date: "2025-04-01 09:00 AM"
  reach: 5420
  clicks: 127
  ctr: "2.3%"

hook_b:
  text: "94% of city contracts went to one vendor. Zero competitive bids. Here's how it happened."
  post_date: "2025-04-01 11:00 AM"
  reach: 6100
  clicks: 289
  ctr: "4.7%"

hook_c:
  text: "Your tax dollars: $5M to one vendor, no questions asked. Our investigation explains why."
  post_date: "2025-04-01 02:00 PM"
  reach: 5900
  clicks: 201
  ctr: "3.4%"

winner: "hook_b"
insights: "Specific data (94%, one vendor) outperforms vague language (shocking, questions asked)"

Repeat: Repost winning hook to other platforms with format adjustments.

OpenGraph & Metadata Verification

Social Card Requirements

When article is shared on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, the platform reads OpenGraph (OG) metadata:

Verification Checklist

<!-- Example OG tags in article HTML -->
<meta property="og:title" content="Municipal Contracts: One Vendor Received 94% of $5M Awards">
<meta property="og:description" content="Our investigation reveals systemic procurement bias. City council records show zero competitive bidding over 4 years.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://newsroom.org/images/article-2025-04-01-contracts.jpg">
<meta property="og:url" content="https://newsroom.org/articles/2025-04-01-procurement-investigation.html">
<meta property="og:type" content="article">

Test: Use Facebook Sharing Debugger (facebook.com/developers/tools/debug) to preview card.

• og:image renders correctly (not distorted, not placeholder)
• og:title displays (not truncated)
• og:description visible (all 155–160 chars shown)
• og:url links to correct article (no 404)

Character Limit Optimization

Conversion Chart by Platform

Optimization Rules:

1. X/Twitter: Count every character. Use numerals (94% not "ninety-four percent"). Cut articles ("the," "a"). Abbreviate ("muni" not "municipal").
2. Facebook: Assume first 200 chars visible in preview; hook hard, link at end.
3. LinkedIn: Use full space; data + insight beats brevity.
4. Bluesky/Threads: Treat like X but add 20–40 more characters for nuance.

Libel Safety in Marketing Copy

Legal Standard: Defamation

A social post is defamatory if it:

1. Makes a factual claim (not opinion)
2. About an identifiable person/entity
3. Is false
4. Is published (posted to social media = published)
5. Causes reputational harm
6. Is not protected speech (opinion, satire, true statement)

Marketing copy can be defamatory. Your headline can be accurate, but the social hook can be inaccurate or misleading.

Safe Phrasing Patterns

Pre-Publication Checklist (before social post)

• Claim in hook is in the published article (no new claims in marketing)
• Claim is not opinion (e.g., "was wrong" is opinion; "contradicts X" is fact)
• Claim names identifiable person/entity (or leaves vague if unverified)
• Claim is verified in the article (cite specific source/quote if challenged)
• No hedging language ("allegedly," "may have," "possibly") that undermines certainty (unless source itself uncertain)
• No motive attribution ("deliberately," "intentionally") without explicit evidence of intent
• No inflammatory language ("liar," "crook," "corrupt") if not legally precise

Implementation Workflow

Pre-Publication (Before Article Publishes)

1. Coordinate with copy-review & final-editor-review (social marketing is part of publication package)
2. Draft 3 hook options (send to editor for approval before article goes live)
3. Prepare OG tags (og:image, og:description) and verify
4. Prepare image assets (1200×628px social card)
5. Test OpenGraph (use Facebook Sharing Debugger, Twitter Card Validator)

Day 1: Publication

1. Post hook A (9:00 AM) to flagship platform (likely Facebook or X)
2. Measure engagement for 1–2 hours (see CTR, reach)
3. Post hook B (11:00 AM) to test alternative angle
4. Measure performance (compare CTR)
5. Decide winning hook for replication on other platforms

Day 2–3: Cross-Platform

6. Repost winning hook to all platforms (adjusted for character limits):

   • X/Twitter version (280 chars)
   • LinkedIn version (3,000 chars; more context)
   • Bluesky version (300 chars; nuanced)
   • Threads version (build as 5–10 post thread)

7. Tag relevant accounts (journalists, organizations, decision-makers mentioned in article—sparingly, not spam)

8. Engage with replies (respond to comments; answer reader questions; cite article for fact-checks)

Ongoing: Repromote

9. Week 1: Repost hook to different audiences (e.g., if originally morning, post evening)
10. Month 1: Every 1–2 weeks, repost to new followers (they didn't see original)
11. On anniversary: Repost article annually; update hook if new related story breaks

Common Mistakes & Red Flags

Hook Writing Mistakes

Metadata Mistakes

A/B Testing Mistakes

Engagement Mistakes

Legal Defensibility Checklist

Before posting any social hook:

• Claim appears in published article (exact quote or close paraphrase)
• Source is cited in article (primary document, named source, or both)
• Claim is factual (not opinion; "was" not "was wrong")
• No motive attribution ("deliberately," "intentionally," "conspired") without explicit evidence
• No character attack language ("liar," "crook," "corrupt") unless legally precise (convicted felon, etc.)
• Hedging language removed (if claim is confident in article, be confident in post)
• Identifiable person/entity (if claiming wrongdoing, name them; if unverified, attribute or leave vague)
• OpenGraph metadata verified (og:image displays, og:description compelling, og:url works)
• No affiliate links or paywall tricks (link goes to free version of article if applicable)

Escalation

If a social post receives cease-and-desist or legal threat:

1. Take post down immediately (while review happens)
2. Screenshot the post and threat (preserve evidence)
3. Alert legal/editor with link to threat and full post text
4. Do NOT engage with threatening account or reply to threat
5. Do NOT re-post or defend on social
6. Let newsroom's legal team handle response

Platform-Specific Best Practices Summary