Social media has become one of the most powerful tools a candidate can use to reach voters — and one of the best ways to compete against an opponent with deeper pockets. In this blog post, political consultant Jay Townsend breaks down the five platforms candidates use most, who’s on each one, how to post effectively, and the one mistake that has ended more campaigns than almost anything else.
We’re going to talk about how to use social media. I’m not just going to tell you how to use it — I’m going to tell you how to use it well, because it is a great way to disseminate your message and an excellent way to overcome an opponent who may have more money than you.
Here’s what we’re going to cover: the social media outlets that candidates commonly use, the demographics of the people who use those outlets, and how to use each one — Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok.
Facebook is universal. Lots of people still use it, and in many foreign countries it is the social media channel to be on. I liken Facebook to a task I call feeding the beast, and here’s why: people log into their Facebook accounts at different times of the day, and the feed they see never quite looks the same each time. Because of the way Facebook rolls content, there’s no real harm in posting two, even three times a day.
What do you post about? There’s a wide range. You can talk about your qualifications, aspects of your moral code, issues that are important to you, your family and personal life, and what makes you a better choice than your opponent. But here’s the key: don’t do it bluntly. Don’t just say, “I’m a college graduate so you should vote for me.” Instead, work it in naturally — say something like, “One of the things I learned in college is that the reason we have homeless people in this community is that we don’t have enough housing.” That combination positions you on an issue while casually establishing your credentials. That’s how it’s done.
Facebook is also unique because it allows you to advertise directly to individual voters. You’ll have to jump through some hoops — an application, some paperwork, a verification code in the mail — but once approved, Facebook gives you a remarkably precise targeting tool. You can niche-market specific messages to finely tuned demographic groups that you’ve identified as potential supporters.
Here’s an example of how powerful that can be. In a Florida governor’s race, a Republican candidate supported charter schools. His Democratic opponent opposed them. The Republican used Facebook’s targeting tools to reach African American mothers living in neighborhoods where their children were attending underperforming schools — mothers who wanted the option to send their kids to a charter school. On election night, the Democratic candidate looked at his inner-city turnout numbers and couldn’t figure out why they were lower than expected. He learned afterward that the Republican had quietly peeled away a niche audience inside his own base by speaking directly to them about an issue that mattered. That is the power of Facebook advertising done right.
Instagram is different from Facebook — it’s more pictures, shorter videos — but don’t make the mistake of overlooking it. The audience spans all age brackets, and there are plenty of people who never open Facebook but check Instagram every single day.
I was recently looking at a Senate race in Texas and noticed that one candidate had already built 25,000 followers on Instagram in a very short period of time — simply by posting a new picture every single day. He was growing his audience steadily, showing up consistently in the feed of people for whom Instagram is their primary source of news and entertainment. In this business, you sometimes have to accept that you’ve got to meet people where they are, not where you would like them to be.
YouTube is growing in importance and influence. Ten years ago, most people had never heard the word “algorithm” — now everyone knows what it means, and YouTube is at the center of how people consume information. You should have a YouTube channel to post your own videos. It is a video medium, not a picture medium, and people go there for entertainment, for news, and to learn about political candidates.
You can also advertise on YouTube with five-second, ten-second, or fifteen-second pre-roll ads. YouTube allows you to target those ads to specific demographic audiences or to particular zip codes — so if you need to get a message to a certain neighborhood, you can place your ad so that it plays when someone in that area logs in to watch a video. They have to see your ad before they get to the content they clicked to see.
What makes YouTube uniquely valuable is the depth it allows. Voters can see your face, watch your expressions, and hear you talk through a complex issue — not just a thirty-second soundbite, but a full five-minute explanation of where you stand and why. That kind of extended engagement builds a different kind of trust than a photo or a tweet, and it’s especially powerful for driving up support among voters who already lean your way but need a reason to get off the couch on election day.
