Template: A social content calendar to launch your community

A launch content calendar lists what you'll post, put in your stories, send in DMs and email on each day around your opening. Writing it all before day 1 means you aren't drafting posts at midnight halfway through your launch. This one runs for 14 days and has seven posts: a teaser, an invite to a free live session, founding spots, a look behind the scenes, doors open, a first member win and a last call. If you only have time to write two, write the doors open post and the last call, because those are the two that ask people to join.

Every post asks for one small thing: a reply, a DM, a comment word or a share with a friend. That's because most new members don't come from social media. In our Creator Economy Report, the builders we surveyed named word of mouth and referrals as their biggest source of new members (25%), followed by email lists (18%). All the social platforms put together came to 28%.¹ So these posts are written to start conversations and get people onto your email list, which you can then write to on any day of the launch.

Below are the 14-day calendar and seven posts you can copy. The parts in brackets are where your details go. Change the rest of the wording until it sounds like something you'd write, because your followers know how you normally post and will notice if it reads like a template.

What every launch post needs

• A date. The free session, the day doors open or the day founding spots close. A date gives people something to put in their calendar, and a post without one is easy to scroll past and forget.
• One ask. A reply, a DM, a comment word or a friend. Tell people the exact word to send, so answering takes no thought.
• Who it's for, described the way they'd describe themselves. "Teachers moving into instructional design" tells the right people this is for them. "Anyone ready to grow" is so broad that nobody reads it and thinks it's about them.
• One true detail. A real screenshot, a real member's words or a real number. If no member has a result yet, leave that post out rather than writing one.
• Somewhere to go for people who aren't ready. Your email list, so people who say "not yet" during the launch can still join later.
• A link people can tap. A story link sticker, the link in your bio, the first comment or a DM.

Liz Wilcox, an email strategist and keynote speaker, explained in a Heartbeat tutorial why she spells out the exact reply she wants: "I'm telling people exactly what to say, exactly what to reply. There's no guesswork."²

The 14-day calendar

Day 1 is two weeks before founding spots close. The free session is on day 8, and doors open at the end of it. Tatiana Figueiredo, founder of Friendly Nooks, defines a launch as "a cluster of visibility points in a short period of time."³ In practice, that means the same people see you in their feed, their DMs and their inbox several times within two weeks.

Don't skip the DMs on the days without a post. Bri Leever, a community strategist and the founder of Ember, explained the numbers in a Heartbeat tutorial: "if you want five members, you probably have to invite about 40 people into your community."⁴ Start your list of names on day 2, and add everyone who replies to a post.

The email column says which email goes out that day. If you open with a Heartbeat waitlist, it also sends its own reminder 24 hours before launch and a launch email when you open doors, so you don't need to write those two yourself.

Running a free challenge instead of a single session? Run the 5-day challenge on days 8 to 12, post doors open on day 12, and quote someone who finished the challenge (with their permission) in your last call.

The templates

Teaser (day 1)

Post this once your free session has a date. It asks people who are interested to raise their hand, which gives you your first list of people to DM. If you have a free guide, swap the ask for a link to it, so the people who want the guide leave their email address.

I'm building something for [who it's for] who [their problem, in their words].

It's a [paid community / membership / cohort] where we [what members do together].

It opens on [date]. Before that, I'm hosting a free live session on [session date].

Want the details before I post them anywhere else? Reply "yes" and I'll send them to you.

For example, a career coach opening a community for teachers moving into instructional design might start with: "I'm building something for teachers who want to move into instructional design and don't know where to start."

Free session invite (day 3)

The free session is the only free part of the launch, and it ends when the hour is up. Pick one problem to solve for one kind of person, and say up front that you'll open the community at the end so nobody is caught off guard.

Free live session: [the result, e.g. "Turn one lesson plan into a portfolio piece"]

[Day, date] at [time and time zone], [length] on [Zoom / Heartbeat].

You'll leave with [one thing they can use the same day].

At the end, I'll tell you about [community name], which opens that day. Feel free to skip that part if it's not for you.

Comment "[word]" and I'll send you the link.

For a challenge, replace the first two lines with: "Free [5]-day [topic] challenge, [start date] to [end date], [10 to 20] minutes a day."

Founding spots (day 5)

Post this once you know how many spots there are, the founding price and the date it ends. Give people a reason to join early that isn't a discount, like having a say in how the community is set up. Only call the spots limited if there really is a limit.

