/collabs-and-cross-promotion

name: collabs-and-cross-promotion
description: >-
  Creator collabs and cross-promotion — organic creator-to-creator partnerships that swap
  audiences. Use when someone wants to set up a collab, audience swap, cross-promotion, shoutout
  swap, joint giveaway, guest spot, joint video/series, a YouTube/IG collab post, or co-promo with
  another creator. Picks a complementary, similar-size, values-aligned partner, agrees the plan
  before creating, and co-creates shared-value content (not a bare shoutout) on a coordinated
  schedule. Uses the UNITE framework. Reads brand-profile + goals-and-kpis first. WoopSocial
  publishes each partner's OWN posts to their OWN
  accounts; it does NOT create native IG Collab co-authored posts, run giveaways, duet/stitch, or
  manage the agreement. A pure mutual collab isn't a sponsorship, but
  payment/free product makes it one -> disclose -> ugc-and-influencer; partnerships must be genuine;
  metrics never fabricated. Distinct from ugc-and-influencer (brand->creator) and
  creator-monetization (the creator's income).
version: 1.0.0

collabs-and-cross-promotion

A **strategy/relationship skill** — pick the partner, plan the cross-promo, write both sides. The agent **advises + drafts + plans**; **WoopSocial publishes each partner's own posts** on the coordinated schedule; the **co-created content + the relationship are native/human.**

The POV: mutuality, complementary partners, plan before you create

A collab's defining trait is **mutuality** — both creators contribute **and** both promote. That's what separates it from a sponsorship (a paid mention) and from brand→creator UGC. The growth comes from a **complementary-not-competing, similar-size (0.5–2×), values-aligned** partner — and from **agreeing the cross-promo plan before anyone creates.** Be honest about the shift: **bare shoutouts barely move the needle now** — **shared value beats shared exposure**, so co-create something real. WoopSocial's job is the coordinated **publish** of **each side's own posts**; the co-created content and the relationship are not things a scheduler can make.

Read these first

1. **brand-profile** — niche / audience / values (for fit). 2. **goals-and-kpis** — the growth goal + the success metric (subs/followers per source).

The framework: UNITE

(Depth: `references/the-unite-framework.md`.)

• **U — Understand the fit:** complementary not competing; 0.5–2× size; values-aligned + authentic

(audiences spot fakes).

• **N — Negotiate the plan up front:** before creating, agree format + who-does-what + timing + the CTA +

what each says; reach out 3–4 weeks ahead; low-risk format for a first collab.

• **I — Invest in shared value:** co-create real value (match format to effort/goal); shared value beats a

bare shoutout; quality protects both. *(Co-created content is native/with the partner.)*

• **T — Tag + cross-promote:** mention/tag the partner (title / first ~50 chars) + one CTA; coordinated

publish (WoopSocial publishes each side's own posts); ~1–2 collabs/month.

• **E — Evaluate + escalate:** track per-source (CTR / subs / retention); escalate if it works

(shoutout → giveaway → content collab → co-product); never fabricate.

The reality (verify-quarterly)

Mutuality as the defining trait (vs sponsorship / brand-UGC); partner fit (complementary, 0.5–2×, values + authenticity); format effort tiers + the shoutouts-fade/shared-value-wins shift; cross-promo mechanics (plan before creating, mention + title/first-50-chars, one CTA, ~1–2/month, 3–4 weeks lead); platform features (IG native Collab, TikTok duet/stitch, YouTube's native Collaboration [up to 5 channels on one video — native], giveaways, email/content swaps); escalation ladder; disclosure rule: `references/collabs-2026-reality.md`. Format menu, the cross-promo checklist, the outreach template + worked examples: `references/collab-formats-and-recipes.md`.

Honest scope (never violate)

• **The agent** picks the partner, chooses the format, **drafts the outreach**, plans the cross-promo, and

**writes each partner's posts.**

• **WoopSocial publishes each partner's OWN posts to their OWN accounts** (mention in the caption) on the

agreed schedule. It does **not** create a **native IG Collab co-authored post**, **run giveaway mechanics**, **duet/stitch**, **DM to find/pitch partners** (no DM surface), or **manage the agreement** — the **co-created content + the relationship are native/human.**

• A **pure mutual collab is not a sponsorship** (no #ad); **payment/free product → sponsorship → disclose**

(→ `ugc-and-influencer`/`creator-monetization`). **Genuine partnerships only** — no bought/faked engagement; **never fabricate metrics.** (Scope, distinctions + connections: `references/scope-and-connections.md`.)

Distinct from its siblings (route correctly)

**collabs-and-cross-promotion (this)** = creator-to-creator MUTUAL partnership (unpaid; both promote) · **ugc-and-influencer** = brand→creator (paid/licensed, disclosed) · **creator-monetization** = the creator's own income · **social-selling-and-dm** = the DM outreach mechanics (can pitch a partner) · **campaign-and-launch-planning** = the campaign wrapper a collab may sit inside.

Where this connects

Reads first: **brand-profile**, **goals-and-kpis**. Pairs with: **caption-writer**/**hook-writer** + the **format skills** (each side's posts), **social-selling-and-dm** (the outreach conversation), **email-and-newsletter** (newsletter swaps). Publishes via: **scheduling-and-queue → WoopSocial** (each partner's own posts, coordinated) + **platform-specs-and-validation** (validate each post); **content-calendar** slots the ~1–2/month cadence. Measures with: **analytics-and-reporting** (per-source CTR/subs/retention). Co-created content + the relationship + any required disclosure stay native/human.

Definition of done

A complementary, not-competing, 0.5–2×-size, values-aligned partner identified; a cross-promo plan agreed *b