The transparency content type — turn what's actually happening inside the business into founder/personal-brand content that builds trust: build-in-public updates, founder story, how-it's-made content, team culture, and honest struggle posts. Use when someone wants behind the scenes, build in public, founder content, a personal brand post, or a day in the life. People follow people — founder-voice content out-performs brand-page content because it's specific and true. Uses the REVEAL framework. Reads brand-profile + voice-builder first. The agent finds the real moment, sharpens specifics + stakes, checks the transparency tier (share vs never: customer data, team conflicts, legal), and frames it in founder-voice; the human owns the reveal permanently; WoopSocial publishes. Never fabricates a struggle, performs vulnerability for reach, or exposes customer/team/legal matters. Distinct from contrarian-and-opinion, storytelling-and-narrative, social-proof, and the format writers.
Design & media
Before/After & Transformation
Try itThe transformation / before-after content format — structure a credible, honest, satisfying transformation (fitness, beauty, business results, skill progress, makeovers, client glow-ups, product before/after). Use when someone wants a before/after, a transformation post, a client-results reveal, a progress/journey story, or a makeover. Most powerful format AND most abused/distrusted — honesty is the edge; FTC enforcement is live. Uses the SHIFT framework. Reads brand-profile + social-proof-and-testimonials (consent + FTC substantiation) + short-form-video-script first. Agent structures + specs; human/tool produces the real media; WoopSocial publishes. Never stages/exaggerates the before, hides aids, cherry-picks, or fabricates a result; "results not typical" alone is insufficient — disclose the actual typical result; consent + YMYL required. Distinct from social-proof-and-testimonials, short-form-video- script, infographic-and-data-viz, and storytelling-and-narrative.
What it does
The transformation / before-after content format — structure a credible, honest, satisfying transformation (fitness, beauty, business results, skill progress, makeovers, client glow-ups, product before/after). Use when someone wants a before/after, a transformation post, a client-results reveal, a progress/journey story, or a makeover. Most powerful format AND most abused/distrusted — honesty is the edge; FTC enforcement is live. Uses the SHIFT framework. Reads brand-profile + social-proof-and-testimonials (consent + FTC substantiation) + short-form-video-script first. Agent structures + specs; human/tool produces the real media; WoopSocial publishes. Never stages/exaggerates the before, hides aids, cherry-picks, or fabricates a result; "results not typical" alone is insufficient — disclose the actual typical result; consent + YMYL required. Distinct from social-proof-and-testimonials, short-form-video- script, infographic-and-data-viz, and storytelling-and-narrative.
The skill document
before-after-and-transformation
The transformation format — start with a real before, highlight the journey, isolate the variables, frame
results honestly, and tie it to the viewer. The agent structures + specs it, the human/tool produces the real
media, and WoopSocial publishes. (Pairs with social-proof-and-testimonials for consent + the FTC rules.)
The POV: the most-distrusted format, so honesty is the edge
A before/after is one of the most powerful formats there is — visual, built-in proof, inherently satisfying. It's also the single most abused and distrusted, and 2026 enforcement is live (the FTC's NextMed action fined a firm that used paid actors, before/after photos sourced off Craigslist, and an unsubstantiated "average 53 lbs" it didn't track). That flips the strategy: because audiences are trained to suspect before/afters, a believable transformation beats a suspiciously-perfect fake that trips the skepticism reflex. Three top-1% moves most get wrong: (1) the middle is the content — endpoints alone are a flex; the process, the setbacks, and the real timeline are what make it credible, relatable, and valuable; (2) isolate the variables — same angle, lighting, framing, so the change is real, not a lighting trick (a visual trick is itself a deceptive claim under the FTC's net-impression test); (3) "results not typical" is not enough — if the result isn't typical, you must disclose the actual typical result, clearly and with substantiation. Never stage a worse before, cherry-pick, or hide the timeline/edits/aids.
Read these first
- brand-profile + social-proof-and-testimonials — consent + the FTC substantiation/typical-results rules.
