When it comes to making the most of social media, many people think it’s all about the likes. And don’t get us wrong, we too have posted something we found particularly witty and then risked injury hitting the refresh button repeatedly waiting for those thumbs up and hearts. Likes are nice and all, but you know what’s better than likes? SHARES!
That’s because when it comes to messaging, repetition breaks through the noise. Repetition breaks through the noise. REPETITION breaks through the noise.
And Reach’s Content Library feature turbo-charges your organic reach by making it so easy for your users to share your approved messages to their networks (just ask the meme war-winning Harris/Walz campaign!) Instead of waiting for your supporters to find your post on social media and like it enough to share it–or figure out how to scour the internet for the perfect graphic or meme to help make their point in their group chat–now all you need to do is upload your latest meme, video or link to the Reach Content Library, and voila, like magic, your supporters have easy access to your messaging to put it out across their social media, text and email networks! Want your users to prioritize sharing a specific message in a specific way? Easy – you can create an action card that pushes it to the top and lets them earn points for each platform they share it to. You also have the option for your users to create their own content and submit it to you for approval. And you can even categorize your Library with Galleries and Labels to make it really easy for people to search and find the messages that will resonate with their communities.
Reach’s Content Library Feature empowers viral moments that break through!
In order to make that repetition and expanded reach work for you, we’ve put together a few tips for creating compelling content.
Content Creation Do’s and Don’t’s
DO
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition! (I know, we already said that!)
If your words don’t spread, by definition, they don’t work. To break through the incessant political noise requires constant repetition. That’s why it’s so important to create messages that energize the base who will amplify your message to persuade other voters. (And why Reach’s Content Library is such a game-changer!) When it comes to repetition IN your message, the rule of threes makes messaging stick better!
Engage people at their emotional core with narrative
Make your voters part of a broader coalition of folks who agree, let them know what we’re up against, then offer them a positive vision of the future in which they will share. Values, Villain, Vision; it’s called the 3 V Sandwich – the negatives we are fighting are sandwiched between our shared values and our shared vision. Why? Research tells us that we retain positive memories more readily than negative ones, so ideally a narrative should evoke positive emotions for it to stick. Here’s a good example from our friends in Minnesota.
Give people the cookie, not the recipe
Have you ever asked for a cookie and been handed a recipe? Sure, give us the recipe so we can make more later but when craving a cookie, only the cookie will do!
- “Investments in broadband” is the recipe.
- “Bringing affordable, reliable broadband to every household means kids will be able to do their homework at home instead of a parking lot, small businesses will be able to grow and bring in new customers, and housebound seniors can stay in touch with loved ones” is the cookie.
- “Affordable Childcare” is the recipe.
- “Making sure that parents who work outside the home know that their kids have a safe place to learn and grow, with caring and trained staff, without breaking the bank” is the cookie.
- “Fighting the Climate Crisis” is the recipe.
- “Investments in clean energy create good-paying jobs, protect our air, soil and water for generations to come, and bring down the cost of energy for everyone.” is the cookie.
Make Voters (not the candidate) the Hero of the story and give them agency
Americans need to see themselves in the future. Too often, we make the politician the hero–“I did this,” “Because of me, X happened”– or the enemy–“Evil Politician Y will screw you over,” or “Bad Politician Z kicks puppies.” Always center the voter as the hero of our story of freedom, progress and opportunity. Source: Future Majority
DON’T
Painting a dystopian picture won’t win, we need to paint a positive picture of the future!
Positive imagery sticks. In fact, when we show harm and negative imagery, research confirms that people turn away. A bright future is inviting.
Repeating the opposition’s message–even with NO in front of it–is still repeating the opposition’s message!
When we repeat the opposition’s message, even while condemning it, we are spreading their words, not ours, and helping them grow their followers. We know it’s soooooo tempting to point out the hypocrisy, but don’t do it!
Even though the people sharing her message are trying to point out that she’s wrong, they are also sharing her message to new people and inadvertently growing her followers and reach.
Reach Content Library Do’s and Don’ts
DO
- Organize your content using the Galleries which are like folders of similarly themed content – and Labels – which is like adding a tag – to make it easier for your users to manage and find the content that will resonate with their audience. Tapping on a Gallery will show users all the content in that Gallery and tapping on a Label will show them all the content with that Label. You might set up Galleries by type of content (for example, “Memes”) and Labels by theme (for example, “Reproductive Rights”). A clear strategy when you get started will save you time as you go!
- Team up with other aligned groups and provide access to more content for your Reach users by subscribing to their Shared Galleries – and share your Galleries with them to increase their reach! And you always get to decide how widely a Gallery is shared.
- Regularly provide a “suggested post” to your users to accompany the asset they are sharing for even greater message consistency!
- Use Action Cards to elevate content that you want to make sure your users share to amplify your most important messages.
- Format your content for the platforms where you want your users to share so it will always look sharp! Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms have different ideal image and video sizes and orientations which you can find here, in a google search or by choosing the ideal size in apps like Canva. Provide formats that will look best on the platforms you most want to grow! Your users will even be able to filter your content by aspect ratio.
- Include helpful keywords in the asset descriptions so people can find them easily when searching on topics like “Project 2025”, or “Reproductive Rights”. Describe who or what is shown in the asset. If the asset has a lot of text in it, consider including that text in the description as well so it is searchable.
- Target Galleries to specific User Groups so users are seeing content that is most relevant to them and the folks in their network, like Spanish Language Assets, or Cat Ladies for Harris.
- Set expiration dates on Assets and Galleries so the Library will always be fresh and relevant. For example, if you are promoting an event, you can make sure those assets expire when the event is over.
- Keep an eye on the Content Reviews and Feedback that your users submit so you can adjust your content strategy to align with your desired audience. Users will get a push notification to leave feedback after they share content and you will be able to see that feedback in your Admin Dashboard.
And a few Don’ts…
- Don’t use Action Cards to send users to non-Reach social media toolkits. Instead, make it a Gallery in Reach!
- Don’t use the Library for internal-only content or things you want to keep private
- Don’t put assets in the Library that the social platforms will flag, ban or demote
Want to learn more? Check out the Content Library information in our Knowledge Base
