5 Political Campaign Video Ideas
Online video was once an expensive luxury reserved only for well-funded political campaigns and viewers with a good internet connection. Today, video is everywhere. You can shoot video (and even edit it) from just about any mobile phone and easily share clips to social media.
Video is an effective visual marketing tool for political campaigns of all sizes. As of 2020, there were an estimated 232 million video users in the United States. So a good video holds great potential for engagement and shares from voters and supporters.
For most campaigns, video clips are uploaded to YouTube and uploaded directly to campaign social media accounts, like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Video content can be easily embedded into a campaign website or blog. Organizations with larger budgets may use paid video hosting services to avoid advertising and branding from appearing with their clips.
Whether you plan to create professionally edited videos or quick clips recorded from a mobile phone, you may be struggling for content ideas that appeal to voters.
Here are a few suggestions on how to use video for your political campaign:
Create a personal introduction to voters
A personal introduction on a campaign website home page is a great way for voters to see and hear the candidate. A short, personal message about the candidate or why he or she is running can help give depth and personality to the site.
Let Us Create Your Candidate Intro Video!
Kick off your YouTube channel and with an intro video branded with your campaign and messaging.
Repurpose your campaign commercials
Your television (and radio) ads should be converted for placement on the web. You may want to name the the videos by date and subject. You can place your most current ads on your site’s home page to keep your site content fresh. When they are posted to your campaign’s YouTube channel, you will want to make sure the video’s title and description include relevant keyword phrases, as that can help them appear in search results.
Sometimes campaign ads go viral. This usually happens for either humorous or especially hard-hitting videos. In many cases, these are professionally produced.
Remember, online has far fewer restrictions on content. Sometimes a political advertisement that gets rejected by mainstream media outlets ends up getting even more exposure online than it would have had if it ran regularly in the first place. This, of course, begs the question of whether certain ads are purposely made conversational just to call attention to them when they are rejected…
Use legislative or municipal meetings to highlight a point
Here you can show the candidate or an opponent in action. Add annotations into the video to point things out. These types of videos are good for showing how a candidate really feels about an issue or how he or she reacts in session.
You don’t know a legislator until you’ve seen them in action.
Highlight campaign events and other interesting clips
Short clips of rallies, speeches and interviews can be of interest to voters. Edit the clips for length. Consider adding narration or closed captioning to explain what is going on.
As long as your sound is good, even short and informal video posts can help inform and entertain votes. Many candidates today are using live video for events or just to post quick updates. Facebook Live allows you to live-stream video directly to an audience through Facebook. Best of all, you don’t need a lot of preparation to produce these videos.
With Facebook Live, you can live-stream video directly to an audience through Facebook. Viewers can watch from their computer, mobile phone or other connected devices. For political campaigns, Facebook Live allows candidates to speak and engage directly to their audience. For supporters who cannot be physically be at an event, they can still participate (and donate).
Use video with your online fundraising
Add a video to your donation page to help explain your cause. If you have a special fundraising need, you’ll want your video to specifically address your goal. You can use the video on the donation page, post them your social media accounts and even use a screenshot of the video for your emails.
Final political campaign video tips
Try to keep your political campaign videos short and tightly edited. The average YouTube video is only about three minutes long – and voters do not generally have long attention spans. Also, do not set embedded videos to run automatically when the web page loads.
- Use a simple message that is clear and concise.
- Make your visual presentation professional, even if you are making an impersonal video. After all, your ad is going to be seen by voters.
- Use memorable words and concepts that accurately represent your campaign.
- Many users do not like music or video to start when they arrive on a web site. Many will automatically click off – and you don’t want to lose visitors that way.
- Strategically embed your videos into your content. You may want to explain what each video so the user knows what they will see.
- YouTube is a great place to have a video channel. However, if you want to embed video ad-free and without branding, consider using Kinsta or Vimeo for your video hosting needs.
Finally, don’t forget to add video to your get out the vote efforts. Use them in social media and your site. Remind voters to turn out for Election Day or to mail in those early ballots.
Related: Reach Early Voters Online
Video code can be easily embedded into any Online Candidate campaign website.
Resources for Teaching Political Campaigning to Students
Teachers and educators have used our articles as further reading when teaching political campaigning to students. This includes high school and even college-level courses.
Our material is non-partisan and without particular bias, so it’s safe to use in lesson plans about getting started in politics. We use our articles as resources for prospective and current clients about how politics works on the web.