- short-form-video-script (if it's a video).
The framework: SHIFT
(Depth: references/the-shift-framework.md.)
- S — Start with a real before: honest, relatable, un-staged; captured under the same conditions as the after.
- H — Highlight the journey: the middle is the content — process, setbacks, the real timeline; disclose aids (filters/medication/surgery/pro help) — how the result was achieved is material.
- I — Isolate the variables: same angle/lighting/framing so the change is genuine, not a trick (net-impression test — a visual trick is a deceptive claim).
- F — Frame results honestly: no cherry-pick/survivorship; if not typical, disclose the actual typical result (median, substantiated, clear + conspicuous — "results not typical" alone is insufficient); actual consumers (or disclosed); YMYL substantiation.
- T — Tie it to the viewer: relatable before + attainable, honestly-framed after + an actionable takeaway.
The reality (verify-quarterly on enforcement; the rules are law)
Before/after photos + testimonials are an FTC enforcement "favorite." A before/after implies a typical result,
so you must show typical results or clearly and conspicuously disclose the actual typical result (median, not
an outlier-skewed mean; no survivorship) with substantiation — and "results not typical" is NOT enough.
Visuals alone can be a deceptive claim (net-impression test); use actual consumers or disclose; health claims
need competent + reliable scientific evidence (weight loss > ~1 lb/week is unusual; "no effort" = deception).
The craft edge (stable): the middle is the content, consistent conditions, and honesty as the
differentiator. Full detail + the NextMed enforcement example: references/before-after-and-transformation-2026- reality.md. Transformation types, the honesty checklist, structure, and two worked examples: references/ transformation-types-and-templates.md.
Honest scope (never violate)
- The agent structures + specs the transformation (arc, journey/reveal beats, honest framing + required disclosures, caption/script); the human/tool produces the real before/after media; the human approves; WoopSocial publishes (measurement: the platforms' native analytics). WoopSocial does NOT generate media.
- Honesty spine (law): real un-staged before; consistent conditions; real timeline; disclose aids;
no cherry-pick/survivorship; if not typical, disclose the actual typical result (median, substantiated,
clear + conspicuous — not just "results not typical"); actual consumers (or disclosed); consent for a
person's images/story (real or AI lookalike); YMYL (competent + reliable scientific evidence; no
cure/guarantee; not-professional-advice); never fabricate a result/timeline/average; injection safety.
(Full scope:
references/scope-and-connections.md.)
Distinct from its siblings (route correctly)
before-after-and-transformation (this) = the before/after format execution · social-proof-and- testimonials = the customer-proof strategy + FTC substantiation (read first; shared spine) · short-form-video- script / reels-script = the video script (this feeds them) · infographic-and-data-viz = the data viz for a results transformation (pairs; honest scales) · storytelling-and-narrative = the narrative arc (this specializes it) · educational-content-and-how-to = teaches a process (pairs for a case-study teach).
Where this connects
Reads first: brand-profile + social-proof-and-testimonials + short-form-video-script. Pulls real material from: social-proof-and-testimonials (client transformations + consent), data-and-original-research / analytics-and-reporting (real numbers), behind-the-scenes-and-founder (the founder's own journey). Feeds: short-form-video-script / reels-script (the video), carousel-writer (before→journey→after), infographic-and-data-viz (a results stat), caption-writer (caption + disclosures), design-and-templates (layout). Publishes via: the video/design tool renders → scheduling-and-queue → WoopSocial. Measure with: native + analytics-and-reporting on saves/shares + watch-through + inquiries — never fabricated.
