Here are a few things to consider if you’re planning to post about the campaign.
Pro-Animal Future's Code of Conduct extends to online settings. Even when representing PAF on your own personal channels, we ask that our code of conduct be followed and that all members of the community and public be treated with respect when discussing our campaign. A few things to keep in mind when engaging with others online:
We do not use or condone speciesist, sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, ageist, or otherwise discriminatory language, including ridiculing or demeaning comments, even if intended to be humorous.
We approach disagreements and different opinions with curiosity. We default to giving others the benefit of the doubt, especially when communicating online.
We embody the ideals of nonviolence and nonviolent direct action by directing our anger at systems, not the individuals who are caught up in those systems.
While PAF’s objectives may change over the course of a campaign, the goals for our online presence are typically centered around:
Convincing undecided voters to support our measures.
Coaxing supportive voters to strengthen the campaign by subscribing, donating, or encouraging their friends and family to support.
Recruiting new activists to join our campaign and help us reach more people.
You know your online audience better than anyone! It may be helpful to cater your messaging to who your followers are, and adjust the goals of your posts accordingly. For example:
If you are followed by a lot of activists, it may be a good idea to have your posts centered around donations or recruiting, including for remote volunteer opportunities.
If you are followed by a lot of local non-vegans, your messaging could be more informational in order to enlighten people on why they should support our measures.
When you make a post related to the campaign, feel free to tag us at @proanimalfuture, or add us as a collaborator when posting to Facebook or Instagram. If your account is private, you can ask us to follow you by direct messaging the PAF account if you’re open to us re-sharing the content that you post for more visibility!
You can also help us by interacting with our content, which broadens its reach. Links to our PAF channels are below:
This guide outlines some recommendations for effectively sharing support for our cause via your social media channels.
Thank you for using your own social channels to help spread our Pro-Animal message! While you’re welcome and encouraged to post freely about the campaign on your social media accounts, this guide offers some suggestions to overcome writer’s block and make your posts more effective.
Here are a few best practices to keep in mind for how to most effectively share messaging about the campaign.
If you plan to share any facts or statistics, you are encouraged to fact-check, provide reliable sources where needed, and share the lower end of a statistic for the sake of accuracy. Misinformation can harm the campaign's reputation and credibility.
Please avoid any negative or divisive language that could alienate potential supporters. A respectful and constructive tone when posting or having online discussions will resonate with a wider audience and is more likely to be persuasive and allow you to build connections.
Personal stories and anecdotes are very effective at highlighting the impact of our campaign on real people's lives. Sharing your own personal experiences can create emotional connections and help make our campaign more relatable. If you’d like to go deeper on this, feel free to check out our storytelling guide!
Videos, reels, and photos that include people tend to get the best engagement. People love to see other people, and to hear them speak passionately about the things they care about. An example would be a video talking about your personal experience with the campaign, why this cause matters to you, or why people should come canvass with you!
Your posts about our campaign may very well be converting your followers to supporters. While persuading people of the importance of what we’re trying to accomplish is key, we also want to share how to channel their support into action. Whether it’s asking them to sign the petition or to come volunteer with you, it’s good practice to guide your followers on what action to take.
Examples:
“Come join our next campaign social to learn how you can help make history for animals.”
“Reach out if you want to join me on my next canvassing shift.” [link to proanimal.org/volunteer]
“Donate to support our fight for animal freedom.” [link to proanimal.org/donate]
“Be a pro-animal voter [sign our petition / vote yes].”
**Note: Include relevant links where possible to make it easy for people to take action! On Instagram, you can add a link to your story or bio, and on Facebook it’s best to link in a comment.
Here are some ideas for PAF-related content that would be particularly helpful in furthering our message, building support, and getting others involved.
The ideas below contain good examples of each type of post, as well as language that you can feel free to modify slightly and use on your own page.
Photos of you out petitioning and interacting with the public about PAF’s campaign, along with a description of how to get involved or a direct ask to your followers.
I loved getting to talk with my fellow Denver residents about voting to evolve towards a cruelty-free food system.
If you’re an animal lover like me, you can help create a better world for animals through the political process.
Thank you to [X number of voters] who have already signed to get these causes on next year’s ballot.
Come campaign with me if you want to help make history for animals here in Denver.
Come find us at [X location / X time] to sign our petition and stand up for change.
