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Social is the eighth standard section. It contains the brand’s working rules for social platforms: the format for each platform, the captioning style, the cadence, the escalation paths for sensitive moments, and the templates the social manager works from. Social is the highest-frequency surface most brands have; the rules earn their keep daily.

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What lives here

A complete Social section is organised by platform. Each platform block covers:
  1. Format. Image dimensions, video specifications, thumbnail rules, link-handling conventions. Anything a piece of content needs to satisfy before it is published.
  2. Captioning style. The voice rules as they apply to that platform’s captions. Length expectations, hashtag policy, emoji policy, link policy.
  3. Cadence. How often the brand posts, with the range and the floor. Includes the rule for going dark in periods of crisis or attention.
  4. Templates. Reusable post structures: the launch template, the team-feature template, the customer-story template, the milestone template. Templates are starting points, not constraints.
  5. Escalation paths. Who is consulted before posting on sensitive moments. Political, geopolitical, internal news, customer crises. The path is documented before it is needed.
Common platform blocks: Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube. Add platforms the brand uses; remove platforms the brand does not.

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Who edits this section

The brand owner, often with the social manager as Editor. MadeBy_ rarely edits Social directly; it is a section that benefits most from being close to the team that uses it. Team members raise Update Requests frequently against Social, because the section is touched every day. New cadence rules, new templates, new escalation cases as they arise.

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What team members see

A grid of platforms, each opening to its block. Templates are downloadable in the format the social manager works in (Figma, Canva, Photoshop, video editor templates). Format specifications are listed in tables for quick copy. Escalation paths are named with the actual people, not roles, because escalation needs to be specific.

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How this section changes

Social changes more often than any other standard section apart from Applications. Common changes:
  1. A new platform. The brand starts publishing somewhere it previously did not. A new platform block is added; the cadence and tone are decided.
  2. A platform sunsets or changes substantially. A platform retires a format, changes its algorithm, or pivots its audience. The block updates to match.
  3. A template improves. A post format outperforms the rest; the template is canonised. An underperforming template is retired.
  4. An escalation case sets precedent. A sensitive moment is handled in a particular way; the way becomes the documented path for similar moments.

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Common mistakes

Five mistakes show up repeatedly in Social sections:
  1. A single voice rule across every platform. LinkedIn and TikTok do not write the same way. The voice is consistent; the platform-specific shape is not. Document the shape.
  2. No going-dark rule. When something difficult happens in the world, the team needs to know whether to pause. The rule is easier to write before the moment than during it. Write it.
  3. Templates that calcify. Templates become rules rather than starting points; every post looks the same. Refresh templates quarterly; mark them as guides not gates.
  4. Escalation paths named by role. “Escalate to the Head of Marketing” stops working when the Head of Marketing leaves. Name people; update names when people change.
  5. Cadence as a hard rule. “We post three times a week.” A serious news cycle hits; the team posts anyway because the cadence says they must. State the rule and the override.

Voice

The voice rules.

Photography

The visual rules.

Applications

Social as one application surface.