Technical considerations
The final things to consider before getting creative and developing content for your counter or alternative narrative campaign are the technical circumstances, settings and even restrictions of the different platforms.
This section provides a general overview of the kind of content allowed by the platforms, but more specific insights on formats and content creation are provided here.
Platforms
You need a private account on Facebook to be able to post and manage groups and pages or even create events as all of those things need an official administrator. Facebook differentiates between individual profiles, pages for NGOs, causes, business, etc. and groups (private or public meeting points for specific reasons or on specific issues).
Facebook provides various content options, amongst them:
Posts |
Posts can be texts, links, pictures, videos or a combination of all. A post cannot be longer than 62,206 characters. The platform offers different stickers and backgrounds to make your post more interesting. You can also use geographic tagging to let others know where you are. |
Videos |
Your upload to Facebook cannot be longer than 240 minutes, however, it is highly recommended to upload only 30-120second videos on Facebook. |
Stories |
Facebook provides you the opportunity to upload a so-called story: You can fill it with pictures and 120-seconds-long-videos, which will be online for your followers to see/consume for 24 hours. After that your story will be archived and only you can still see it. Another form of Video are Live-Broadcasts. They allow you to interact with your friends in real time. |
Live-Broadcast |
Live-Broadcast is another form of video content, which allows you to interact with your audience right away and got increasingly popular during the Covid-19-pandemic as NGOs could interact directly with their followers. After the live broadcast, you can save the broadcast as a video and upload it to your feed. |
Watch |
If you have a page you can upload videos to Facebook Watch. You can group together several videos as episodes of one season, if for example you want to tell a longer story. |
You do not need a private Instagram account to manage your NGOs or campaign’s account. As Instagram belongs to Facebook, it is possible to synchronize both accounts, so you only have to schedule and share content on one platform to have it published on both (though it is recommended to adjust postings and content to the respective networks and audiences [link audience selection] [link platform selection] [link editorial plan].
You cannot post just a text on Instagram, it always has to be accompanied by visual content (which then, of course, can contain text elements). Pictures and videos posted on Instagram should be vertical, which is something to keep in mind when planning a campaign on the platform.
Posts |
The original feature of Instagram is to share one (or multiple) pictures in your feed. Additionally, you can upload a video to your feed. Visual content can be, but does not have to be, accompanied by a text. You can further geographically tag your content as well as other users. |
Stories |
With the Stories-feature, you can upload pictures or videos, either visible to all users or to a specific set of your audience, which you can specify in your settings. |
Reels |
Reels are 15-seconds-clips, which can be either shared in your feed or your stories (or both). You can edit the reels while creating them and add all kinds of features, such as off-screen voices. |
IG-TV |
IG-TV is Instagram’s only content feature allowing for longer videos up to 10 minutes. IG-TV is mostly used to share explanatory videos and tutorials. |
Live-Broadcast |
Similar to Facebook’s Broadcast-feature, Instagram offers the opportunity to go live on the platform to have your users follow along, directly interact with your audience or discuss with other users. During the Covid-19-pandemic, Instagram Live-Broadcast became increasingly popular among influencers and NGOs to host panel discussions. |
You do not need a private Twitter account to manage your NGOs or campaign’s account, however, your NGO or campaign needs an account. Twitter is a fast-paced and dynamic environment; even though visual content and videos work on the platform, short and precise texts, also known as Tweets, are most relevant and appreciated – by the audience as well as the algorithm.
Tweet |
A tweet is basically the content shared on Twitter: a short and precise text with a maximum of 280 characters. You can add emojis, GIFs, videos and pictures, tag other users and should rely on hashtags to participate in and comment on current debates. Read the article on How to create a thread on Twitter |
Live-Broadcast |
It is also possible to go live on Twitter. You can even invite guests and talk with them. The live-video will appear on your followers' timeline. If you don’t want to be seen but just speak to your audience, you can activate only the microphone, the viewers will be able to hear you.
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You can find a great example Campaign run mostly on Twitter under the hashtag #1DayOfOnlineHappiness
YouTube
You do not need a private Google or YouTube account to manage your NGOs or campaign’s account, however, your NGO or campaign should have a Google account to be able to create its own channel and playlists. YouTube is solely video-based; it is possible to add explanatory texts in the video description, but most users do not bother with the information below the videos.
Videos |
YouTube provides a simple way for people to store videos online and share them with others. YouTube videos cover any topic anyone cares to upload a video about. These videos are easy to share via other forms of social media, email and websites and can also be embedded in other websites. |
Playlists |
A playlist is a collection of videos. Anybody can make playlists, share them, and friends can add videos to your playlist You can go to the Library tab to view all of your playlists. You can also manage your playlists in YouTube Studio. |
Live-Broadcast |
A broadcast represents an event that can be watched on YouTube as it happens. Each broadcast is a distinct YouTube video. A broadcast can be and needs to be bound to exactly one stream. |
TikTok
You do not need a private TikTok account to manage your NGOs or campaign’s account. TikTok is solely video-based, though every video is accompanied by a description and hashtags.
Videos |
Videos on TikTok cannot be longer than 15 seconds; you shoot and edit the videos in the app, being able to use various features such as slow motion, speed-up, sounds and music. You can edit the video while making it, meaning: You can start shooting your video in normal speed, pause the recording and switch the setting. |
Hashtag Challenges |
This is a format you often find on the Discover Page. In those challenges, Tiktok provides a certain hashtag and users can create their own video for this hashtag and upload it. A hashtag-challenge usually begins with a start video or several videos by influencers. Users are then encouraged to create their own video for a particular hashtag and copy the challenge. Those go often viral very fast. |
Duets |
In this feature, users can react to another user's video or add their own creative contribution. The original video is displayed in the right field, and the reaction is played in the left field. The final video shows both videos simultaneously. To create a Duet, you have to go on the video, tap on “Share” and then the option Duet will be shown. |
Live Broadcast |
Similar to Facebook’s and Instagram’s Broadcast-feature, TikTok also offers the opportunity to go live on the platform to have your users follow along, directly interact with your audience or discuss with other users. You have to have at least 1.000 followers to access the feature. |
TikTok Video Tutorial For Nonprofit Organizations | Guide on How to Create Your First TikTok