> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.snowdoughnut.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Publishing an organic social post
> The process for taking an organic social post from idea to published and logged: fill the post brief, produce the creative and caption, tag the link, get approval, publish, log it, and check whether it should become paid creative.
Take an organic social post from idea to published, tagged, and logged. This process covers a single post and a recurring series, which share a brief.
Organic posts are made far more often than paid campaigns and with fewer people involved, so this process is shorter than the paid ones. The parts that stay are the parts that go wrong: tagging, approval, and logging.
This process uses the [**organic social post brief**](/organic-social-post-brief), the [**brand voice and tone**](/brand-voice-and-tone) workbook, the [**UTM standards**](/utm-standards), the platform [creative specs](/image-and-video-specs), and the [**organic social pre-publish checklist**](/organic-social-pre-publish-checklist).
## What you'll end up with
* A completed [**organic social post brief**](/organic-social-post-brief) recording what the post is for, who it speaks to, and what it links to.
* A **published post**, on brand, with alt text, and with any link tagged so the traffic is attributable.
* A **row in the content calendar**, with the published URL, so the post can be found, reported on, and reused later.
One person, the [**owner**](/glossary#owner), is accountable for all three.
## Before you start
| Input | Where it comes from | Required | If it doesn't exist yet |
| :------------------------ | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------ | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Customer profile | [Customer profile library](/customer-profile-library-overview) | Always | Build it with the [B2B](/customer-profile-brief) or [B2C](/b2-c-customer-profiles) brief |
| Parent marketing campaign | [Marketing campaign brief](/marketing-campaign-brief) | Only if the post belongs to one | Leave empty. Not every post belongs to a campaign |
| Creative | [Creative brief process](/creative-brief-process), [creative drive](/creative-drive), [video drive](/video-drive) | Always except text-only posts | Check the drives first, then brief what's missing |
| Caption | [Brand voice and tone](/brand-voice-and-tone), [copy brief](/ad-copy-standards) for campaign posts | Always | Write against the voice workbook |
| Destination | [Landing page library](/landing-page-library) | Only if the post links out | Pick an existing page, or link to an article |
| UTMs | [UTM standards](/utm-standards) | Whenever there is a link | Build them with an organic medium value |
| Specs | Platform [creative specs](/image-and-video-specs) | Always | Check the ratio before production, not after |
## The process at a glance
What the post is for, who it speaks to, the hook, and what it links to.
An approved asset that already fits beats a new production job.
To the platform specs and the brand voice workbook.
UTMs with an organic medium value, so the traffic is attributable.
Whatever review the post needs, before scheduling rather than after.
Alt text, captions, links, tags, and specs.
Paste the published URL into the brief and add the row to the content calendar.
A strong organic post is proven creative you already own.
## 1. Fill in the post brief
Copy the [**organic social post brief**](/organic-social-post-brief). A single post gets its own; a recurring series shares one across its run.
Start with what the post is for and who it speaks to. Most organic posts do not drive a measurable conversion, and naming the job in plain terms is what keeps a post reviewable without forcing a conversion metric onto something that was never going to produce one.
## 2. Check the drives before making anything
Look in the [creative drive](/creative-drive) and the [video drive](/video-drive) before commissioning new work. An approved asset that already fits, or crops to fit, is faster than a brief and has already cleared review.
If nothing fits, run the [creative brief process](/creative-brief-process). Put the production time on the calendar rather than assuming organic work happens instantly.
## 3. Produce the creative and write the caption
Build to the platform [creative specs](/image-and-video-specs). Organic creative is held to the same specs and the same brand standard as paid, even though it moves faster and passes fewer hands.
Write the caption against the [brand voice and tone](/brand-voice-and-tone) workbook. If the post belongs to a campaign or makes a claim about the product, run it through the [copy brief](/ad-copy-standards) so the claim matches what the rest of the campaign is saying.
The hook is doing most of the work here. With no budget forcing distribution, a post that is not opened is not seen at all.
## 4. Tag the link
If the post links out, tag the URL with [UTMs](/utm-standards) using an organic medium value.
Untagged organic links land in analytics as direct or referral traffic, which is how organic social ends up appearing to drive nothing while quietly driving something.
Decide where the link goes, too. Some platforms suppress reach on posts with an outbound link in the caption, which is why the link often sits in the first comment instead. Record the choice in the brief so it is consistent across the series.
## 5. Get approval
Get whatever review the post needs before it is scheduled: [brand](/brand-approval-process), [legal](/legal-review-process), or both, per the [approval process](/approval-process).
A post making a product claim, quoting a customer, or naming a competitor needs the same review a paid ad would. The distribution is different; the exposure is not.
## 6. Run the pre-publish checklist
Run the [**organic social pre-publish checklist**](/organic-social-pre-publish-checklist).
## 7. Publish and log it
Publish, then do the two parts that are easy to skip:
* Paste the published URL into the brief.
* Add the row to the content calendar, with the channel, format, date, owner, and URL.
An unlogged post cannot be reported on, cannot be found again, and cannot be reused. It is the organic equivalent of an article with no register row.
## 8. Check whether it should become paid creative
Review performance after about a week. A post that performed well organically is proven creative you already own, tested against a real audience with no budget behind it.
If it is worth running as paid, arrange the authorization while the post is fresh:
* **TikTok Spark Ads** need an authorization code with an expiry date. Record both in the [TikTok campaign brief](/tiktok-campaign-brief).
* **Meta and LinkedIn** can promote an existing post or run it through creator allowlisting, which needs the account holder's permission.
## Exceptions
* **The post is a reactive or timely reply.** Community management replies and reactive posts do not need a brief. They still follow the brand voice and the approval rules for claims.
* **The post is part of an approved recurring series.** One brief covers the series. Each post still gets a content calendar row and its own link tagging.
* **The post is a creator's, not yours.** The creator's own post follows their agreement, not this process. If you plan to run it as paid, the authorization is what you need to record.
## Related resources
* [**Organic social post brief**](/organic-social-post-brief) The workbook this process runs on.
* [**Organic social pre-publish checklist**](/organic-social-pre-publish-checklist) The pass before it goes live.
* [**Creative brief process**](/creative-brief-process) For any new visual the post needs.
* [**Brand voice and tone**](/brand-voice-and-tone) The standard captions are written against.
* [**Launching a TikTok campaign**](/tiktok-campaign-process) If the post becomes a Spark Ad.