Posts about our community events, along with an invitation to your followers to get in touch if they’re interested in joining our next social.
Example Posts:
So proud to be a part of this community of activists standing up for animals.
We are working on getting a fur ban and slaughterhouse ban in front of voters here in Denver next year, and we have reached [X signatures or % to goal] so far thanks to the hard work of this crew.
If you’re looking to connect with other animal lovers, eat a delicious & free plant-based meal, and help make history for animals, this is your chance!
Come hang at our next social. All are welcome!
Sharing or re-sharing any positive news coverage of our campaign can help build confidence in our mission and show our cause gaining traction.
For a written article, your caption could be a blurb from the published piece.
Many people actively bury their feelings about the suffering animals endure. As a result, nobody realizes that everyone else is feeling the same dissonance.
We may not have much power as individual consumers, but this measure gives voters a chance to improve things together.
We’ve evolved before, and we’re evolving again, but the question is: how fast? For the animals’ sake, it can’t happen soon enough.
I’m voting yes to ban slaughter in Denver and accelerate society’s next evolution.
Posts about PAF’s attendance or involvement in public or community-based events, as well as our alignment with other local causes. This shows our campaign’s intersectionality with other values and missions, and how we fit into the broader scheme of our community.
Language that connects our cause to the particular event.
Abundant plant food and meat alternatives are widely available, while millions of Americans thrive eating animal-free.
Globeville in Denver is the most polluted residential zip code in the US, and this poorer community is the only part of Denver with a slaughterhouse.
The slaughterhouse, which sits right on the West Platte River, has been in violation of the Clean Water Act for 3 years, failing to report how much pollution it’s emitting.
When we protested outside the slaughterhouse in Denver, we met workers who were covered in animals’ blood. One of them told us he would get another job if he could. This is not surprising given the high rates of injury and depression that slaughterhouse workers face.
Talking about the reasons why this campaign holds personal meaning to you, why you got involved, or how the campaign’s mission fits into your life may strike a chord with others who hold similar values. Speaking to your direct experience can help inspire others to do what you’re doing!
At a young age, I learned to eat meat without thinking about who it had been.
In time, I realized that the discomfort I felt with eating animals had been right all along. We should be upset by the unnecessary suffering of animals.
I’d never thought about how we could create a better world for animals through the political process, just like other movements. Ever since then, I’ve been spending my free time petitioning to end slaughterhouses and the fur industry in Denver.
Uplifting photos of animals you meet who are living happy and fulfilled lives, along with a message and a call to action.
Discuss the animal’s individual traits and personality; what their life looks like vs. the fate they may have avoided.
Animals headed to slaughter fight back. They scream, kick, and attempt to run, and some are lucky enough to escape. When they do, they often end up at sanctuaries where they are cared for like family, and they will never be slaughtered.
If you have an emotional reaction to seeing footage of animals suffering in slaughterhouses [or fur farms], that’s a good sign that you’re a human being.
We should listen to that compassion, because it’s a hallmark of our humanity. This initiative is on the right side of history.
To visit an animal sanctuary is to step into a future where we give all animals the freedom they deserve. Now, voters have a chance to bring that future one step closer.
While this list presents some suggestions around the types of posts most conducive to building support for our campaign, we encourage you to get creative and to express your passion for PAF’s cause in ways that feel authentic to you! This is your page and your audience, so feel free to experiment with different ways of building support and awareness for our mission.
Sharing an interesting conversation or interaction while out petitioning.
You and your fellow canvassers hanging out or enjoying some food post-shift.
Shoutouts of other people in the community who are contributing a lot, taking a unique approach, or are stepping up in some way that you’d like to share.
A photo of you petting a dog while out petitioning, or enjoying your time with the public.
The list below contains other resources to help strengthen your ability to create compelling campaign content.
The list below contains other resources to help strengthen your ability to create compelling campaign content.
Provides an overview of the tone we’d like to present to the public, best practices for posting, and phrases to use or avoid in order to strike the right cord in our messaging. While this guidance is mainly intended for those posting on behalf of PAF, you may find it helpful in crafting your own posts! |
Pro-Animal Future’s Code of Conduct holds us accountable for creating a welcoming and respectful community. This extends out to how we interact with the public, and includes online interactions. It is good practice to review these policies before posting about the campaign. |