# Social app PRD template — spec the feed before you build it

> Generate a build-ready social or community app spec: feed model, follows/relationships, moderation, and a prioritized feature list — free to start.

Canonical: https://draftlytic.com/prd-templates/social-app
Last updated: 2026-07-11

Social and community apps have one decision that shapes everything else: what's the core relationship between users, and what shows up in the feed because of it? Follow-based, group-based, or a flat public timeline each need a different data model — and moderation, which most PRD templates skip entirely, needs deciding before launch, not after your first reported post.

Draftlytic asks about your relationship model, feed ranking, and moderation approach directly, then generates a structured, editable spec: a typed data model for posts, relationships, and reports, a prioritized feature list, and a navigation map ready for Claude Code, Cursor, or any AI coding tool.

## The data model a social app can't skip

Posts, comments, and reactions are the easy part. The decisions that actually shape a social app are the relationship model (follow, friend/mutual, or group membership) and how the feed is assembled from it — reverse-chronological, ranked, or algorithmic. Draftlytic's typed data model captures User, Post, Relationship, and Report as distinct entities, so your AI coding tool builds a schema that can represent a follow graph or group membership properly instead of collapsing everything into generic 'connections'.

Moderation is the piece most templates leave out. Draftlytic surfaces it as an explicit spec section: what can be reported, what happens to a reported post while it's under review, and whether there's a human-review queue or automated filtering — captured as constraints and features, not an afterthought your AI coding tool bolts on post-launch.

## From idea to a spec your AI coding tool can build

Describe your social app idea — the relationship model (follow, mutual friend, group), the primary content type (short posts, photos, long-form), and whether there's a real-time component like comments or DMs. Draftlytic's follow-up questions cover monetisation (ads, subscription, creator tools), auth methods, and notification triggers (new follower, comment, mention).

The generated spec includes a prioritized feature list with acceptance criteria at Detailed depth, a design-token block, and an explicit non-goals list — useful for keeping v1 to 'posts and follows' instead of an AI coding tool adding a full messaging system you didn't plan for yet. Export as Markdown, PDF, or Word doc, or push straight to a connected GitHub repo; run an AI Scan first to catch gaps like a report feature with no moderation workflow behind it.

## Starter prompt

> I'm building a community app for local hobbyist groups where people can join interest-based groups, post updates and photos to their group's feed, and comment on each other's posts. There should be a way to report inappropriate posts for a moderator to review, push notifications for comments and mentions, and it should be free for anyone to join and post.

## FAQ

### Does the spec cover moderation, not just posting and following?

Yes. Moderation is asked about directly — what can be reported, what happens to a post under review, whether there's a human queue — and captured as explicit constraints and features rather than left for your AI coding tool to invent.

### Can I spec a group-based community instead of a follow-based feed?

Yes. Describe your relationship model in your idea and follow-up answers, and Draftlytic's data model reflects groups and membership instead of a generic follow graph.