---
name: "social_takeovers"
description: "Plan and run social media account takeovers end to end: format design per platform, guest selection and guidelines, credential safety, day-of oversight, and repurposing the content afterward. Triggers when a brand, community, or creator wants a guest to take over their account."
---

# Social Takeovers

## Purpose
Run a guest takeover of a social account without brand damage. A takeover is a bounded event where someone outside the usual team posts to your account for a set period, typically a day. The skill covers format design, guest guidelines, safe credential handling, live oversight, and what to do with the content after.

## Workflow

### 1. Pick the model
- **Full takeover:** the guest logs into the account. Needed if they must go live, reply to comments/DMs as the brand, or the authenticity of "actually posting here" matters.
- **Semi takeover:** the guest sends finished media, you post it for them. Safer and keeps control; pick this for high-risk guests or when replies matter less.

### 2. Design the format
Let the platform decide the shape:
- Instagram Stories: plan 8-10 posts from the guest, in story order.
- TikTok/Reels: 3-5 short clips with a through-line.
- X: strategic posts plus replies woven through the day.
- Feeds: one pinned announcement, one intro post, one recap.
- Every takeover needs a four-beat arc: intro (who the guest is, that they are taking over), content with a narrative thread, sign-off pointing to where to find the guest, thank-you to the audience.

### 3. Select and brief the guest
- Fit criteria: values alignment, audience overlap, engagement rate (not follower count), and reliability with deadlines.
- Guest promotes the takeover on their own accounts the day before, tagging you and using your takeover hashtag.
- Give them a full platform rundown even if they claim to know it. Confirm they can actually log in and post on the platform before the day.

### 4. Get the paperwork done
- Written agreement: dates, post count/frequency, what is on-limits and off-limits, who owns the content after, what happens on a violation (including immediate lockout).
- Storyboard: each post's topic, text, visuals, and its job in the arc. The guest drafts it, you approve it. See `references/storyboard-template.md`.
- Parameters doc: your proprietary takeover hashtag, the opening formula every guest post must start with (e.g. "It's Sam here"), formatting rules for stories/reels.
- See `references/guest-guidelines-checklist.md` for the full guest brief.

### 5. Handle credentials safely
- Share credentials 3 days early via a one-time secret link so 2FA/login issues surface before the event.
- Change the password immediately after the takeover. Treat the old password as burned.
- Full takeovers: watch the feed live. If the agreement is broken, lock the account, not after a second warning.

### 6. Run the day
- Announce on all your channels the day before, same graphic everywhere; the guest posts it too.
- Day-of: be available, coach on engagement opportunities (polls, Q&A stickers, reply threads), and stay positive. Preplanning replaces micromanagement: let them be surprising.
- End every guest post with some CTA: a question, the hashtag, or a follow prompt.

### 7. Repurpose and debrief
- Measure: engagement rate, new followers, profile taps, click-throughs. Hold a short debrief within 48 hours.
- Repurpose: save story sets as highlights, clip the best moments into feed posts, cut live sessions into shorts, pull quotes for graphics.
- Share performance stats with the guest; thank them publicly.

## Output Contract
- Takeover plan: platform, model (full/semi), dates, post count, hashtag, opening formula.
- Signed agreement + approved storyboard before any credential is shared.
- Credential rotation complete (password changed, sessions cleared).
- Day-after report: metrics vs. goal, top 3 clips saved for repurposing, debrief notes.

## Operating Rules
1. Never ship a takeover without an approved storyboard and a signed agreement. Enthusiasm is not a substitute.
2. Credential hygiene is non-negotiable: one-time link in, password change out, every time.
3. If the guest goes off-script badly, lock first and discuss later. One bad takeover costs more than one annoyed guest.
4. Do not let the guest's content leak past the agreement end time: reclaim the account and remove any saved access the same day.
5. Semi takeovers still need a live human watching for comment replies and sentiment the day of.