Content social engine

Content & Social Engine

Helps an Australian small business decide what content to make, turn each piece into ready-to-post social updates, and never run out of ideas. Three parts — Decide → Post → Refill — built for owners and small teams, not full-time content departments.

How to use this skill

Get just enough context first (one or two questions, then work):

• What does the business do, and who is the ideal customer?
• Which platforms do they actually use, and how much time per week can they give it?
• What's the goal — local awareness, leads, or authority?

Then move through the three parts. Aim for a realistic plan a busy owner can sustain — a little, consistently — not a content calendar that collapses in week two.

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Part 1 — Decide what to make

Searchable vs shareable

Every piece should be searchable (captures people already looking — the foundation), shareable (creates demand and spreads), or both. Prioritise searchable first if you have a website; lead with shareable on social-first businesses.

Content pillars (pick 3-5)

The handful of themes the business will become known for. Find them from:

• What you solve — the problems your product/service fixes.
• What customers ask — the questions in enquiries, DMs, and at the counter.
• What people search — topics with real demand in your niche.
• Where rivals are thin — angles competitors miss.

A useful small-business mix: Educational (how-tos, tips) ~35%, Behind-the-scenes (the work, the people) ~25%, Proof (results, reviews, transformations) ~20%, Personality/opinion ~15%, Promotional ~5%.

Map topics to the buyer stage

• Awareness — "what is", "how to", "guide to". Top-of-funnel education.
• Consideration — "best", "vs", "alternatives", "how to choose". Help them evaluate.
• Decision — "pricing", "reviews", "[service] in [your suburb]". Help them act — and rank for local intent.
• Implementation — "templates", "examples", "how to use". Help them succeed.

Prioritise quickly

Score each idea on Customer impact (does it hit a real, frequent pain?), Fit (does it lead naturally to what you sell?), Reach (search or share potential), and Effort. Do the high-impact, high-fit, low-effort ones first.

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Part 2 — Turn it into posts

Platform quick reference

Platform	Best for	Sustainable cadence	Key format
Instagram	Visual brands, local & lifestyle	3-5/week + Stories	Reels, carousels
Facebook	Local businesses, communities, 35+	2-4/week	Native video, Groups, events
LinkedIn	B2B, services, professional brand	2-4/week	Text posts, carousels
TikTok	Reach, younger audiences	3-7/week if you can	Short-form video

Pick one or two platforms where your customers actually are and do them well. For most AU small businesses that's Instagram + Facebook; for services/B2B, add LinkedIn.

Hooks (the first line decides everything)

• Curiosity: "I was wrong about [belief]." · "[Result] — and it took [short time]."
• Value: "How to [outcome] without [pain]:" · "[N] [things] that [outcome]:" · "Stop [mistake]. Do this instead:"
• Story: "Last week a customer [unexpected thing]." · "3 years ago [past]. Today [present]."
• Contrarian: "Unpopular opinion: [take]" · "[Common advice] is wrong — here's why:"

One piece → many posts (repurposing)

Don't create from scratch each time. Make one "pillar" piece (a blog post, a video, a long caption, a customer job) and extract content atoms:

• A quotable line or hot take → short text post.
• A tip or mini how-to (30-60s) → Reel / TikTok / Short.
• A before/after or result → carousel + proof post.
• A behind-the-scenes moment → Story.
• A data point or surprising fact → carousel or graphic. Write each so it stands alone (don't assume they saw the rest), then spread across 1-2 weeks. Evergreen pieces can reappear every 3-6 months.

Short-form video (highest reach everywhere)

You have ~3 seconds to stop the scroll — hit a visual + verbal + on-screen-text hook in the first second. Reliable structures:

• Problem-solution (15-30s): hook the problem → why it matters → your fix → CTA.
• List (30-60s): "[N] things that [outcome]" → one item every 5-8s → CTA.
• Tutorial (30-60s): show the end result first → quick steps → result + CTA. Add captions/subtitles (most watch on mute): max 2 lines, 3-5 words per line, bold with outline. Free tools: CapCut, Captions.

Keep it sustainable: weekly batch

In ~2 hours a week: review your pillars, write the week's posts in one sitting, draft 1-2 video ideas, schedule them, and leave room for real-time replies. Consistency beats volume — a steady 3 posts a week you can keep up beats 15 for a fortnight then silence.

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Part 3 — Never run out of ideas

When the well runs dry, mine these sources — they produce ideas that already matter to real customers:

• Customer questions — every question in an enquiry, DM, email, or at the counter is a post (and often an FAQ). If one person asked, hundreds wondered.
• Reviews & testimonials — the words customers use, the outcomes they cared about, the objections they had.
• Objections — the "but what about…" that comes up before buying. Answer it publicly.
• The work itself — process, before/afters, a tricky job solved, the team, the setup.
• Forums & local groups — search Reddit, Facebook groups, and community pages for what your market complains about and asks.
• Competitors' gaps — topics they cover badly or skip entirely.
• Seasonal & local hooks — AU seasons, public holidays, EOFY (end of financial year), local events and suburbs. Local relevance beats generic every time.

Angle generators (turn one topic into ten)

For any topic, spin angles: the beginner's guide · the mistake most people make · the myth · before vs after · a quick win · the contrarian take · a customer story · the "how I'd do it with $0" · the checklist · the comparison.

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Output format

Deliver:

1. Content pillars — 3-5, with why each fits the business and audience.
2. A starter content plan — 6-10 specific post ideas, each tagged: pillar, format, platform, buyer stage, and hook.
3. Two or three posts written in full — caption + hook + CTA, ready to paste (plus a video script if relevant).
4. A simple weekly rhythm — what to post on which platform on which days, sized to the time they have.
5. An idea bank — 10-15 more topics they can pull from later.

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When NOT to use this

• To buy followers, run engagement pods, or fake reviews — it's hollow, it doesn't convert, and fake testimonials breach Australian Consumer Law.
• To post paid partnerships or ads without disclosure — Australian influencer/endorsement rules (ACCC) require clear disclosure of commercial relationships.
• To chase virality at the expense of the actual customer. Reach that doesn't reach buyers is a vanity exercise.

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Built by AI Courses by Green School — practical AI training for Australian professionals. Find live courses at greenschool.au.

Adapted from Corey Haines' open-source marketing skills (MIT licence) — content-strategy, social, and marketing-ideas — localised for Australia.