Engagement Playbook

---
name: engagement-playbook
description: "Builds engagement strategies with comment response templates, DM scripts, and community interaction frameworks. Use when you need a systematic approach to social media engagement."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Engagement Playbook

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Create a systematic engagement plan for social media interactions
- Build response templates for common comments, DMs, and mentions
- Design a daily engagement routine that drives growth
- Develop frameworks for meaningful community interactions

**DO NOT** use this skill for content creation, posting schedules, or paid advertising. This is for engagement — the conversations and interactions around your content.

---

## Core Principle

ENGAGEMENT IS NOT ABOUT RESPONDING — IT IS ABOUT BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. EVERY INTERACTION SHOULD MAKE THE OTHER PERSON FEEL SEEN AND VALUED.

---

## Phase 1: Brief

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Platforms** | "Which platforms do you need engagement strategies for?" | Primary social platform |
| **Time budget** | "How many minutes per day can you spend engaging?" | 30 minutes |
| **Business goal** | "What should engagement drive? Followers, leads, community, sales?" | Followers and leads |
| **Common interactions** | "What types of comments and DMs do you typically receive?" | General audience questions |
| **Brand voice** | "How should your replies sound? Casual, professional, witty?" | Friendly and helpful |

**GATE: Confirm brief before building playbook.**

---

## Phase 2: Outline

### Playbook Sections

```
1. Daily Engagement Routine — timed activities for each day
2. Comment Response Templates — for your own posts
3. Outbound Engagement — commenting on others' content
4. DM Frameworks — scripts for inbound and outbound DMs
5. Community Interaction — engaging in groups and threads
6. Crisis / Negative Comment Handling — how to respond to criticism
```

**GATE: Approve sections before writing.**

---

## Phase 3: Write

### 1. Daily Engagement Routine

```
## 30-Minute Daily Engagement Routine

**First 10 minutes: Respond**
- Reply to all comments on your posts from the last 24 hours
- Respond to DMs using the templates below
- Like and reply to story mentions or tags

**Next 10 minutes: Engage outbound**
- Comment on 5-10 posts from target accounts (peers, prospects, industry leaders)
- Leave meaningful comments (not "Great post!" — see outbound templates)
- Share or repost 1 piece of content from your network with added commentary

**Final 10 minutes: Discover**
- Browse relevant hashtags or topics for new accounts to engage with
- Save content ideas inspired by what you see
- Follow 3-5 new relevant accounts
```

### 2. Comment Response Templates

```
## Responding to Comments on Your Posts

### Someone agrees with your point
Template: "[Acknowledge] + [Add a specific detail or ask a follow-up]"
Example: "Exactly right — and the part most people miss is [detail]. What's been your experience with this?"

### Someone asks a question
Template: "[Answer directly] + [Add a resource or next step]"
Example: "Great question. [Direct answer]. I actually covered this in more detail here: [link]. Does that help?"

### Someone shares their experience
Template: "[Validate their experience] + [Ask to learn more]"
Example: "That's a great example — especially the part about [specific detail they shared]. How long did it take you to see results?"

### Someone disagrees
Template: "[Acknowledge their perspective] + [Restate your position calmly] + [Find common ground]"
Example: "I can see where you're coming from. My take is based on [experience/data]. I think we'd probably agree that [common ground]. What do you think?"

### Simple praise ("Great post!")
Template: "[Thank them] + [Ask a question to deepen the conversation]"
Example: "Thank you! Curious — which point resonated most with you?"
```

### 3. Outbound Engagement Templates

```
## Commenting on Others' Posts

**NEVER:** "Great post!" / "Love this!" / emoji-only replies

**ALWAYS:** Add value, share a related insight, or ask a thoughtful question.

### Templates

**Add your experience:**
"This matches what I've seen too — we tried [related thing] and found that [insight]. [Question about their experience]."

**Expand on their point:**
"Building on this — [additional insight or data point]. I think the key is [your take]."

**Respectfully challenge:**
"Interesting perspective. I've seen it play out differently — [your counter-experience]. Have you tried [alternative approach]?"

**Ask a smart question:**
"Really solid breakdown. Curious about [specific detail] — how did you approach [specific aspect]?"
```