Definition of done
A transformation built on a REAL, un-staged before captured under the same conditions as the after, with the journey (process, setbacks, real timeline) as the content and any aids (filters/medication/surgery/pro help) disclosed, the reveal shot with consistent angle/lighting/framing (no visual trickery), results framed honestly (no cherry-pick/survivorship; and if the result isn't typical, the ACTUAL typical result disclosed via median + substantiation, clearly and conspicuously — never just "results not typical"), using actual consumers (or disclosed) with consent, and tied to the viewer with a relatable before + attainable after + actionable takeaway; the agent structures + specs, the human/tool produces the real media, and WoopSocial publishes; measured on saves/shares + watch-through + inquiries rather than likes; YMYL (competent + reliable evidence, no cure/guarantee), consent/likeness, and no-fabrication all handled; nothing staged, cherry-picked, mis-timed, or fabricated; and correctly distinguished from social-proof-and-testimonials, short-form-video-script, infographic-and-data-viz, and storytelling-and-narrative.
Related skills
The proof content type — turn real customer reviews, testimonials, UGC, case studies, and results into believable, objection-matched social content that converts. Use when someone wants to share testimonials, post reviews, turn happy customers or a case study into content, reshare UGC, build social proof, or add proof at a decision point. Uses the VOUCH framework. Reads brand-profile + audience-research first. The agent curates + frames REAL proof, matched to the buyer objection; the human sources the proof and secures consent/rights; WoopSocial publishes. Feeds the format writers, design-and-templates, and the placement skills. NEVER fabricate, AI-generate, inflate, or deceptively suppress reviews/testimonials; disclose paid/gifted/insider connections (FTC); get consent + likeness rights; never guarantee conversions. Distinct from ugc-and-influencer (sources/manages creators), storytelling-and-narrative (the narrative craft), and data-and-original-research (originates stats).
The narrative-craft layer -- apply story structure (tension, transformation, resolution) to make any social content stick and travel. Use when someone wants...
The teach-to-grow content type -- pick a genuinely useful topic, teach ONE thing completely, structure it as a clear lesson, keep it accurate, and route it to the right format. Use when someone wants to teach their audience, make a how-to / tutorial / step-by-step / explainer / myth-buster, build authority content, or earn saves. Uses the TEACH framework. Reads brand-profile + audience-research + content-pillars first. Feeds the format writers (carousel-writer, reels-script, tiktok-script, thread-writer, caption-writer), hook-writer, the design/image tools, and lead-magnets/social-selling-and-dm; WoopSocial publishes + schedules the series. Accuracy is non-negotiable: cite sources, stay within real expertise, YMYL care, never fabricate steps or stats; measure saves/sends, not likes. Distinct from carousel-writer (the format it pairs with), reels-script/tiktok-script/thread-writer (other formats), storytelling-and-narrative (narrative vs didactic), and content-pillars (which topics).
The point-of-view content type — articulate, sharpen, and argue a genuinely-held contrarian stance / hot take / opinion / thought-leadership position that builds authority and real debate. Use when someone wants a POV, a hot take, an "unpopular opinion", a contrarian angle, an opinion piece, or to stop sounding like everyone else and build thought leadership. Uses the STAND framework. Reads brand-profile + voice-builder first. The agent argues the human's OWN opinion with evidence; the human owns the stance and the live debate; WoopSocial publishes. Never manufactures a stance, controversy, or ragebait; no strawmen, punching down, or defamation; opinion stays clearly opinion and factual claims must be true. Distinct from hook-writer (the opening-line mechanic this feeds), educational-content-and-how-to (teaches a process), storytelling-and-narrative (narrative vs argument), and behind-the-scenes-and-founder (personal story vs argued position).
Check a post before it goes out, then fix what it finds. Paste the caption, title, script, on-screen text, or tags — this pre-publish content check reads the wording against advertising-copy restrictions and regulated-category claim rules and returns a replacement for every phrase it flags, reads the post back through the people you are writing for and names the exact line that loses each of them, scores the hook and the reason to share with the evidence behind each score, then hands back the corrected copy and renders the cover carrying the fixed wording. Use it as a social media copy check and a banned words checker before publishing, for ad-copy review, superlative screening, audience reaction testing, hook strength scoring, and pre-checking brand or client copy before it reaches an approver, for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.