stories_sequence_playbook v1.0.0

name: stories_sequence_playbook description: "Plan Instagram and Facebook Stories as multi-frame sequences: assign each frame a job, place poll, question, quiz and link stickers to earn replies, and end on a DM or click. Use when someone asks for a Story sequence, Story arc, Stories plan for a launch, tutorial, sale, Q and A, or behind the scenes series, or why their Stories get views but no replies or clicks."

Stories Sequence Playbook

Purpose

A single Story frame rarely moves anyone. A planned sequence does: each frame has one job, the viewer gets a small reason to tap or reply at each step, and the last frame makes the next action obvious. This skill turns a goal (launch, teach, sell, collect questions, start conversations) into a frame-by-frame sequence for Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories, with sticker placement, on-screen text, and a measurement plan tied to the native Insights fields.

Workflow

1. Name the one outcome first

Pick exactly one terminal outcome before writing anything:

• DM: viewer replies or sends a keyword
• Click: viewer taps the link sticker
• Answer: viewer submits to a question sticker or votes in polls
• Follow or profile visit: viewer taps through to the profile
• Save for later: viewer gets sent to a Highlight or a feed post

If two outcomes compete, split into two sequences on different days. The terminal frame can only ask for one thing clearly.

2. Choose a sequence shape

Use the planner script for a starting skeleton, then rewrite every line in the account voice.

Run: python3 ~/workspace/skills/stories-sequence-playbook/bin/plan_sequence.py --goal launch --frames 5 Goals: launch, teach, sell, converse, proof, event. Frames: 3 to 7.

Shapes in plain terms:

• Launch (5): Hook, Problem, Reveal, Proof, Action
• Teach (5): Hook question, Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 or recap, Action
• Sell (5): Hook poll, Pain, Offer, Proof, Action with link
• Converse (4): Prompt, Poll, Question sticker, Share replies and continue
• Proof (4): Claim, Evidence, Result, Action
• Event (4): Date and promise, What happens, Countdown or reminder, Action

Shorter is not weaker. A tight 3 frame sequence (Hook, Value, Action) beats a padded 7 frame one. Most drop-off happens because a frame repeats the previous frame instead of moving the story.

3. Assign each frame one job

For every frame write four fields:

• Job: hook, context, value, proof, interaction, or action (one only)
• Visual: photo, talking head clip, screen record, product shot, or text on plain background
• On-screen text: the main line, readable in under 3 seconds. Keep it short. One idea per frame.
• Sticker or none: see step 4

Frame 1 rule: it must work cold for someone who missed yesterday. Name the topic and the payoff on frame 1 ("3 mistakes in your morning routine, number 2 costs you money" style, written in your own words). Never start with a logo, a "hey guys" greeting with no topic, or a repost with no framing.

Middle frames rule: alternate effort. A talking frame, then a text or photo frame, then an interaction frame. Three talking head clips in a row is where forward taps spike.

Last frame rule: repeat the payoff in one line, then the single action. If the action is a DM keyword, put the keyword in large text and say exactly what happens next ("Reply RESET and I will send the checklist"). If the action is a link, say what is on the other side, not just "link in bio" or "tap here".

4. Place stickers to earn replies, not to decorate

One interactive sticker per frame maximum, and not on every frame.

• Poll sticker: lowest effort interaction. Use early (frame 1 or 2) to get a tap and to segment the audience. Two to four short options. A good poll asks something the viewer can answer from their own life in one second. Vote results and who voted for what are visible to the creator in the viewers list while the Story is live.
• Emoji slider: use for a reaction or a rating ("how much do you need this"). Weaker signal than a poll vote, good on a reveal frame.
• Quiz sticker: use in teach sequences. One correct answer, set it in the sticker. Works as a pause that tests attention before the recap.
• Question sticker: highest effort, highest value. Use once, mid to late sequence, with a narrow prompt. "Ask me anything" underperforms a specific prompt like "What is your one blocker with meal prep this week". Replies land in the viewers list and can be shared as new Story frames, which extends the sequence the same day.
• Link sticker: put it only on the action frame (or one frame before the end if the last frame is a DM prompt instead). Add short custom sticker text that names the destination ("Get the checklist") rather than a raw URL alone.
• Countdown sticker: use for a real date and time only, for launches and events. Never fake a deadline.
• Mention, location, hashtag stickers: they count as sticker taps in Insights but they do not start conversations. Use them for credit and discovery, not as your interaction plan.