I'm opening [number] founding spots in [community name].

Founding members join at [founding price] and keep that price for as long as they stay. After [closing date], or once [number] people have joined, the price goes up to [full price].

Founding members also get a say in how it's set up. You'll [what they'll shape, e.g. choose our first workshop topic].

DM me "[word]" and I'll send you the details and answer any questions.

Behind the scenes (day 7)

Show one real thing from inside the community: the welcome post, the first lesson or the list of channels. Everyone who answers the question at the end is someone to DM.

A look inside [community name] before it opens on [date].

This is [what the screenshot shows, e.g. the first week's lesson].

I set it up this way because [one reason].

If you could ask for one thing in here, what would it be? Reply and tell me, because I'm still building it.

Doors open (day 8)

Post this right after the free session ends. Say who it's for, what's inside, when the first call is and when founding spots close, then ask people to send it to a friend.

[Community name] is open.

It's for [who it's for] who want [the result]. Inside, you get [2 or 3 specific things, e.g. a live call every Tuesday and a 4-week starter course].

Our first call together is on [date]. Founding spots are open until [closing date and time].

Join here: [link]

Know someone who keeps asking you about [topic]? Send this to them. People are far more likely to read a message from a friend than another post from me.

First member win (day 12)

Post this once a founding member, or someone from the free session, gets a result and agrees to let you share it. Use their own words and tag them. If nobody has a result yet, introduce a founding member instead, with their permission, rather than writing a win that hasn't happened.

[@member] joined [community name] [number] days ago. This week, [what they did, in their words].

[One line on what helped, e.g. the Tuesday call or a question another member answered.]

Founding spots are open until [closing date]. Comment "[word]" and I'll send you the link.

Last call (day 13)

Post this the day before founding spots close, and give the exact closing time. Instead of repeating the pitch, answer the questions people asked you this week. Only mention how many people have joined if the number helps.

Founding spots in [community name] close tomorrow, [day] at [time and time zone].

The questions I've been asked most this week:
[Question]? [One-line answer]
[Question]? [One-line answer]

Join here: [link]

Not ready yet? Join my email list here: [link], and I'll let you know when doors open again.

How to adapt them

On Instagram

Use the template as your caption, keeping the line breaks, and start with the date or the question.

• The link. In a story, tap the sticker tray, choose Link and paste in your URL. Some newer accounts don't have the link sticker yet, so put the link in your bio as well.
• Comment a word. End with "Comment [word] and I'll send you the link", then send each DM yourself. Every DM is a conversation you can pick up again on day 10.
• Stories. They disappear after 24 hours, so save your launch stories to a Highlight.
• Hashtags. Leave them off unless they already bring you followers.

On LinkedIn

• Post from your own profile, written as a note from you. A post can be up to 3,000 characters, and none of these templates needs more than a few hundred.
• Put the link in the post or in the first comment, and reply to every comment the same day.
• Tag the member in your first member win, once they've said yes.

In email, WhatsApp and groups

The calendar's last column names the email for each day. In a WhatsApp or Facebook group you already belong to, post the template as a message from you, ask people to forward it to one person who'd be interested, and check the group's rules about links first.

Using this calendar in Heartbeat

Pulse, Heartbeat's AI, can write all seven posts from two answers: what your community is about and when you open. Writing posts and emails is already the most common way the builders in our survey use AI (60% of them).¹ In Heartbeat, the posts point people to four things:

• A waitlist for founding spots. Give it a launch date (day 8), a founding price and a sign up limit. It sends a confirmation, a reminder 24 hours before launch and a launch day email, and referral credits reward members for each friend they bring. You launch it yourself when the session ends. How to create a waitlist
• A public Event for the free session. People who aren't members can RSVP, and they can sign up from the Event page if you add your Sign Up Link to it. Visibility options for Events
• A free Sign Up Link and a Course, for a challenge. The link adds people to an Access Group at no cost, and the lessons open on the dates you set. Free Sign Up Links and lesson schedules
• A Resource with email access, for the teaser's free guide. Everyone who opens it with their email shows up in your Leads. Lead magnets with a Resource

When founding spots close, change your Offer's price. The change only applies to future billing, and you decide whether founding members keep the price they joined at. Changing membership pricing

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