How do we get people to care about things that matter?

3 Lessons from Sara Critchfield, Editorial Director at Upworthy

Ricky Keung
6 min readJun 2, 2014

My mind was blown away.

I was listening to Sara Critchfield at an event last Thursday. In a room packed with digital marketers, community campaigners and media nerds, Sara capture everyone’s attention as she shared her insights on getting people to care about things that matter.

Sara (right) Q&A session with Nick (left)

Upworthy has been a phenomena in the digital space, crossing boundaries of traditional media and online social activism. It was named “fastest growing media site of all time” in 2013 yet it doesn't produce any of the content it helps make viral. Its mission is to draw attention to things that matter and Sara is the one who decides what ‘matters’, it repackages content on important social issues, bringing eye balls onto them and makes no apologies for speaking truth rather than appearing unbiased.

I had a wonderful evening hearing Sara shares her passion and thoughts on what campaigners can do better in the social media space, and it’s a pleasure to share this with you all here.

There are Sara’s insights on using social media for social change:

  1. Meeting People Where They Are Is An Act Of Love
  2. Social Media Is For Personal Expression
  3. Meaning Is Not In The Content

1. Meeting People Where They Are Is An Act Of Love

It has become increasingly difficult to get your voice heard across different platforms where cat videos competes for attention with stuff that really matters, like the rain forest or extreme poverty. Many activists respond by shouting ever louder and citing more facts to their friends at every opportunity to get their message across.

As a campaigner I must confess to have been the annoying guy going off my politics rant to my less discerning friends. And like some of my peers I see the ineffectiveness of this approach: only people who already agreed with you will listen and to those whom we need to reach have long switched off.

Instead of dragging people along to agree with your agenda, let’s be more approachable, go out there to meeting people who are usually not part of your social circle, learn to speak the colloquial language of your audience and meet them where they are.

Sara drew the example from Rainforest Alliance with their ‘Follow the Frog’ campaign ad:

‘Follow the Frog’

‘Follow the Frog’ was a sensation, it was catchy, funny, effective and highly shareable, with the over 4 million Youtube views a testament to its success. Unmistakably it’s a campaign by a nonprofit advocating for the environment and social justice, but it delivers a message without the feeling as if a megaphone is shouting at you. Rather it’s just something cool your friends would share with you. So you would want to share it too.

Like something cool your friends would share with you, so you would want to share it too.

Now, facebook.

Activists are notorious for bombarding people’s facebook feed with campaigning messages about how devastating things are and how we ought to act now; typically laden with facts and figures, which can be intimidating for folks who just heard about the issue for the first time.

Sara talks about the need to be approachable in your messaging, like speaking to a friend in the facebook feed. Being the cool kid but not the smartest kid in the room, which puts people off as that makes them feel small and not empowered to act.

Be the cool kid, not the smartest kid in the room.

So next time when you want your message to be heard, try to behave like you're hanging out at a friend’s party instead of dragging people to your campaign trail.

Show some love, meet people where they are.

And yes, that also means listen first before you speak.

2. Social Media Is For Personal Expression

Sara asked the audience what we thought the most shared content on facebook was. Yes, no one guessed it right — the weather! No, it’s not people painstakingly updating the temperature, but they’re giving out warnings to a coming storm or offering words of encouragement to those suffered by it, such as during hurricane Katrina. It’s human nature wanting to be helpful and we act no different online; we want to share something that’s useful to others so we are seen to be valuable.

And that’s where Upworthy comes in, Upworthy does not generate its own content but repackages existing material it thinks matters. It equips but doesn’t control, making it easier for people to spread the message and have their own storytelling in the process.

(Interesting fact this is also why comment was not allowed, as it was meant to take place on the platform where the viewer chooses to share the content)

3. Meaning Is Not In The Content

In this digital age it goes without saying that we measure everything to make sure our messages get the eye balls they deserves. What usually gets measured is the number of views. In Upworthy they measure the headline and story itself separately (not to mention A/B test them)— the context and the content.

Like canned food, what’s inside the can doesn’t dictate whether it gets consumed or not but the packaging does. The same with storytelling online; each individual platform is different and has its own rules and structure. We should tailor our messaging to that particular context, and measure it, separately.

Like canned food, what’s inside the can doesn't dictate whether it gets consumed or not but the packaging does.

The cultural differences across social media platforms are often ignored, as we prize convenience at the expense of effectiveness. Sara pointed out that Facebook is a high school reunion party, not a classroom. Just as you wouldn’t rock up at a black tie party with a singlet (as Zac in “That Awkward Moment), there’re certain dress codes people expect on a social media platform.

Zac Efron in the movie “That Awkward Moment“ turns up in the wrong costume.

Facebook is a party, not a classroom

Activists are often the ones showing up at the party with suits and tie speaking in jargon, yet there’s no need to stand out. We would be much more effective to be the cool kids rather then the smartest kid in the room, because no one wants to hang out with the smart kids who lectures people at a party. They come here (facebook)to have fun so save your latest court case ruling or policy document at home.

Bonus Notes:

In campaigning, think what the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is— a term popularised in the tech space. It’s a strategy of constant testing, learn what works and build upon it. Sara showed the same principle can be deployed in social activism as well: not everyone needs to get all the details on the latest supreme court case ruling but what’s needed is to get them to action or whatever’s the appropriate next step is.

Crowdsourcing ideas for Progress 2014 topics on the night.

Special thanks to Arjan for editing and the kind encouragements.

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Ricky Keung

Social Justice advocate. Live where technology meets social change. Constantly figuring out what’s the Next Big Thing.