Welcome to TendSocial AI! This comprehensive guide will help you get the most out of the platform's powerful content creation and distribution features.
Table of Contents
- Getting Started
- Brand Guide
- Content Strategy
- Blog Studio
- Video Studio
- Social Posts
- Analytics
- Company Settings
- Settings & Integrations
- Tips & Best Practices
Getting Started
First Time Setup
Access the Application
- Navigate to the application URL
- Sign in with your credentials (or create an account if first time)
Set Up Your Company
- Click on "Company Settings" in the sidebar
- Enter your company name
- Invite team members (optional)
Set Up Your Brand Profile
- Navigate to "Brand Guide" from the sidebar
- This is the foundation for all AI-generated content
Brand Guide
The Brand Guide is where you define your brand's identity. The AI uses this information to ensure all generated content is on-brand.
Analyzing Your Brand from a Website
Navigate to Brand Guide
- Click "Brand Guide" in the sidebar
Enter Website URL
- Paste your brand's website URL
- Click "Analyze Website"
AI Analysis The system will automatically extract:
- Primary Colors - From your CSS stylesheets
- Typography - Font families used
- Brand Voice - Inferred tone and style
- Mission Statement - Derived from content
- Core Values - Extracted from about pages
Review & Refine
- The AI provides initial suggestions
- Click "Edit" on any section to customize
- Use the Brand Consultant Chat for interactive refinement
Brand Guide Sections
Visual Identity
- Primary Color: Main brand color (hex code)
- Typography: Primary font family
- Logo: Upload your logo (coming soon)
Brand Voice & Messaging
- Voice: Tone characteristics (e.g., "Professional yet conversational", "Bold and innovative")
- Mission Statement: Your company's purpose (1-2 sentences)
- Core Values: 3-5 key principles that guide your brand
Target Audience
- Ideal Client Profile (ICP): Demographics and psychographics
- Pain Points: Problems your audience faces
- Goals: What your audience wants to achieve
Using the Brand Consultant
The AI Brand Consultant helps refine your brand strategy:
- Click "Chat with Brand Consultant"
- Ask questions like:
- "Help me refine my mission statement"
- "What values should a B2B SaaS company emphasize?"
- "How can I make my brand voice more approachable?"
- The consultant provides suggestions you can apply directly
Content Strategy
Strategic Roadmap
The Strategic Roadmap helps you plan long-term content campaigns.
Creating a Campaign
Navigate to Strategy
- Click "Strategy" in the sidebar
- Click "New Campaign"
Define Campaign
- Name: e.g., "Q1 2025 Product Launch"
- Theme: Central topic or focus
- Duration: Start and end dates
- Platforms: Select target platforms (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, etc.)
Generate Ideas
- Click "Generate Campaign Ideas"
- The AI creates:
- Blog post topics
- Video script concepts
- Social media themes
- All aligned with your Brand Guide and ICP
Campaign Calendar
- Monthly View: See all campaigns and their content
- Drag & Drop: Reorganize blog ideas and videos
- Status Tracking: Draft → In Progress → Scheduled → Published
Blog Studio
The Blog Studio is a markdown editor with AI superpowers.
Creating a New Blog Post
Navigate to Blog Studio
- Click "Blog Studio" in sidebar
- Click "New Blog Post"
Start from an Idea
- Select an idea from your Campaign calendar, OR
- Create a new topic manually
AI-Assisted Writing The AI will generate:
- Full markdown content
- SEO-ready frontmatter (title, description, tags)
- Proper heading hierarchy
- On-brand tone and voice
Editing Features
Text Refinement Tools
- Expand: Make a section more detailed
- Shorten: Condense verbose text
- Fix Grammar: Correct spelling and grammar
- Format Markdown: Clean up markdown syntax
To use:
- Highlight text in the editor
- Click the desired tool from the toolbar
- Review AI suggestions and apply
Blog Assistant Chat
For more complex edits:
- Click "Chat with Blog Assistant"
- Ask for help:
- "Add a section about the benefits"
- "Rewrite the intro to be more engaging"
- "Add statistics to support this claim"
Frontmatter
Every blog includes SEO-optimized frontmatter:
---
title: "Your Compelling Title"
description: "SEO meta description (150-160 chars)"
date: 2025-01-15
tags: ["Marketing", "AI", "Content Strategy"]
author: "Your Name"
image: "/images/blog/cover.jpg"
---Edit frontmatter directly or use the "Edit Metadata" button.
