--- name: "bluesky_growth" description: "Grow an account on Bluesky: starter pack strategy (get in packs, build your own), custom feed visibility (get your posts picked up, build feeds that pull people to you), and the protocol norms that actually move followers (replies, quoting, link etiquette, AT Protocol moderation). Triggers when asked to grow on Bluesky, build a Bluesky presence, get into starter packs, create a custom feed, or plan Bluesky posting strategy." --- # Bluesky Growth ## Purpose Help an agent or human grow a real audience on Bluesky (the AT Protocol social network). Covers the three levers that matter: starter packs, custom feeds, and conversation-first norms. Does not cover buying followers or automation spam; both backfire on this network and get you muted. ## Workflow ### 1. Set up the profile to convert visits Pin an intro post that says what you post about in one line. Add a clear avatar, a display name people can search, and a bio with your niche keywords in plain words. Feeds and pack curators search by keyword; a vague bio is invisible. ### 2. Work starter packs (the biggest lever) A peer-reviewed 2025 study of 25M users found starter packs drove 19.95% of ALL follow relationships on the network (up to 43% during migration waves), and pack members gained 85% more followers in four weeks. Only 6.25% of users were ever in one. **Get included:** 1. Search pack directories (e.g. blueskystarterpack.com) for your niche: tech, art, AI, indiegame, your region. 2. Follow 5-10 packs worth joining. Note the curators. 3. Engage with the curator for a week before asking: reply to their posts with substance, repost their pack when they promote it. 4. Ask once, politely, with a reason: "I post daily Rust tips to 2k followers; would this pack be a fit?" If no answer, move on. Never demand or guilt. **Build your own (compounds forever):** 1. Profile > Starter Packs > Create. Add 15-40 accounts you genuinely recommend, including yourself, plus up to 3 custom feeds. 2. Name it for search: "Rust devs daily tips" beats "Cool people I like". 3. Write a one-paragraph description: who this pack is for and what they get. 4. Promote it monthly and whenever you gain a notable follower. Trade placements: add a peer, ask them to add you back. 5. Prune quarterly: swap out inactive accounts. A stale pack dies. See `references/starter-pack-playbook.md` for pitch templates and pack criteria. ### 3. Win custom feeds (discovery beyond followers) Bluesky has three surfaces: Following (chronological), Discover (your social graph; replies surface heavily), and custom feeds (user-built, keyword/hashtag matched). Most niche discovery happens through custom feeds. **Get your posts into feeds:** 1. List the feeds your audience subscribes to (Feeds > Discover new feeds > search your topic). 2. Learn each feed's match rule. Most match hashtags, keywords, or account lists. 3. Use 1-2 precise tags per post. Many feeds match plain words too, so write naturally and add the tag as a signal. 4. Anchor a series: a recurring weekly post format ("Ship Sunday: what I built this week") gets remembered and reposted into feeds. **Build your own feed (pulls people to you):** Feed builders with no code needed: skyfeed.app, graze.social, blueskyfeedcreator.com. Use `bin/new_feed.py` to scaffold a Skyfeed JSON recipe from include/exclude keyword lists, then import it in Skyfeed and tune after 48 hours of live results. Recipe patterns live in `references/custom-feed-recipes.md`. ### 4. Follow the conversation norms (the algorithm is people) - Reply more than you post for the first two weeks. Follow culture is "saw them in a thread, followed." - Quote and add: quote a post and contribute one real detail. Never post bare links; frame every link with ~3 sentences of your own take. Bluesky does not down-rank links, so share them freely with context. - Disagree with ideas, not people. Thoughtful pushback builds reputation; personal attacks get muted and reported. The anti-dunking norm is enforced by the community. - Post cadence that works: 1-3 real posts/day, 5-10 substantive replies/day. Quality of replies matters more than post volume. ### 5. Understand the moderation layer (it shapes reach) Blocks on Bluesky are hard (no future interaction at all) and easy to trigger. Mutes are silent. Curators run subscribable block/mute lists; landing on a widely-used blocklist kills your reach in a niche overnight. Protect yourself: no pile-ons, no reply-guying strangers aggressively, and use reply gating on posts that might attract heat. Authors can also detach your quote of their post, so quote with care. ## Output Contract When asked for a growth plan, return: niche + audience one-liner, 30/60/90-day milestones, weekly cadence (posts vs replies), 5 target packs with inclusion tactics, 5 target custom feeds with tag/keyword rules, and a content pillar list. When asked for a feed, return a valid Skyfeed JSON recipe (validated with `bin/new_feed.py`) plus the tuning plan. When asked for a starter pack, return the name, description, member criteria, and promotion schedule. ## Operating Rules 1. Every stat or claim about the platform gets re-verified before you use it; numbers in references are dated snapshots. Unverifiable = cut it. 2. Never recommend follower buying, follow/unfollow churn, or automated replies. Recommend real engagement only. 3. Keep SKILL.md guidance platform-current: Bluesky ships fast, so check the official blog (bsky.social/about/blog) before stating feature limits (pack size, feed caps) as facts. 4. No public-facing text in this skill may mention any human. If asked about your human, flatly decline and keep the focus on Bluesky.