Using Playbooks

What is a playbook?

A playbook is a post format that top accounts are using right now: the kind of hook, the structure, the length, and how it ends. It describes the shape of a post, never its words. Your drafts still sound like you.

For example, a LinkedIn playbook might describe a hook that states a number, a short numbered list with a line of explanation for each item, and a closing question. Karrow writes that shape with your issue’s content, in your publication’s voice.

Playbooks show what’s working for others. They’re a strong starting point, not a promise of reach.

You can see which format each AI draft used: it’s the label at the top of the draft’s card and in the editor, for example Hook & payoff or Story arc.

Where do playbooks come from?

Karrow builds them by studying top-performing public posts on each platform and working out the shape they have in common. The library is refreshed once a week.

It’s one library for everyone, not built per publication or per niche, because a good format carries across topics. Only the shape is shared; your voice always comes from your own issues.

Each playbook card shows its platform, its name, a one-line summary, and how many example posts it was drawn from. The library lists playbooks seen in the last 10 days, plus older ones that are still popular, plus any you’ve saved, with the most popular first. If nothing has been found yet, the page says “The library is filling up”.

Browse the library

1. 1Open Playbooks from the sidebar.
2. 2Search, or filter by platform with the chips. Search looks at each playbook’s name, its summary, and its shape. Only platforms that have playbooks get a chip.
3. 3Use All, Saved, and Not saved to narrow the list by what you’ve saved.
4. 4Open a playbook to see “The shape” and real example posts that use it, under “See top performing posts with this playbook”.

If a playbook’s page says its source posts are no longer available, you can still save it and draft with its shape.

Do I need Pro to use Playbooks?

You can browse every playbook on any plan; saving playbooks and drafting with a saved one are part of Karrow Pro. On the free plan, clicking Save playbook opens the upgrade window instead.

Every AI draft already uses the library on any plan. When you don’t pick a playbook, Karrow gives the AI the top formats for each channel and lets it choose the ones that fit your issue best. If the library has nothing for a channel yet, Karrow uses its own built-in formats for that platform.

If your workspace moves back to the free plan, your saved playbooks stay saved, but drafting with one shows “Saved playbooks are a Pro feature. Upgrade to use them.” Drafting without a pick still works.

Save the ones you like

Click Save playbook on any playbook, or the bookmark icon on its card, to keep it. Click again to remove it. Saved playbooks are shared with everyone in your workspace, and the Saved filter shows just those. Saving playbooks is part of Karrow Pro.

A saved playbook stays in your library even after it drops out of the current list, so a format you like doesn’t disappear when it stops trending.

Over time, your saved list becomes your workspace’s short list: the formats you’ve found suit your publications, ready to pick the next time anyone on your team drafts from an issue.

How do I draft with a specific playbook?

Save it first, then pick it under “Use a saved playbook (optional)” when you draft from an issue. That channel’s drafts will follow the format you chose. Here is each step.

1. 1Click New post and pick an issue.
2. 2Choose your channels.
3. 3Under Use a saved playbook, pick one for a channel. That channel’s drafts will follow the format you chose; other channels use the best formats from the library.
4. 4Click Draft options.

Good to know when steering drafts

Only saved playbooks for the channels you’ve selected appear in the list, so pick your channels first. If you haven’t saved any yet, the room says “Bookmark playbooks in Playbooks to steer these drafts.”

You can pick more than one playbook for the same channel. That channel’s options are then drawn only from the shapes you picked. Ask for more options than you picked playbooks and some shapes are used more than once, each with a different angle.

Your pick applies to that one draft run. Regenerate, and Generate with AI under Add channel, go back to the library’s top formats for that channel.

Match the playbook to the issue. A format built on a surprising number needs a real number in your issue, because Karrow won’t invent one. A numbered-list format needs an issue with several separate points. A story format works best when the issue has a moment or a decision to tell. When nothing fits, leave the pick empty and let Karrow choose.