Generating Cover Images
- Click "Generate Cover Image"
- The AI creates a prompt based on the blog content
- Review the image generated with Imagen 4.0
- Regenerate with custom prompts if needed
- Click "Use This Image"
Publishing Options
- Save Draft: Keep working on it later
- Schedule: Set a publish date/time
- Publish Now: Mark as complete
- Export: Download as
.mdfile - Push to Git: Send to GitHub/GitLab repo (see Git Integration)
Video Studio
Transform concepts into structured YouTube scripts.
Creating a Video Script
Navigate to Video Studio
- Click "Video Studio" in sidebar
- Click "New Video Script"
Enter Concept
- Title: "How to Use AI for Content Marketing"
- Select campaign (optional)
- Click "Generate Script"
Video Script Structure
AI generates a complete script with:
1. Hook (0:00-0:15)
- Attention-grabbing opening
- Teases the value
2. Introduction (0:15-0:45)
- Introduces the topic
- Establishes credibility
- Previews key points
3. Main Content
- Structured sections (3-5 key points)
- Includes transitions
- Maintains engagement
4. Call to Action (CTA)
- Clear next steps
- Links and resources
- Subscribe/follow prompt
Editing Scripts
- Edit any section: Click on text to edit inline
- Regenerate sections: Click "Regenerate" for a specific part
- Adjust tone: Use the assistant to make it more casual/formal
- Add B-Roll notes: Insert visual cues for editing
Thumbnail Generation
- Click "Generate Thumbnail"
- AI creates an eye-catching thumbnail based on video topic
- Customize with different prompts
- Download for YouTube upload
Social Posts
Transform long-form content into platform-optimized social posts.
Generating Social Posts from Blogs
Open a Published Blog
- Go to Blog Studio
- Select a published post
Click "Generate Social Posts"
- AI creates optimized posts for:
- LinkedIn: Professional tone, 1-2 paragraphs
- X (Twitter): Concise thread or single post
- Instagram: Visual-first caption with hashtags
- Facebook: Conversational, community-focused
- AI creates optimized posts for:
Review Generated Posts Each post includes:
- Platform-specific copy
- Optimal hashtags
- Image prompt for graphics
- Best posting times
Customizing Social Posts
- Edit Copy: Click to edit any post
- Generate Image: Create platform-specific graphics
- Add Your Media: Upload custom images
- Schedule: Set publish date/time
Multi-Platform Publishing
Review All Posts
- Check each platform's content
- Ensure images are optimized
Schedule Strategically
- Use AI optimizer: Click "Optimize Schedule"
- AI distributes posts across optimal times
- Manual override: Drag posts to specific dates/times
Publish
- Automated (coming soon): Direct publish via API integrations
- Manual: Copy posts and publish manually
- Export: Download all posts as a bundle
Analytics
Track your content performance across platforms.
Dashboard Overview
The Analytics dashboard shows:
- Total Posts: Published content count
- Engagement Rate: Average across platforms
- Reach: Total impressions
- Growth Trends: Follower/engagement over time
Platform Breakdown
View metrics by platform:
- LinkedIn: Impressions, clicks, engagement
- X (Twitter): Retweets, likes, replies
- Instagram: Likes, comments, saves, shares
- Facebook: Reactions, shares, comments
Campaign Performance
- Filter by Campaign: See specific campaign results
- Compare Campaigns: Identify top performers
- Export Reports: Download CSV for deeper analysis
Note: Current analytics use mock data for demonstration. Production version requires social media API integrations.
