Writing Standards Knowledge Pack Files

Post Templates

Ready-to-use templates for LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Instagram. Each template provides structure, placeholder guidance, and a worked example. Adapt voice and tone to match the consumer's brand-context.md.

LinkedIn Templates

Story Post

Structure: Hook (specific moment) -> Context (why it matters) -> Insight (what you learned) -> CTA (question for discussion)

[Hook: One sentence describing a specific event or moment]

[Context: 2-3 sentences setting the scene. What happened, who was involved, what was at stake]

[Turning point: 1-2 sentences on what changed or what you realized]

[Insight: 2-3 sentences on the takeaway. Be specific and opinionated.]

[CTA: One question that invites the reader to share their experience]

Example:

Last Tuesday, a customer cancelled their annual contract 11 minutes after our onboarding call.

We spent 45 minutes walking them through every feature. Showed them the dashboard, the integrations, the reporting suite. They nodded along the whole time.

Then they asked: "But how do I solve [their actual problem]?"

We had demo'd our product. We never addressed their problem. Every feature we showed was correct. None of it was relevant.

Now our onboarding calls start with one question: "What does success look like in 30 days?"

What is the one question you ask every new customer?

Contrarian Take

Structure: Bold claim -> Evidence or experience -> Nuance (why the conventional view exists) -> Question

[Bold opening statement that challenges a common belief or practice]

[Evidence: 2-3 sentences with data, personal experience, or logical argument]

[Nuance: 1-2 sentences acknowledging why the common approach exists and when it might still apply]

[Restate your position with specificity]

[Question: Invite disagreement or alternative perspectives]

Example:

Stop sending weekly status update emails. Nobody reads them.

We tracked open rates on our internal status emails for 6 months. Average: 14%. For a 30-person team, that means 4 people reading your carefully written update.

I get why they exist. Leadership wants visibility. Teams want alignment. The intention is good.

But a 3-minute standup recording posted to Slack gets watched by 80% of the team. Same information, 5x the reach, zero inbox clutter.

What is one meeting or ritual your team does out of habit that nobody actually benefits from?

List Post

Structure: Hook (promise of value) -> Items (4-6 actionable points) -> Takeaway (synthesize the list)

[Hook: State the benefit of reading this list]

[Item 1: One actionable point with brief explanation]
[Item 2: One actionable point with brief explanation]
[Item 3: One actionable point with brief explanation]
[Item 4: One actionable point with brief explanation]
[Item 5: One actionable point with brief explanation]

[Takeaway: 1-2 sentences that synthesize the theme across all items]

[CTA: Ask which item resonates most, or invite additions]

Use 4-6 items, not 3. The rule of three is an AI writing tell. Each item should be actionable on its own.

How-To Post

Structure: Problem statement -> Steps (3-5 concrete actions) -> Result (what happens when you follow through)

[Problem: One sentence describing the pain point your audience faces]

Here is how to [solve it]:

Step 1: [Action] -- [Brief explanation of why and how]
Step 2: [Action] -- [Brief explanation of why and how]
Step 3: [Action] -- [Brief explanation of why and how]

[Result: What this looks like when implemented. Be specific.]

[CTA: Offer the full resource, ask for their approach, or invite questions]

Fewer steps perform better. More than 5 steps means it should be a blog post, not a social post.

X/Twitter Templates

Tutorial Thread

Structure: Hook tweet (promise) -> Steps (one per tweet) -> Summary tweet with link or CTA

Tweet 1: [Hook: State what the reader will learn and why it matters]

Tweet 2: Step 1 -- [Action + brief explanation]

Tweet 3: Step 2 -- [Action + brief explanation]

Tweet 4: Step 3 -- [Action + brief explanation]

Tweet 5: Step 4 -- [Action + brief explanation]

Tweet 6: [Summary: Restate the key steps. Link to full resource or ask for retweet.]

Every tweet must stand alone. Someone reading tweet 4 should not need tweet 3 for context.

Story Thread

Structure: Setup (situation) -> Conflict (what went wrong or what was at stake) -> Resolution (lesson)

Tweet 1: [Setup: Describe the situation in one compelling sentence]

Tweet 2: [Context: What was happening, who was involved]

Tweet 3: [Conflict: What went wrong or what challenge emerged]

Tweet 4: [Turning point: What changed]

Tweet 5: [Resolution: What you did and what happened]

Tweet 6: [Lesson: One clear takeaway. Keep it specific, not generic.]

