Three Week Campaign Masterclass
Why I Swear By The Three Week Social Media Campaign
The TLDR of it all
Three weeks is the sweet spot. Long enough to shape the conversation, short enough that people don’t get sick of you. It gives everyone time to see the message, sit with it, talk about it, & decide to plug in. It also gives your partners time to hop in, hype you up, repost, collaborate, or add their story to the mix. Don’t take my word for it, it’s what I subconsciously adhered to while building Oregonizers from scratch after suffering a 2016 TBI & 2020 stroke. (It’s worth noting, at one point, I ran the 8th largest website on the internet....before my TBI)
Why three weeks works
A three week window hits that magic overlap of marketing logic & human behavior.
Marketing folks say it takes 5 to 7 touches before something sticks in someone’s mind.
Human psychology says it takes about 21 days for a habit to form.
So if you want people to show up, donate, RSVP, read something, or even just remember who you are, you need to show up consistently over time. Not in a spammy blast of seven posts in one day. Not a single lonely announcement & then radio silence. Slow drip. Steady cadence (IYKYK). A rhythm people can ride.
Three weeks gives you:
Time to introduce the thing
Time to educate people about why it matters
Time to build curiosity
Time to answer questions
Time to remind folks
Time for partners to join in & amplify
Time to pivot when something new pops up
It also lets your audience breathe. You’re not that cursed YouTube ad that plays every ten minutes until people want to throw their phones (Looking at you, Dan Rayfield, GenZOregonizers still has a bone to pick with you, though they DO love what you’re doing in office, so they’re close to forgiving you). You’re showing up in new ways, with fresh angles & useful info.
The 12 post rhythm
A three week campaign works beautifully as a 12 post cycle. Think of it like a drumbeat.
Week 1: Mon | Wed | Fri | Sun
Week 2: Tues | Thu | Sat | Mon
Week 3: Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat
This keeps the early messages spaced out, then ramps up as you get closer to the big moment, whether that moment is an event, a vote, your launch, your fundraiser deadline, or the drop of a key article.
Each post should do something a little different. Some teach. Some hype. Some invite. Some highlight someone else. Some pull in questions from the comments. Some ask for support. Throw in a reel or a TikTok, a carousel, a quote graphic, a behind the scenes moment, a collaborator tag. You’re giving people multiple entry points into the same story.
Collaborators make the whole thing actually work
Social media isn’t a solo sport. A coordinated three week campaign gives your allies time to join in.
Places you can enlist help:
Instagram collaborators
Facebook groups & pages your partners run
Twitter warrooms
Bluesky feeds
Slack or Signal org channels
Newsletters
Text banks
Give your partners caption prompts. Give them graphics. Give them a sample post. Give them something easy to copy paste. Lower the friction so they can boost you without having to reinvent the wheel.
Also, use your comments section strategically. If you want partners to highlight something, leave a comment prompt they can respond to. Think of the comments like the back room where momentum gets nourished.
Three detailed examples
Below are three full mini calendars: one for a political campaign, one for a nonprofit fundraiser, & one for a legislative testimony push.
Example One: Political Campaign Launch
Goal: Build awareness, drive RSVPs for launch event, raise early money, & frame the candidate’s narrative.
Sample 12 post calendar
Week 1 Mon: Announcement teaser. Photo of candidate getting ready. Caption: something’s coming.
Week 1 Wed: Soft intro. Who they are & why they’re running. Link to website.
Week 1 Fri: Issue highlight. Pick one issue your base cares about. Break it down simply.
Week 1 Mon: Partner post. Collaborator tags from local groups.
Week 2 Tue: First fundraising ask. Keep it warm & personal.
Week 2 Thu: Behind the scenes. Volunteer night, kitchen table planning, whatever.
Week 2 Sat: Full event RSVP push.
Week 2 Mon: FAQ. Answer the questions folks keep asking.
Week 3 Wed: Highlight an endorsement.
Week 3 Thu: Another RSVP push with fresh language.
Week 3 Fri: Final fundraising sprint.
Week 3 Sat: Event day wrap, gratitude, photos.
Sample posts
Week 1 Mon (Teaser): Photo: Candidate lacing up shoes or prepping notes.
Caption: “Something big is loading. Stay tuned.”
Week 1 Wed (Intro): Photo: Candidate in their community.
Caption: “Hi. I’m running because our district deserves someone who listens. Here’s what pushed me to step up. [link]”
Week 1 Fri (Issue Highlight): Graphic: Key issue breakdown.
Caption: “Let’s talk housing. Here’s what’s broken and how we fix it.”
Week 1 Mon (Partner Boost): Photo or graphic.
Caption: “Grateful to be organizing alongside these folks. Their work inspires ours. Tag your local partners.”
Example Two: Nonprofit Fundraiser
Goal: Raise money, tell stories, & show real impact.
Sample 12 post calendar
Week 1 Mon: Save the date for the fundraiser window.
Week 1 Wed: Story of someone impacted by the org.
Week 1 Fri: What donations do in real life.
Week 1 Mon: Partner shoutout.
Week 2 Tue: First donation ask.
Week 2 Thu: Behind the scenes at the org.
Week 2 Sat: Media clip or testimonial.
Week 2 Mon: FAQ about how money is used.
Week 3 Wed: Big impact story.
Week 3 Thu: Second donation ask.
Week 3 Fri: Matching donor announcement.
Week 3 Sat: Final push & thank you.
Example Three: Legislative Issue & Public Testimony Push
Goal: Educate the public, drive awareness of the hearings, & get testimony submitted.
Sample 12 post calendar
Week 1 Mon: Intro to the bill, what it does.
Week 1 Wed: What problem the bill solves.
Week 1 Fri: Who’s affected.
Week 1 Mon: Partner organizations weigh in.
Week 2 Tue: Testimony 101 how to do it.
Week 2 Thu: Sample testimony.
Week 2 Sat: Stories from impacted people.
Week 2 Mon: Deadline reminder.
Week 3 Wed: Boost a legislator supporting the bill.
Week 3 Thu: Big call to action to submit testimony.
Week 3 Fri: Behind the scenes at the hearing.
Week 3 Sat: Wrap up & next steps.
Pulling it off in real life
A three week campaign is predictable enough to plan but flexible enough to adapt.
Here’s what you do to keep it humming:
Check your comments daily
Respond & engage so the algorithm keeps you visible
Tag collaborators often
Reshare their posts too
Drop the campaign message into partner Slacks or Signals
Give people caption prompts, talking points, One-Pagers so they can lift you up (don’t expect people to know what you need from them without guidance)
Watch your analytics & adjust messaging midstream
You’re cultivating attention. You’re building a drumbeat. You’re giving people multiple ways to enter the conversation.
This is the rhythm I use for campaigns, orgs, fundraisers, rapid response, Substack drops, literally any moment where we need to shift public attention & build consensus.
Three weeks is where the magic happens. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a Voter Registration campaign to build out & schedule encouraging folks to run for down ballot office by the Oregon March 8th 2026 Election filing deadline.
This framework is genuinley brilliant. The sweet spot insight resonates deeply - I've seen so many campaigns burn out after week one because they frontload everything. I dunno, theres something almost musical about the 12-post rhythm you lay out, like youre composing attention rather than demanding it. Last year I helped with a local ballot measur and we totally ignored the cadance piece, ended up with this weird silence in week two that killed momentum. The partner coordination piece feels especialy critical in an era where algorithms punish inconsistancy.