Company Settings
Roles & Permissions
TendSocial AI supports team collaboration with role-based access:
| Role | Permissions |
|---|---|
| Owner | Full access, billing, delete company |
| Admin | Manage users, content, settings (no billing) |
| Editor | Create and edit content, publish |
| Viewer | Read-only access to content and analytics |
Managing Team Members
Navigate to Company Settings
- Click Settings icon in sidebar
- Go to "Team" tab
Invite Members
- Click "Invite Member"
- Enter email address
- Select role
- Send invitation
Modify Permissions
- Click on a team member
- Change role
- Remove access if needed
Billing & Subscription
View Current Plan
- Navigate to "Billing" tab
- See plan details and usage
Upgrade/Downgrade
- Click "Change Plan"
- Select new tier:
- Starter: 1 user, 10 posts/month
- Professional: 5 users, 100 posts/month
- Enterprise: Unlimited users, posts, priority support
Usage Tracking
- Monitor AI token usage
- View storage consumption
- Track API calls
Settings & Integrations
Git Integration
Push blog posts directly to your static site repository.
Setting Up GitHub/GitLab
- Navigate to Settings → Integrations
- Click Settings icon in sidebar
- Click "Connect Git Provider"
- Authenticate with GitHub or GitLab
- Select Repository for blog content
- Configure Paths:
- Content Path: Where markdown files go (e.g.,
/content/blog) - Image Path: Where images are stored (e.g.,
/public/images)
- Content Path: Where markdown files go (e.g.,
Publishing to Git
When editing a blog:
- Click "Publish to Git"
- Select target repository
- Choose branch (main/develop)
- Add commit message
- Click "Push"
The blog markdown and images are committed to your repo, triggering your SSG build (11ty, Hugo, Jekyll, etc.).
Social Media Integrations (Coming Soon)
Future integrations for direct posting:
- LinkedIn API
- X (Twitter) API
- Instagram Graph API
- Facebook Graph API
API Key Management
- Navigate to Settings → API Keys
- Google Cloud API Key:
- Used for Gemini and Imagen models
- Rotate regularly for security
- Social Platform Keys (future):
- Stored encrypted
- Per-user or company-wide
Tips & Best Practices
For Best AI Results
Complete Brand Guide First
- The more detailed your brand profile, the better the AI output
- Spend time on mission, values, and ICP
Provide Context to AI Assistants
- Instead of "Make this better"
- Try: "Rewrite this intro to target small business owners and emphasize ROI"
Iterate on Generated Content
- AI provides a strong first draft
- Your expertise and editing add the final polish
Content Strategy
Plan Campaigns in Advance
- Use the quarterly calendar view
- Align with product launches, seasons, events
Repurpose Content
- Start with a blog post
- Generate social posts
- Create video script from blog
- Maximize each piece of content
Consistency Over Volume
- Better to publish 2 high-quality posts per week
- Than 10 rushed, off-brand posts
Social Media
Platform-Specific Optimization
- Don't just copy-paste across platforms
- Use the AI-generated platform-specific versions
Engage with Your Audience
- Publishing is just the start
- Monitor comments and respond (outside the app)
Track What Works
- Review analytics weekly
- Double down on high-performing topics
Workflow Efficiency
Batch Content Creation
- Generate multiple blog ideas at once
- Write several drafts in one session
- Schedule a month of social posts at a time
Use Templates
- Save successful blog structures
- Reuse campaign frameworks
Collaborate Effectively
- Editors write drafts
- Admins review and schedule
- Owners track ROI
Keyboard Shortcuts
Speed up your workflow with shortcuts (coming soon):
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New Blog Post | Ctrl+N / Cmd+N |
| Save Draft | Ctrl+S / Cmd+S |
| Open Command Palette | Ctrl+K / Cmd+K |
| Toggle Sidebar | Ctrl+B / Cmd+B |
| Expand Selection | Ctrl+E / Cmd+E |
Getting Help
- In-App Chat Assistants: Use Brand Consultant and Blog Assistant for content help
- Documentation: Check other docs in
/docsfolder - Support: Contact support@tendsocial.ai (coming soon)
- Community: Join our Discord/Slack (coming soon)
Happy Content Creating! 🚀
Last Updated: November 2025