Here are popular articles that can help with your curriculum:
- Should You Make The Run For Local Office? – Running for elected office is one of the best ways you can give back to their community. Whether you want to run for city council, county commissioner or local school board, you must begin by making the decision to run.
- FAQs for First-Time Political Candidates – Every two years in the United States, there are over 500,000 public offices up for election. For many of these candidates, it will be their first race…
- Opening a Bank Account For Your Political Campaign – Raising money and managing expenses is an critical part of the election process. Opening a campaign bank account is an early step in establishing a viable political campaign.
- What’s Your Campaign Theme? – For political purposes, your campaign theme covers a variety of elements which are used to communicate a political message. It should be based on a clear reason why a candidate is running for office and backed up by an overall identity that shapes the overall campaign.
- Political Campaign Slogans – The best slogans in politics are both positive and suggest action. They should be easy for voters to remember, emphasize a message – and hopefully connect with voters on an emotional level.
- Designing A Great Political Logo – Tips and Ideas – A great campaign logo design is central to branding and projects a professional brand in the minds of voters.
- Announcing Your Candidacy for Political Office – Successful candidates start with a big announcement. Of course, there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes before a candidate can publicly declare a candidacy.
- How Candidates Raise Money For Local Campaigns – One of the first and largest obstacles for a campaign is raising enough money to become a viable candidate.
- 5 Things To Know About Your Domain Name – A domain name is the ultimate expression of a candidate’s online branding.
- Local Election Laws And Your Campaign Website – It’s essential to know and understand the local campaign election laws that apply online before you start your digital presence.
- Online Advertising For Political Campaigns – Political campaigns today have many options for online advertising to reach and influence voters. With a low cost to entry, even local candidates can put together an effective online marketing strategy.
- Listen Up! It’s Our Running For Office Podcast – Announcing the launch of our own podcast, Running for Office as an Online Candidate.
If you use the material in your classroom lessons or projects, we appreciate a link back to the source. Thanks!
Local Election Laws And Your Campaign Website
Although the web is often considered a freewheeling environment, local election laws still apply to online political campaigning. As a candidate, it’s essential to know what local election laws apply online before you start your digital campaign.
Common legal topics facing local political campaigns:
When can a candidate start political campaigning?
Some municipalities have restrictions on when you can actively start campaigning. Some local laws are more restrictive than others – especially for judicial campaigns. Even if you have to wait, many clients prepare ahead of time. They may reserve a domain name and get their website ready to go in anticipation of the time that they can go ‘live’ with it.
Required political website disclaimers
Your campaign website may need to have specific disclaimers or certain verbiage in your website footer text or elsewhere on your site. Generally, this would match the election law disclaimer requirements of your print materials. This copy is typically something along the lines of, “Paid for by …” In fact, all online ads these days require disclaimers and advertiser verification before they are even run.
Restrictions on what can appear on a campaign website
There may be restrictions on the use of state flags or state seals in the design. (We’re looking at you, Florida!) They may be additional restrictions as to whether you can appear in uniform in campaign materials. This comes up fairly often in law enforcement and sheriff campaigns.
Rules for logos
It was recently pointed out to us that according to Texas state law , in a “for” Sheriff logo the “for” text has to be at least 50% as large as the Sheriff. If it’s any smaller, you can get in trouble with the Texas Ethics Commission.
What a candidate can say on a website
We’ve had to change a few client’s site header designs after they’ve discovered that they cannot use certain phrases or words. In one case, we had to remove the word ‘Elect’ from the header because the election laws for the position did not allow for that word to be used. You may want to watch how your copy and signage reads so it does not give the impression that the new position you are running for is a position you already hold.
How local campaigns can contact voters
With the increase in texting, robocalls and phone banks, there are still rules that political campaigns must follow. In 2020, congress passed the TRACED Act to combat illegal robocalls. It increased potential fines and added additional tools for regulators to combat spam calls and texts.
For example, calls to cell phones are prohibited unless the recipient has explicitly opted-in to receive campaign updates. The message itself must identify the candidate and party for whom call is made. A contact number and address must also be included at the end of the message. Your state may have additional rules and requirements. You’ll want to check into them before you fire up the robodialer.
Campaign finance limits
Be sure not to exceed your local campaign contribution limits. Your donation page should be configured to reject donations that exceed your limit. Additional donor information may also be required. This can include, but is not limited to: donor’s occupation, spouses name, citizenship requirements and so on.
Invoicing for internet services
If you pay for an online service, you should keep records of your expenses, just as you would for anything else related to your campaign. (Online Candidate clients can log into their Client Portal and download financials.)
