No matter what side of the aisle you find yourself on, posting political content can feel impossible. Every algorithm has a different approach to political content. Not to mention you could potentially receive negative reactions for posting political content. Navigating them without getting shadowbanned is a bit like a minefield.
But it’s an election season, and we know you’re going to want to share your thoughts about the upcoming election. For today’s article, we’ve studied some of the best political creators and scoured the internet for political social media content strategies. Here are the top five ways to share political content without getting shadowbanned.
Understand Community Guidelines 🤓
We recommend looking at your platform’s community guidelines if you haven’t already done so. You have to know what the specific rules are so you can create around them. Your platform may have no issue with politics, or they may have some keywords or topics they want you to avoid. Spend time familiarizing yourself with the rules and develop content ideas that fit those guidelines.
Looking for the Clapper community guidelines? Check out this article!
Talk Around the Topic 💬
It’s a tried and true trick: be vague. For a lot of creators, this looks like not outright mentioning what your beliefs are. You can talk around them, mention politicians you like, or create content that relates to politics but doesn’t expressly say anything. This could even include posting from an event or some kind of rally! Or posting skits to talk about politics instead of just creating a political video. Figure out the topic you want to cover, then brainstorm a few ways you can talk around the topic.
This also includes careful word choice. Ideally, we wouldn’t have to be so careful with word choice and what we choose to talk about. But politics have always been sensitive topics, and sometimes buzzwords are automatically suppressed or shadowbanned. Spend a little time scripting out or editing your videos to avoid keywords that might get your video taken down.
Cover Issues, Not Individuals 🧑⚖️
In general, it’s a good idea to avoid talking about people involved in political issues if possible. Rather than bashing Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for an agenda they want to push, address the agenda itself. What are the components of it? Why do politicians endorse it or not? Now you won’t be attacking a politician (or at least can’t be accused of it) but instead, you’re covering an abstract idea or yet-to-be-passed bill.
Sometimes you’ll feel that you have to talk about a politician. It happens; they’re people, they do stupid things. Try to do so carefully. Avoid personal attacks and instead state the facts about why you’re discussing them. Does that mean you can’t rant about a politician every once in a while? Of course not! You’ll just have to be careful about how you do it and how often you do it. You might find your video gets shadowbanned or reported, which is what we’re trying to avoid.
Be Respectful and Open 🫶
It should go without saying, but you’d be surprised! Be respectful and mindful of other people’s opinions even if you disagree with them. That doesn’t mean not saying how you feel: instead, it means not being rude or hateful about their beliefs. Or, to use common community guidelines language, not to bully a community for their beliefs. Instead of saying “these idiots have this stupid belief”, you’d just…well, not say that. Treat sensitive topics with careful consideration and empathy, even if they might not align with your beliefs.
Similarly, try to be more objective with your language and reporting. Stick to the facts you have and try to keep emotion out of it if possible. If you’re calmly stating facts, it’s harder to report you or get you in trouble. You could also try reporting from both sides, sharing a summary of what they want.
Post Other Content, Too 📸
We recommend diversifying your content strategy no matter what niche you post in, but especially for political creators. Not only will this increase your reach and help you find a new audience, but it shows the platform that you’re more than just politics. You avoid your account getting flagged or reported by the community. Plus, you’re stretching your skills and trying out new kinds of content, which will give you some inspiration for your political content.
Bonus: Join Clapper! 🧡
Look, it wouldn’t be an article about being shadowbanned if we didn’t talk about ourselves. We’re all about self-expression and freedom of speech, and we do not shadowban our creators for sharing their opinions. As long as you’re respectful and aren’t bullying or using hate speech, you’re good to go! In fact, politics and news are two of our most active communities.
Convinced to start your Clapper journey? Check out our Creator’s Guide to start yourself off on the right (or left!) foot.