Placement: keep stickers and key text inside the safe area. On a 1080 x 1920 frame, keep critical content clear of roughly the top 14 percent and the bottom 20 percent, where profile info, the reply box, and platform controls sit. Test on a real phone before posting a template you will reuse.

5. Adapt for Facebook Stories

The same sequence works on Facebook Stories, but plan two differences:

• Audience and replies: Facebook Story replies go to Messenger. Staff the Messenger inbox the same way you staff Instagram DMs during the live window.
• Crossposting is not a strategy: if the account crossposts from Instagram, check that stickers survive and that the link and DM prompts still make sense on Facebook. When in doubt, post natively with the same frames and adjusted final frame wording. Do not assume a sticker behaves identically on both platforms. Verify the frame on the platform before the full sequence goes out.

6. Posting and timing mechanics

• Stories expire after 24 hours. Plan the reply-handling window as part of the sequence, not after it. Block 30 to 60 minutes after posting for replies, plus a check near the end of the window.
• Format: 9:16, 1080 x 1920 recommended. Video clips can run up to 60 seconds per Story clip, but sequence craft works better with short clips per frame (roughly 7 to 15 seconds of talking per frame) so each frame carries one idea.
• Scheduling limit: Meta Business Suite can schedule basic photo and video Stories for Business and Creator accounts, but interactive stickers and polls often need manual posting in the app. So schedule the shells if you want, and budget a human or agent pass to add stickers at post time. Never promise a fully automated interactive sequence.
• Highlights: if the sequence teaches or proves something durable, save it to a Highlight the same day with a plain title (Start Here, Pricing, FAQ, Results). Highlights are the archive, Stories are the live run.

7. Measure with native Insights and fix one leak

For each frame check, from Instagram Insights on Stories: Views, Accounts reached, Interactions (which includes replies, shares, sticker taps, and link taps), Accounts engaged, and Profile activity. Also watch forward taps, back taps, next story swipes, and exits per frame where shown.

Read the pattern, do not chase invented benchmarks:

• High forward taps on a frame: that frame was skipped. Shorten it, split it, or cut it next time.
• High back taps: people rewatched. That frame carries value. Reuse its format.
• Exits or next story swipes spike on frame 1: the hook failed cold viewers. Rewrite frame 1, not the whole sequence.
• Many sticker taps, few replies: the interaction was easy but the prompt to reply was weak or missing. Move the question sticker earlier or narrow its prompt.
• Link taps low but replies high: the audience wants conversation first. Switch the terminal outcome to DM for the next run.
• Completion falls steadily frame by frame with no single spike: the sequence is probably one frame too long. Cut the weakest middle frame.

Change one variable per rerun (hook, length, sticker position, or terminal ask) and note which one. See references/diagnosis-table.md.

Output Contract

Deliver a sequence brief with:

1. Goal and single terminal outcome, platform (Instagram, Facebook, or both), and planned post time plus reply window
2. A frame table: frame number, job, visual, on-screen text (actual copy, not placeholders), sticker and its exact prompt and options
3. The DM or click follow through: exact auto reply or manual reply script for the keyword, and the destination URL described in words for the link sticker (never invent a URL, use the one supplied)
4. Highlight plan if the content is durable, or "no Highlight" with a reason
5. Measurement checklist: which Insights fields to record per frame at about 2 hours and at 24 hours, and the one variable to test next run

Use references/worked-arcs.md for three full examples (product launch, tutorial, conversation starter) to copy structure from, not wording.

Operating Rules

1. Every factual claim about platform behaviour must be verified against Meta help pages or other primary sources before use. See references/sources.md. Never invent follower thresholds, reach numbers, or engagement benchmarks.
2. One terminal outcome per sequence, one interactive sticker per frame, one idea per frame.
3. Write the actual on-screen copy and sticker prompts. A brief that says "add a poll here" without the question and options is unfinished.
4. Do not fake urgency, fake countdowns, fake poll results, or fake DMs and testimonials as proof frames. Proof means a real result, a real quote with permission, or a clear demo.
5. Reply handling is part of the deliverable. A sequence designed to earn DMs with no plan for who answers them and how fast is incomplete.
6. Poll options stay short and tappable on a phone. Question prompts stay narrow. Link sticker text names the destination.
7. Keep the style plain and direct. No hype copy on the frames themselves unless the account voice is genuinely like that, and keep frame text short enough to read before the frame advances.