Twitter is not what it used to be, and nobody quite knows where it’s going. But it is still a useful place to have an account, and here’s the specific reason I pay attention to it: journalists use it. Reporters assigned to cover candidates in your jurisdiction notice when candidates are active on Twitter, and they use what they see there to feed story ideas. A well-crafted, pithy post can turn into a news article that reaches far more people than your own follower count would suggest.
The other people who use Twitter are opinion leaders — people who don’t hold office and don’t write for newspapers, but who have followings of their own and post about the news regularly. If one of them sees something interesting you’ve written and shares it with their ten or twenty thousand followers, you’ve just expanded your audience instantly and for free. That’s why having an active Twitter account still makes sense, even in its current uncertain state.
TikTok is controversial — the ownership questions are real, and the data privacy concerns are legitimate. But here is the current reality: TikTok is legal in the United States. No court has banned it. And it is where a large number of younger voters get their political information.
Younger voters are up for grabs right now in a way they haven’t been in years. Many of them are unaffiliated. They watch TikTok videos incessantly and share them with their friends. If you can post short videos that grab their attention and say something meaningful about what you hope to do for them, you have a real opportunity to reach people who simply don’t have other social media accounts. TikTok is where they are. You have to decide whether you’re going to meet them there or cede that ground to your opponent.
In a competitive campaign, you should use all of these platforms and stay active on all of them. If you start an account and never post anything, you won’t attract followers. The whole point is to continuously grow an audience across multiple platforms and drive people back to your website, where they can volunteer, donate, and learn more about you.
There’s one rule I have to mention, and it may be the most important thing in this entire blog post. There will be occasions when you are tempted to post something because you’re angry, upset, or provoked by something someone said. That is when you need to hit the pause button. Think about it overnight. If you feel the same way the next morning with a clear head, then fine — post it. But I have seen more campaigns damaged — and some ended entirely — by candidates who posted something in the heat of the moment that they should not have. Social media gives every candidate an unfiltered voice. Use it carefully.
Q: How often should I post on social media during a campaign?
A: On Facebook, two to three times a day is reasonable because of how the algorithm distributes content — not every follower sees every post at the same time. On Instagram, once a day is a strong cadence. YouTube can be less frequent since longer videos take more production time, but aim for at least weekly. The core principle is consistency: showing up regularly matters more than posting in bursts and then going quiet.
Q: What kind of content actually performs well on these platforms?
A: Content that shows you as a real person tends to outperform pure issue statements. Photos from community events, short videos where you speak directly to the camera, personal stories, and behind-the-scenes moments from your campaign tend to generate more engagement than polished but impersonal graphics. On all platforms, authenticity performs better than production value — especially for down-ballot races where voters are still forming an opinion of you as a person.
Q: How do I set up Facebook political advertising?
A: Go to Facebook’s Ad Manager and look for the political advertising authorization process. You’ll need to confirm your identity, provide information about who is paying for the ads, and receive a verification code by mail. The process takes a week or two, so start it well before you need to run your first ad. Once approved, you’ll have access to targeting tools that let you reach specific voter demographics by age, location, interests, and other criteria.
Q: Do I really need to be on all five platforms?
A: In a competitive race, yes — because different voters live on different platforms and rarely cross over. That said, if you’re running a smaller local race with limited staff and bandwidth, prioritize the platforms where your target voters are most concentrated. For older, high-propensity voters, Facebook is most important. For younger voters, Instagram and TikTok matter most. YouTube is valuable for almost any race because of its search visibility and advertising capabilities.
Q: What should I do if my opponent attacks me on social media?
A: Apply the same pause-and-sleep-on-it rule. Reacting immediately to an attack — especially an emotional one — almost always produces a response you’ll regret. Give yourself a night to assess whether the attack requires a response at all (many don’t), and if it does, craft something measured and factual rather than reactive. The candidate who stays calm and disciplined on social media while their opponent loses their composure almost always comes out ahead.
Jay Townsend has spent more than 40 years advising candidates at every level of American politics. For more campaign strategy resources, visit JayTownsend.com or subscribe to Jay’s YouTube channel for new videos every week.
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