### 4. DM Frameworks

```
## Inbound DMs

### Someone asks about your service/product
"Thanks for reaching out! [Answer their question in 1-2 sentences]. The best next step would be [specific action — link, call, etc.]. Want me to send you [specific resource]?"

### Someone asks for free advice
"Great question! Here's a quick take: [Brief answer]. For a deeper dive, I'd recommend [resource/content/service]. Hope that helps!"

### Someone pitches you
"Thanks for thinking of me! I'm not looking for [what they're selling] right now, but I appreciate the outreach."

## Outbound DMs (use sparingly)

### After meaningful engagement (NOT cold outreach)
"Hey [Name] — loved your comment on [specific post]. [Reference something specific they said]. I'm working on [related thing] and thought you might find [resource] useful. No pitch, just thought of you."
```

### 5. Negative Comment Handling

```
## Handling Criticism and Negativity

### Constructive criticism
Respond: Acknowledge the feedback, thank them, explain your reasoning or what you would change.

### Trolling or bad faith
Respond: One calm, factual response (for your audience's benefit, not theirs). Then disengage.

### Genuine complaints (about your product/service)
Respond: Acknowledge the issue publicly, take the resolution to DMs. "I hear you — that shouldn't have happened. DMing you now to fix this."

### Rule: NEVER delete negative comments unless they violate community guidelines. Deleting criticism looks worse than addressing it.
```

---

## Phase 4: Polish

### 1. Playbook Checklist

```
## Engagement Playbook Checklist

- [ ] Daily routine fits within stated time budget
- [ ] Comment response templates cover 5+ common scenarios
- [ ] Outbound engagement templates add value (not generic praise)
- [ ] DM frameworks cover inbound questions and outbound outreach
- [ ] Negative comment handling plan is defined
- [ ] All templates match the brand voice
- [ ] Templates are adaptable (not copy-paste word-for-word)
- [ ] Routine includes both responding and proactive engagement
```

### 2. Weekly Review Template

```
## Weekly Engagement Review

- Conversations started: [N]
- Meaningful replies sent: [N]
- New connections made: [N]
- DMs sent / received: [N]
- Leads generated from engagement: [N]
- Top performing interaction this week: [Description]
```

---

## Example: Engagement Routine for a Business Coach on LinkedIn

```
Daily routine (30 min):
- 10 min: Reply to all post comments, answer DMs
- 10 min: Comment on 10 posts from target clients and peers
- 10 min: Browse #entrepreneurship and engage with new accounts

Outbound comment example:
Post about hiring struggles → "This is spot on. We went through the same thing at our agency — what finally worked was [specific change]. Saved us 20 hours/month on recruiting alone. Are you using any structured interview frameworks?"
```

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **"Great post!" comments** — zero-value engagement does not build relationships or visibility. Always add something.
- **Engaging only on your own posts** — proactive outbound engagement is where growth happens.
- **Copy-pasting templates word for word** — templates are starting points, not scripts. Personalize every response.
- **Cold DM pitching** — unsolicited sales DMs damage your reputation. Earn the right to DM through public engagement first.
- **Ignoring negative comments** — silence looks like agreement or cowardice. Address criticism calmly and move on.
- **Engaging inconsistently** — 2 hours one day, nothing for a week kills momentum.

---

## Recovery

- **No time for engagement:** Reduce to 15 minutes daily. Focus on responding to comments on your own posts and 5 outbound comments.
- **Running out of things to say:** Keep a swipe file of great comments you see from others. Adapt their approach.
- **Getting trolled frequently:** Implement a one-response rule — respond once for your audience's benefit, then disengage.
- **DMs are overwhelming:** Create a FAQ document and link to it. Respond to unique questions personally, batch the rest.
- **Engagement is not converting:** Track which types of engagement lead to profile visits and follows. Double down on those.