Get your organic posts in order.
Every political practitioner has spent the past three months analyzing what went down and where things went sideways this past November – including us. Whether it was Trump grabbing young, white men through podcasts and influencers, rejoining X (formerly Twitter), and doing a 180 policy-wise on TikTok, or Kamala HQ’s 100-day dash dominating online airwaves and capitalizing on the pop culture sensation of “brat”, one thing is certain:
Socials are the new battleground, and if you weren’t in it, you weren’t making moves to win each precious vote.
While we’re all reconstituting and gearing up to take back our Democracy, here are some of our hot takes we’ve learned not just this past year but through my own personal, often viral, social accounts on how to win the organic social media game.
Welcome to the internet. It’s wild here, but you get to control the narrative.
On any given morning, instead of flipping through a newspaper, most Americans scroll through their socials to get a read on what’s going on in the world. But unlike a paper, it is a true never-ending news cycle updated every second, where what you say matters just as much as how you say it.
This shift presents a unique opportunity for campaigns and causes alike. With a phone in hand and the vastness of the internet at your fingertips, you can have daily conversations with voters and supporters, drive priorities, and bring success stories to life without the distortion of traditional media filters.
What do AOC and Trump have in common? Mad social game.
Let’s take a quick look at the Bronx in New York City. Voters in this district actually split the ticket and cast their ballots for both AOC and Donald Trump. The reason given was that voters felt a sense of “Familiarity,” “They knew them,” and “They both were fighting for what they said they were.” Put simply, voters felt both were genuine. Take a look at this video or read more about the fascinating results of AOC’s survey.
Both Trump and AOC command spheres of influence and are social media masters. When they speak, people listen – in large part because consumers of online content can sniff out what is and is not genuine.
Successful organic social media comes down to four core principles: Authenticity, Tone, Messaging, and Shareability (plus some best practices that we don’t have a cute acronym for).
Authenticity
The only truly right way you’re supposed to communicate online is as your real self, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of accidental inauthenticity by presenting yourself as what you think is going to land well. The person people see online needs to be the person at doors, in town halls, and in paid communications.
Tone
The fact is, we need to adjust how we speak to people; voters have told us over and over again that they don’t want to be preached to – especially in the more casual organic world. We need to meet them where they are and at their level, speaking plainly, earnestly, and without the haughtiness folks associate with Dem messaging.
Messaging
Hit your main talking points over and over again – and then come back and do it more. Your message is part of your image and needs to become indistinguishable from your online presence. With each new post, the conversation will become more robust, and that discipline reinforces feelings of authenticity. Why did Trump keep returning to immigration, despite polling showing he should have been talking about the economy? Because it was his brand, it was his (deeply disturbing) authentic self, and the more you say the same thing, the more people believe you.
Shareability
Users, followers, and voters need to want to share your content. Ask yourself: Why would someone want to send a post to the group chat? Put yourself in the position of the average online consumer and – without compromising authenticity – create content that people will want to share to their entire network.
So You Know Your ATMS - Now What?
Following best posting practices for organic social will increase your engagement and get you the reach you’re looking for.
- Find your rhythm and post consistently.
- Use all of the platforms at your disposal. This means Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Nextdoor.
- Short-form videos are king.
- Stay concise and speak plainly. We recommend aiming for a 6th-8th grade reading level in most cases to ensure accessibility.
- Always include subtitles.
We’ve created a handy Tips and Tricks Guide that drills deeper into best practices that can be downloaded here to help you on your path to becoming the next political viral moment.
You Don’t Have to go at This Alone
Our Social Media team has had the pleasure of working with amazing candidates and causes. Last year, we partnered with State Senator Morgan LaMantia to help create weekly video content posted across all platforms. With each new post, we were able to track significant upticks in engagement, and it was clear that her audience was craving topical, honest, and engaging video content. By following best practices and our ATMS, in 2 months, we grew her account’s following by over 12% and garnered tens of thousands of views.
Take a look at some of her videos here, here, and here as well!
This case wasn’t a one-off! In the 2024 cycle, we worked with the Tamalpais Unified School District in California. Tam lost their original election in March to pass a bond measure that would fund vital and much-needed improvements to the school’s facilities. We were starting 300 yards behind the starting line and had a lot of ground to make up. We created Facebook, Nextdoor, and TikTok accounts and worked to breathe life into their existing Instagram and LinkedIn accounts. We focused on relationships and community building, and then began to show the dire situation school facilities were in.
One of our videos, Ew, was so successful, the opposition campaign decided to back down, stating that you just couldn’t argue with such effective videos. The district didn’t just eke out a win, it was able to fully own the conversation and build an army of supporters.
Check out the full Tamalpais case study here. (PS – We’re nominated for a Reed Award for this program!)
Ready to get Started? So are we!
Whether it’s walking through best practices or just chatting about who made a more meaningful impact, Moo Deng or the little anglerfish who saw the light, we’re here to chat.
Ryan Pané
Social Media Coordinator
ryan@competeeverywhere.com
