# Social Listening & Engagement Triage

How to surface the right posts to engage with each day — instead of randomly scrolling. The goal is a short, scorable list ("here are your top 10 posts to comment on") rather than an open feed.

## Contents
- When to use this
- The daily triage loop
- Scoring rubric
- Comment quality tiers
- Sources & light tooling (curl recipes)
- Per-platform notes
- Common workflows

---

## When to Use This

Use listening when the goal is **commenting and relationships**, not posting. Typical asks:
- "Give me the top 10 posts I should comment on today"
- "Who's complaining about [competitor] right now?"
- "Find people asking for a tool like mine"
- "Surface posts from my 20 target accounts in the last 24h"
- "What's the conversation around [topic] this week?"

If the user wants to **create** content, use the rest of the social skill. Listening feeds creation (it surfaces angles, language, objections), but the output is different.

---

## The Daily Triage Loop

A repeatable 20-minute loop the user (or you, on their behalf) can run each morning.

1. **Pull** — fetch new posts from defined sources (target accounts, keywords, subreddits, hashtags). See [tooling](#sources--light-tooling-curl-recipes).
2. **Filter** — drop anything older than 24h, low signal, or off-topic.
3. **Score** — apply the [rubric](#scoring-rubric). Keep top 10.
4. **Draft** — for each, draft a comment matched to the post's tier.
5. **Post** — user reviews, edits, posts. Mark which actually went live.
6. **Log** — track what you commented on and what got replies. This is your engagement loop dataset.

Output format Claude should produce:

```
TOP 10 POSTS — 2026-06-05

1. [Score 9/10] @author — LinkedIn — 2h ago
   "We just rolled out X and the team is loving it…"
   Why: ICP fit (B2B SaaS, 50–200 employees), buying-intent signal
   Suggested comment: [draft]
   Link: https://…
```

---

## Scoring Rubric

Score each post 1–10 across five dimensions, then sum and rank.

| Dimension | What it measures | Weight |
|-----------|------------------|--------|
| **ICP fit** | Is the author your target customer / influencer? | 2x |
| **Intent signal** | Are they expressing a problem, asking, or shopping? | 2x |
| **Reach potential** | Is the post getting traction (likes/comments rising)? | 1x |
| **Comment opportunity** | Can you say something genuinely useful, not generic? | 2x |
| **Recency** | Posted in last 1–4h (early comments win, especially on LinkedIn) | 1x |

**Intent signal examples (high-value):**
- "Looking for a tool that does X"
- "Why is [category] so painful?"
- "We just switched from [competitor] because…"
- "Anyone use [competitor] — is it worth it?"
- A complaint about a known competitor

**Drop if any of these are true:**
- Author isn't ICP and isn't an influencer
- Post is >24h old and already has 50+ comments (your comment buries)
- Generic motivational/AI-slop post
- Self-promotion thread where comments don't get reach
- You can't add anything beyond "Great post!"

---

## Comment Quality Tiers

Match the comment to the post. Don't waste a tier-1 draft on a tier-3 opportunity.

**Tier 1 — Relationship builder (target accounts, ICP, high intent)**
- Add a specific insight or counter-example
- Reference your own experience with specifics (numbers, names, outcomes)
- Ask a thoughtful follow-up that invites a reply
- Length: 2–4 sentences, no link

**Tier 2 — Visibility play (high-reach post, adjacent topic)**
- Add one sharp insight in one sentence
- Pattern: "Agreed — and the part most miss is [X]"
- Length: 1–2 sentences

**Tier 3 — Light touch (relationship maintenance)**
- Specific reaction, not "Love this"
- Quote a specific line and react to it
- Length: 1 sentence

**Never:** "Great post!", emoji-only, "+1", LinkedIn-isms like "This is gold 🔥"

---

## Sources & Light Tooling (curl recipes)

These are public JSON endpoints — no auth needed. Run them from bash, pipe to `jq`, and Claude can parse the output to score and draft comments.

