Yesterday I taught a police comms team how to handle nasty comments 👮
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Hey, Reader! I'm writing this completely wiped out! Yesterday I spent the whole day with 24 people from the digital media and comms team at a police force in the southwest and it was so much more than "post more reels." We went deep. Which platform actually suits which audience, and which kind of content belongs where. What needs sign-off, and at what level, before anything goes out. How to handle mis- and disinformation before it runs away from you. And how to hold steady through a flood of angry comments — the kind that lands on every force at once after a national story where policing got something badly wrong and a community is grieving. The thread running through all of it was the thing I teach my own students every single week: lead with the human, not the institution. Lead with the person at the centre of the story, not the stats. Lead with empathy, and let your tone match the moment. A full day on my feet. I came home shattered (and also, quietly, well happy). Watching a room go from "we dread the comments" to "oh, we can actually work with this" fills the cup even as it empties it. So here are the three things I kept coming back to in that room. They're for the police and they're just as true for you. 3 social tips to know 1. Pick the platform for the audience.Different people gather in different places, and different content needs different formats. Before you make the thing, decide who it’s for and where they actually are, then build for that, not for habit. → Try this: For your next post, name the one person it’s for and the one platform they’re most likely to see it on. Make it for them. 2. Lead with the human, not the numbers.This was the heart of the whole day. When emotions are high (or when you’ve got something wrong) the instinct is to reach for stats, process and defence. Don’t. Lead with the person, name the feeling, and let your tone carry the empathy. People forgive a lot when they feel met. They forgive almost nothing when they feel managed. → Try this: Look at your next caption or reply. If it leads with a number, a credential or a defence, rewrite it to lead with a person and a feeling first. 3. The first hour decides everything, especially when comments surge.Roughly 70% of a post’s reach is set in the first 30-60 minutes, off the back of early comments. It’s also where a pile-on either calms or catches fire. Showing up early, replying like a human, correcting bad information gently, and never going silent is what turns a flood into a conversation. → Try this: Only post when you have some time to reply. Reply to every comment while it’s warm and yes, including the difficult ones. 2 things i'm loving ✦ 30% off everything at Moo (ends 17 June)If you've been meaning to get something printed, this is your nudge. Stickers that take your brand to unexpected places. Premium postcards and flyers people go out of their way to take. So many ways to kick your summer plans into action. → Use code JUNEBACK at moo.com — offer ends 17/6 ✦ Tarot cards I'm currently usingIf you dabble in tarot, here's the beautiful illustrated deck I use all the time. If you don't dabble, but you're curious, it comes with instructions for beginning. → Get the deck 1 affirmation That's your 3-2-1 for this week. Back next Thursday. P.S. Are you following me @thelouisebartlett on Instagram for new Canva tips every week? Spread the Love. Share with a Friend. |
