#ReclaimSocial is back and we need it more than ever

We’re ready to celebrate the fourth year of #ReclaimSocial on February 5 and it feels more needed than ever to focus on the positive and inspiring side of social media.

It’s been a very challenging year and we’re still adapting to the new normal. As we’re bombarded by negative stories, we are desperate for positive and inspiring content. That’s why we want to continue with #ReclaimSocial.

Back in 2018, we started with the idea of Reclaiming Social for good. Charities and individuals came together to share their stories on how social media can bring communities together.

In 2019, we managed to spread the message even more. We partnered with Social Misfits Media, IG Advisors, CharityComms, the Institute of Fundraising, NCVO and ACEVO to see the hashtag #ReclaimSocial having more than 40 million impressions in 24 hours. Hundreds of charities joined forces to share their positive forces and talk about their own campaigns.

Last year, we continued amplifying inspiring stories with our wonderful partners and friends. We hosted a #ReclaimSocial breakfast with Beth Kanter and we enjoyed seeing the campaign gaining new loyal supporters promoting positivity on social media.

The need to Reclaim Social

‘Reclaim Social’ is not just taking place once a year though. We need to continue the conversation with inspiring people who work towards making social channels more inspiring and meaningful.

Here are a few things to check out:

• Countering digital hate and misinformation with Imran Ahmed (CCDH)
• Guide to Best Practice in Ethical Digital Marketing & Comms Practices by Charities Against Hate
• Tech, activism, and self-care during COVID-19 with Seyi Akiwowo (Glitch)
• Don’t feed the trolls – a guide to dealing with online hate on social media by CCDH
• How Action for Happiness are using social media for good with Mark Williamson
• The Ripple Effect: Covid-19 and the Epidemic of Online Abuse by Glitch
• The power of Giving Tuesday with Asha Curran
• The latest social media trends with Matt Navarra
• How WWF UK are using social media with Nicola Gee

How you can join

#ReclaimSocial takes place this year on 5 February so it’s the perfect time to start thinking of what you want to share on the day.

Awareness days can help you celebrate your work, reach a new audience, gain new followers, or even partner with other organisations. If you’re not sure what to post, you can check out our free Storybuilder template in our Lightful social media scheduling platform.

The idea is to get individuals and charities to share inspiring stories of how they use social media to make a difference. Think, how we’re all craving for positive stories and plan content that will inject positivity into people’s newsfeeds.

Content ideas

Not sure what to post? Here are different ways that you can join:

• Share inspiring stories on how you are using social media for good
• Talk about your latest campaign
• Share how you’ve used social media during this challenging year to make an impact
• Thank your supporters, volunteers, team
• Share the impact of your work
• Nominate your heroes of positivity who brighten up your feed

#ReclaimSocial is a great opportunity to celebrate important milestones or even small wins. You can even share the impact of your work or thank those who support you the most.

Celebrate your heroes of positivity

We all know someone who is making our social media feeds more interesting. Whether it’s an organisation, an influencer, or simply our best friend, nominate those who brighten up your feed even in the most challenging times.

• Mention three (or more!) people who have inspired you, had an amazing impact on you or simply make your newsfeed more positive.
• Help others create a more positive feed by including the hashtag #ReclaimSocial.

Social media assets to use

We have prepared more than 50 social media assets (images, videos, GIFs) that you can use as part of #ReclaimSocial if you want!

You can use them any way that you want or you can even create your own images.

You can access all the images in this folder and you can use the ones you like the most.

Social media toolkit

We have prepared a social media toolkit to help you plan your content for #ReclaimSocial.

You will find:

• An overview of #ReclaimSocial
• Stats
• Content ideas
• Draft social media posts
• Links to social media assets
• Examples of posts

You can find the #ReclaimSocial social media toolkit here.

Examples of posts from the previous years

If you’re looking for additional ideas on what to post, here are some examples from the previous years.

Share motivational posts to inspire your followers

Share good news

Celebrate the power of social media

Thank your supporters

Create your own visual assets to celebrate the day of positivity

Share how you’re personally using social for good

Nominate heroes of positivity

We can do it!

We know that social media can be very negative. But we can all work towards making it more positive.

Let’s highlight the positive ways we can use social media for good.

Join #ReclaimSocial on February 5 and help make everyone’s news feeds more inspiring!

Let’s do this!