Become familiar with your local campaign election laws before you start actively campaigning. Getting caught breaking the rules – even seemingly innocent ones – in the middle of an election can be embarrassing and an unnecessary distraction.
A good rule of thumb is that if something is not allowed in print, you can bet it won’t be allowed on the web. You can be sure that an opponent will use any violations as an attack point. Just stick to the letter and the spirit of the law, and you should have no problems at all.
Legally, at least.
Learn more about our Political Website Packages and marketing services to create an effective, professional web presence.
Don’t Distance Your Campaign From Voters
These are uncharted times for down-ballot campaigns. With in-person contact limited, candidates are reaching voters through digital marketing.
Online Candidate is here to help. From our articles to our campaign resource site to our marketing services, we help campaigns of all types build their digital presence.
If you are running for office this year, you need to start your online campaign!
Start With a Campaign Website
A campaign website isn’t an option this year. From our $29 Monthly Option (6 Months for $149)to our Enhanced Website Package, our design and online marketing services make creating your online presence the easiest part of your campaign.
Which Package Is Best For You?
Political Promotional Videos
Need to kick off your YouTube channel? Let us create an intro video branded with your campaign and messaging. It’s a quick and affordable way to start another online promotional channel.
Learn More About Our Video Promos
Target Your Voter List By Address
By matching physical addresses, IP Targeting is your way to reach specific voter households. Your ads can display on news sites, email portals and other popular sites across the web…
Learn More about IP Targeting
Digital Download Store
We carry a large range of digital downloadable items to help campaigns and organizations. It features a variety of campaign e-books, political print templates and political logo templates available for immediate download.
Visit the Download Store
One-on-One Consulting
With the shift to online campaigning in 2020, even local candidates must learn the ins and outs of online campaigning. To help candidates get the most from their online efforts, we now offer personalized, one-on-one consulting services.
Book a One-on-one Session
For Political Campaigns, Summertime Is No Time For A Vacation
Despite everything that is going on in the world today, primary and general elections are still on their way. Even if it’s summertime, it’s no time for a vacation. Political campaigns of all types need to get organized and fired up.
This is especially true for local campaigns. They often tend to do less as members of the team take vacations and do family activities during the warm weather. One way to motivate yourself and your colleagues is to hold a “summer kickoff” event: This could be as simple as having everyone bring their families out and have a picnic.
It’s important to keep in contact with your organization. During the summer months, it’s easy to let things slip and assume you will pick things up around Labor Day. This is an election year like no other. Candidates and organizations must adapt to the changing nature of offline and online campaigning.
As we head into the summer months, we’ve put together a selection of articles to help kick off your campaign.
- Opening a Bank Account For Your Political Campaign
Raising money and managing expenses is an critical part of the election process. Opening a campaign bank account is a first step in establishing a viable political campaign. - Political Website Domains and Hosting – What To Know
This free guide provides an overview on the basics of domain name registration and website hosting for political campaigns. - Digital Marketing Ideas For Political Campaigns
Some campaign marketing strategies are affordable, others are more expensive. Here are some of the most popular online advertising options available today. - 5 Online Ways To Connect With Voters
Here are five things your campaign can do right now to connect with voters during this uncertain time. - Using Facebook Live for Your Political Campaign
For local political candidates, the shift from door-to-door canvassing and in-person fundraising events to online-only campaigning has been particularly jarring. Now video is more important than ever… - Online Candidate Quickstart Guide
Get pre-order answers, campaign website setup information, launch tips, and options for your site. - Listen Up! It’s Our Running For Office Podcast
Download and listen to our podcast series, Running for Office as an Online Candidate.
Don’t wait! With our affordable political website packages, you can start your online campaign today. Backed by easy to use tools and exclusive resources, we help hundreds of campaigns WIN every election cycle.
Using Facebook Live for Your Political Campaign
Reaching voters online is more important than ever. For local political candidates, the 2020 shift from door-to-door canvassing and in-person fundraising events to online-only campaigning has been particularly jarring.
Candidates with little online experience shifted to social media, email and online fundraising. And now video is more important than ever. Campaigns are using video to reach voters and to support their volunteer and fundraising efforts.
Creating video today is easier than ever. Anyone with a smart phone can record and even edit video on the go. Live-streaming is more popular than ever as people across the country stay at home. While the recent pandemic has prevented in-person events, virtual events have become more popular through services like Facebook Live.