**Requires:** `jq` (most recipes) and `xmllint` (RSS only). Install once:
```bash
# macOS
brew install jq
# xmllint ships with macOS; on Linux: apt install libxml2-utils
```

### Reddit (free, scriptable)

**New posts in a subreddit:**
```bash
curl -s -A "listening/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/new.json?limit=25" \
  | jq '.data.children[].data | {title, author, url: ("https://reddit.com"+.permalink), score, num_comments, created_utc, selftext: (.selftext | .[0:300])}'
```

**Search across Reddit by keyword (last day, sorted new):**
```bash
curl -s -A "listening/1.0" \
  "https://www.reddit.com/search.json?q=KEYWORD&sort=new&t=day&limit=25" \
  | jq '.data.children[].data | {subreddit, title, url: ("https://reddit.com"+.permalink), author, score, created_utc}'
```

Swap `KEYWORD` for things like `"alternative to notion"`, `"recommend a crm"`, your competitor names, or your own brand for mentions. Use quotes around multi-word phrases.

### Hacker News (Algolia search)

**Recent stories mentioning a keyword (last 24h):**
```bash
SINCE=$(($(date +%s) - 86400))
curl -s "https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search_by_date?query=KEYWORD&tags=story&numericFilters=created_at_i>${SINCE}" \
  | jq '.hits[] | {title, url, author, points, num_comments, created_at, story_id: .objectID, hn_url: ("https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id="+.objectID)}'
```

**Recent comments mentioning a keyword:**
```bash
curl -s "https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/search_by_date?query=KEYWORD&tags=comment&numericFilters=created_at_i>${SINCE}" \
  | jq '.hits[] | {author, comment_text, story_title, hn_url: ("https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id="+.objectID)}'
```

### Bluesky (free, public API)

**Search posts by keyword:**
```bash
curl -s "https://public.api.bsky.app/xrpc/app.bsky.feed.searchPosts?q=KEYWORD&limit=25&sort=latest" \
  | jq '.posts[] | {author: .author.handle, text: .record.text, likes: .likeCount, replies: .replyCount, url: ("https://bsky.app/profile/"+.author.handle+"/post/"+(.uri | split("/") | last))}'
```

### RSS for blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels

For target accounts that publish to RSS (most blogs, all YouTube channels):
```bash
# YouTube channel feed (replace CHANNEL_ID)
curl -s "https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=CHANNEL_ID"

# Generic blog feed
curl -s "https://example.com/feed/" | xmllint --xpath "//item[position()<6]" - 2>/dev/null
```

### LinkedIn & X — use the browser

LinkedIn and X don't expose useful public APIs, but you can drive a real browser session. **dev-browser** (MCP, already in the global setup) and **Playwright** both maintain persistent state — log in once, the session stays alive, Claude can navigate the authenticated feed.

**dev-browser workflow (preferred — already wired up):**
1. User logs into LinkedIn / X once in the dev-browser session
2. Claude navigates to a target URL (feed, profile, saved search, hashtag)
3. Claude reads the accessibility tree / page text, extracts posts
4. Claude scores using the [rubric](#scoring-rubric) and drafts comments
5. User reviews and posts manually (don't auto-post — high-stakes, bot detection risk)

**Useful URLs to feed dev-browser:**

| URL pattern | What it shows |
|-------------|---------------|
| `linkedin.com/in/HANDLE/recent-activity/all/` | A target account's recent posts |
| `linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/TOPIC/` | Hashtag feed |
| `linkedin.com/feed/` | Your main feed (algorithmic — less useful for triage) |
| `x.com/HANDLE` | A target account's profile |
| `x.com/search?q=QUERY&f=live` | Real-time search (use `f=live` for chronological) |
| `x.com/i/lists/LIST_ID` | A curated list — best for target accounts |

**Tips:**
- On X, build a private list of target accounts and use the list URL. Far cleaner than the algorithmic feed.
- LinkedIn's `/recent-activity/all/` URL is the cleanest way to see one person's posts without the algorithm.
- For both platforms, scroll programmatically (dev-browser supports it) to load more posts before extracting.

