Using social media as a major tool for your political campaign requires you to be online, relevant, and engaging at all times. Here’s how you can master the game.

1. How to Use Social Media Effectively
for Political Campaigning
by Tanvi Patel

2. Why you should invest in a social
media campaign
Everyone is on social media and engages with the content in some form. By
taking your political campaign to platforms where people actively discuss or
passively read, you get closer to your voters.

3. Social media can help your political
campaign with:
● Campaign message distribution
● Fundraising
● Studying supporters and critics
● Recruiting and managing volunteers
Find more details on how social media helps your campaign here.

4. How social media can be used for a
political campaign
Let’s look at how different channels can help you spread the word, raise donations and get
closer to your supporters

5. Fan pages for campaign
message distribution
Fan pages operated by your staff
or volunteers can run the
campaign by sharing photos,
videos, and posts. Regular activity
on social media increases
engagement
Fundraising
Raise donations with:
● Paid online events
● Live videos to raise funds
● Posting links to your
fundraising page
● Creating a fundraiser
Facebook
Groups for volunteer
management
Send updates to the team and
get members to volunteer for an
event. Post the requirement as a
post. Those interested can
comment on the post and voila!
Your job is done!

6. One-on-one interactions with your
voters
Authorized accounts of a candidate can
announce discussions, debates, and
rallies, urging people to join. With its
high engagement rates, Reddit can get
your posts more attention through
“upvotes.”
Start and nurture discussions
Your social media managers and staff
members can join or create subreddits
related to your campaign and causes.
They can initiate conversations, answer
questions, and create a buzz about your
candidacy and campaign.
Reddit

7. Live sessions
From Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to
Jacinda Ardern, Instagram live
videos are catching the fancy of
politicians. “Going live” can enable
interactions with viewers. Use it
to:
● highlight your causes
● host discussions with your
supporters.
IGTV/Reel videos
Videos have high engagement
rates and can be used to increase
followers. Use them to:
● Discuss your campaign
● Give “behind the scenes”
snippets
● Host Q&A sessions
Instagram
Upload “stories”
These posts that disappear in 24
hours can be used you:
● Host quizzes
● Conduct polls
● Use “swipe up” option to
link to your fundraising
page (Authorized accounts
only)

8. Videos for voter engagement
Uploading videos on YouTube is one
way of staying relevant in the current
times when outdoor movement is
restricted. Use trendy hashtags and be
regular with your posts to stay
up-to-date with followers.
Fundraising appeals on live videos
YouTube also has a “super chat” feature
where viewers give micro-donations to
comment on live videos- a great way to
raise funds via YouTube. Another way is
to post links to your donation pages in
the video description.
YouTube

9. Promote opt-in campaigns
75% of people are open to
receiving texts from a political
party when they opt-in. Spread
the word about your shortcode
and keyword via your profile,
posts, images, and videos on
Twitter.
Increase voter engagement
The more you post on Twitter, the
more people engage with you. By
leveraging your online follower
count, you can translate them into
votes during the election.
Twitter
Conduct polls
Use Twitter to conduct short
surveys about issues relevant to
your campaign. Remember, these
polls are informal and can only be
used to drive engagement.

10. Which platforms allow paid
political ads?
Platform Allows paid ads Requires
disclaimer
Requires
Authorization
Platform-specific
rules
Facebook Yes Yes Yes Read here
Reddit Yes
(conditions apply)
No Yes Read here
Instagram Yes Yes Yes Read here
YouTube Yes
(conditions apply)
Yes No Read here
Twitter No - - Read here

11. Read the full article on CallHub

12. Read the full article on CallHub