Shifting abortion rights narratives online
Leveraging micro-influencers after Roe was overturned
This summer, Kansas held the first electoral test of abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Kansans rejected an anti-abortion state constitutional amendment by over 20 points — a decisive win for abortion rights in a historically Republican state.
But there’s more work to be done. In Kansas, a Republican governor could still pass restrictive bills that limit abortion access, which is why it’s so essential voters re-elect Laura Kelly and Democrats up and down the ballot in November.
On a national level, we have to stop Republicans from taking control of Congress. If they do, they’ll pass a federal abortion ban.
American Bridge is on a mission to hold these far-right politicians accountable and protect reproductive health care.
Republicans rigging the vote
Let’s set the stage: Republicans did everything they could to rig the vote in Kansas.
- Confusing wording on the ballot? Check.
- Scheduling the election on an August day with no competitive Democratic primary races? Check.
- Spending millions on advertising? Check.
- Sending misleading texts to voters trying to trick them into voting against abortion access? Check.
And still, more than 900,000 voters — a historic turnout — made their voices heard.
Cutting through the noise
Earlier this year, we conducted extensive studies of media habits of women in key battleground states and discovered that nonpolitical influencers and podcasters were more trustworthy than traditional news sources or pundits.
We reached out to Kansans using trust, not tricks — making a six-figure investment, including leveraging local influencers to help inform voters about the ballot initiative.
To ensure Kansans knew the stakes and when to vote, American Bridge mobilized online creators and boosted their “vote NO” videos to key demographics and geographic areas. Their authentic content cut through the noise and reached women where they are … online.
Roe is on the ballot everywhere
Since the horrific Dobbs ruling leaked, we’ve worked with micro-influencers across the country to share what abortion access means to them and how Republicans are a threat to their bodies, families, and futures. Our program has been a massive success with content on Instagram and TikTok seeing above-average reshares and saves, and all different levels of celebrity have reached out and wanted to get involved. There is clearly a motivation from voters across backgrounds to help protect the fundamental right to choose your own medical care.
Within just 24 hours of the leak, we had over 40 influencers ready and eager to participate. Four days after the leak, the program went live with nine total creator participants distributing their own custom content. This initial influencer campaign reached over one million people and received more than 10,000 direct engagements. On Instagram, almost every single creator saw their reel plays perform at a higher rate than their organic content — which is extremely rare, while simultaneously seeing roughly 40–80% higher engagement by way of comments on their content, and x3 the average number of reshares, resulting in literally incalculable reach. Two of our more widely-known influencers, Bennett Jordan and Luke Stone from The Bachelor franchise showcased important conversations they were having with their friends in the wake of the ruling.
We also had other micro-influencers from the medical community talk about the serious health repercussions of this decision, making it impactful for Americans who rely on this critical healthcare. Reproductive care disproportionately affects people of color and lower-income Americans, so we worked with influencers from those communities to speak directly to their audiences.
The biggest takeaway? Abortion access will be a huge motivator when it comes to turnout in the midterms. The more authentic and relatable our message about protecting constitutional freedoms is, the more we can drive up turnout. While the Kansas vote is reassuring, it’s not the end of the battle — it’s just the beginning.