**Paid alternatives if you don't want to drive a browser:**

| Platform | Tools |
|----------|-------|
| LinkedIn | Sales Navigator (saved searches), Taplio (engagement) |
| X | TweetDeck/X Pro (saved columns), Typefully, Taplio, Tweet Hunter |

**Still closed (no good path):**
- Instagram & TikTok — closed APIs, browser automation is detectable and risky. Use native saved searches / hashtag follows.

---

## Per-Platform Notes

### LinkedIn
- **Browser-driven** (dev-browser with persistent session) — see [LinkedIn & X — use the browser](#linkedin--x--use-the-browser)
- **First-hour comments matter most** — algorithm weights early engagement heavily. Prioritize posts <2h old from target accounts.
- Comments with 5+ words get more reach than reactions
- Replying to other commenters can put you in front of their network
- Tag the author in your reply only if it adds context

### Twitter/X
- **Browser-driven** (dev-browser) — build a private list of target accounts and point dev-browser at the list URL
- Reply within first 30 min for max reach on big accounts
- Quote-tweet > reply when adding substantial value
- Threading your reply (multi-tweet) signals effort
- Don't pile on dunks — relationships > clout

### Reddit
- Read the subreddit rules before commenting (some ban self-promotion outright)
- Earn karma in the sub before linking to anything you own
- Long, specific answers win. AMAs and "help me decide" threads are gold
- Never lead with your product — answer the question first

### Hacker News
- Comment quality bar is high; low-effort gets downvoted fast
- Founders commenting on threads about their product is welcomed if you're transparent
- Search for past discussions of your category — they're often dormant gold mines

### Bluesky
- Smaller volume but high engagement-to-follower ratio
- Tech and indie-hacker communities are active
- Custom feeds (like Bluesky's "Following" + topic feeds) replace algorithmic search

---

## Common Workflows

### "Give me my top 10 posts to comment on today"
1. Pull from: target account RSS/saved searches + Reddit (relevant subs) + HN (last 24h)
2. Score with the [rubric](#scoring-rubric)
3. Output top 10 with suggested comments

### "Find people complaining about [competitor]"
1. Reddit search: `"competitor name" -site:competitor.com` sorted by new
2. HN comment search for competitor name
3. Bluesky search for competitor handle/name
4. Score by intent signal (high if switching language: "moving from", "alternatives to", "frustrated with")

### "Surface brand mentions from the last week"
1. Reddit search for brand name
2. HN search (stories + comments) for brand name
3. Bluesky search for brand name + handle
4. Output as: reply needed (yes/no), tone (positive/negative/neutral), suggested response

### "Find target-account posts I missed"
1. Maintain a list of target accounts with their RSS / Reddit usernames / Bluesky handles
2. Fetch each source's recent posts
3. Filter to last 24h, output sorted by score

---

## Setting Up the Source List

The user should maintain a list of sources somewhere persistent at `.agents/listening-sources.md` (or `.claude/listening-sources.md`). Claude reads it when running the daily loop.

**A ready-to-fill template lives at [listening-sources-template.md](listening-sources-template.md).** Copy it into the project and edit. The source path depends on how the skill was installed:

```bash
# Plugin / marketplace install (most common):
cp .agents/skills/social/references/listening-sources-template.md .agents/listening-sources.md
# .claude/ install:
cp .claude/skills/social/references/listening-sources-template.md .agents/listening-sources.md
# Working inside the marketingskills repo:
cp skills/social/references/listening-sources-template.md .agents/listening-sources.md
```

The template covers: brand/category, ICP (for scoring), target accounts per platform, intent keywords, subreddits, saved-search URLs, and a do-not-engage list.