Breakdown Thread

Structure: Topic introduction -> Analysis points (one per tweet) -> Insight or conclusion

Tweet 1: [Topic: "I studied/analyzed/reviewed [X]. Here is what I found:"]

Tweet 2: Finding 1 -- [Specific observation with data or evidence]

Tweet 3: Finding 2 -- [Specific observation with data or evidence]

Tweet 4: Finding 3 -- [Specific observation with data or evidence]

Tweet 5: [Insight: What these findings mean together. The "so what."]

Tweet 6: [CTA: Follow for more, link to full analysis, or ask for thoughts]

Instagram Templates

Carousel

Slide 1: [Bold statement or question -- large text, minimal design, high contrast]
Slide 2: [Context or problem setup]
Slides 3-7: [One point per slide, concrete and visual]
Slide 8: [Summary or key takeaway]
Slide 9: [CTA: save, share, follow for more]

The hook slide determines whether anyone swipes. Use large text, high contrast, and a curiosity-creating statement. Each subsequent slide should deliver on the promise.

Reel Script

[0-3s] Hook: surprising statement or question (text overlay + spoken)
[3-15s] Context: quick setup -- what, why, who cares
[15-45s] Content: actual value -- steps, insight, demonstration
[45-55s] Payoff: result, proof, or before/after
[55-60s] CTA: follow for more, link in bio, save this

First 3 seconds determine watch vs scroll. Start with the most valuable part, not a greeting or intro. Text overlays are essential since most viewers watch without sound.

Hook Formula Library

Organized by type. Each formula includes the pattern and example applications. Mix hook types across your content calendar to avoid becoming predictable.

Curiosity Hooks

1. "Most [audience] don't know that..." -- "Most product managers don't know that 60% of features they ship are never used."
2. "The [thing] nobody talks about is..." -- "The part of fundraising nobody talks about is how much time you spend on admin, not pitching."
3. "I was wrong about [topic]." -- "I was wrong about remote work. Here is what changed my mind."
4. "[Number]% of [group] get this wrong." -- "90% of landing pages get the hero section wrong."
5. "There is a reason [surprising fact], and it is not what you think." -- "There is a reason your best employees quit first, and it is not compensation."

Story Hooks

6. "Last [time period] I [specific experience]..." -- "Last month I fired our highest-performing salesperson."
7. "[Number] years ago, I [decision]..." -- "Four years ago, I turned down a promotion. Best career decision I ever made."
8. "I just [completed/witnessed something]..." -- "I just reviewed 500 job applications for one role. Here is the pattern I cannot unsee."
9. "Someone asked me [question]..." -- "A junior engineer asked me why we don't test in production. I didn't have a good answer."

Value Hooks

10. "[Number] ways to [benefit] without [pain]..." -- "4 ways to get promoted without playing office politics."
11. "Here is the [framework/system] I use to [outcome]..." -- "Here is the system I use to write 5 LinkedIn posts in 30 minutes."
12. "If you [role/situation], save this." -- "If you manage a remote team, save this. These 6 async rituals replaced all our meetings."
13. "The simplest way to [desired outcome]:" -- "The simplest way to double your email response rate:"

Contrarian Hooks

14. "Stop [common practice]." -- "Stop writing to-do lists. Here is what replaced mine."
15. "[Common advice] is wrong. Here is why." -- "'Always be closing' is wrong. Here is why the best salespeople never close."
16. "Unpopular opinion: [stance]." -- "Unpopular opinion: your product doesn't need a mobile app."
17. "The worst advice in [industry] is..." -- "The worst advice in content marketing is 'post every day.'"

Data-Driven Hooks

18. "We [analyzed/tracked/measured] [X]. Here is what we found." -- "We tracked 1,200 cold emails for 90 days. Here is what we found."
19. "[Specific number] changed how I think about [topic]." -- "The number 2.7 changed how I think about customer churn."
20. "After [number] [things], I noticed a pattern." -- "After 300 customer interviews, I noticed a pattern that explains why onboarding fails."

Hook Selection Guide

Content Type	Best Hook Types
Personal experience	Story, Curiosity
How-to / educational	Value, Data-Driven
Opinion / thought leadership	Contrarian, Curiosity
Research / analysis	Data-Driven, Curiosity
Framework / system	Value, Story
Industry commentary	Contrarian, Data-Driven