What is Facebook Live – and how can it help political candidates?
profile, a Page, group or even an event. Viewers can watch from their computer, mobile phone or other connected devices. allows candidates to speak and engage directly to their audience.
If you have ever done a video chat with friends or family through Facebook then you have already used Facebook Live. However, campaign broadcasting is not typically as casual as personal communication.
You can use Facebook Live to record and stream a variety of campaign-related material. It’s not particularly difficult, and you don’t need a full studio setup. In many cases, you can use your mobile phone to broadcast.
In this article we will explore how Facebook Live can help your digital marketing strategy.
Setting up Facebook Live for campaigns
You can either stream at a particular time or schedule a time for a live stream. There are plenty of topics for creating live videos:
- Campaign events, rallies and fundraisers.
- Canvassing activities.
- Participation at public meetings or legislative sessions.
- Behind the scenes of the campaign.
- Personal candidate updates.
- Reminders/Get out the vote.
One advantage of a live video (or any online video) is that you are not limited to the standard 6, 15 or 30-second ad. The longer a live video lasts, the more opportunity there is for others to join in and engage with the content. The time limit for a live video session on Facebook is 8 hours. That should be more than enough time for any event you decide to broadcast.
Facebook Live videos often seem spontaneous, but for best results you’ll want to plan each broadcast. Randomly filming a canvassing walk might not be interesting. But if you have a topic to discuss or something interesting to show, that will give your broadcast a purpose. You might not need a script, but you should have an idea of what’s going to happen before you turn on the camera.
You can always broadcast on the spot, or you can schedule live videos ahead of time. Announcing your broadcasts ahead of time helps build anticipation and buzz. Posting upcoming announcements to your social media accounts. Also notify your email subscribers and website visitors. Build anticipation for your events to encourage more viewers.
When you create a live event from your page, group or profile, you have many options. You can either go live immediately or schedule your video for a later time. The more information you include when you set up your event, the better. You’ll want to add a descriptive name and location, any special guests and a call to action. This might be to have viewers follow you on social media, volunteer to help or donate. If you have a poll or questions to add, you can do this when you set up your live post.
You only have a few seconds at best to catch someone’s attention before they scroll past your video. An interesting title and image will help draw eyeballs.
Live video broadcasting tips
If you have never done Facebook video broadcasting, take the time to learn the settings and options available to you. Facebook continually updates their platform and features.
- Make a few practice recordings to get used to speaking in front of a camera. Learn to be yourself while recording.
- Keep your videos (and other types of posts) short and to the point. Users scrolling through their feed aren’t going to spend a lot of time on long posts or videos.
- Place and settings are important. Choose a proper location that is not too busy or too loud. How you compose your shots is also important. For example, placing your subject one third to the left or right is more visually interesting than having the the subject in the center of the frame.
- Proper lighting is required, especially if you are recording indoors. You may want to add artificial lighting from one or more sources.
- Consider using good clip-on microphones. Poor audio can provide a worse experience for viewers than even low-resolution video.
- Run a quick trial video before your event and play it back to make sure everything is working properly. There is nothing worse than starting a video and finding out after a few minutes that your audience cannot hear or see you.
- Before you go live, make sure your internet connection is solid. You don’t want to get dropped in the middle of your recording. Depending on your settings, an unexpected drop-off could terminate your live video event.
- If you decide promote issue, electoral or political content, you will need to be authorized for advertising first.
Use Insights to learn what works – and what doesn’t
You can check your stats and feedback to see what your content audience engages with the most. You don’t want to become repetitious, but you will probably find that certain topics or video types tend to do better than others. You can find this information in the Insights tab of your Facebook page. These analytics provide a wealth of data. In time, you can use these insights to determine the best times to post or broadcast, how many people you reach, and what posts provide the most interactions.
Facebook Live videos produce 6 times as many interactions as traditional videos. Finding out what resonates can help you improve your content. Just be careful not to take it too seriously. Just because something tends to do well doesn’t mean that doing over and over will give you the same results.
After your online video event…
Once your live stream broadcast is finished, your video is automatically posted to your timeline and saved to your Facebook video library. From there, it can be viewed by others in the future. You can also download your video to your computer.
You can edit your downloaded video to tighten it up and add an intro and outro (beginning and end branding clips). Then you can upload your edited video to your campaign’s YouTube account and embed it into your campaign website. For more control over your embedded videos, consider using a paid video hosting platform like Wistia or Vimeo.
Ready to get started? Lights … camera … stream!
Need help setting up your campaign Facebook page? Add our Social Media Setup addon to your Online Candidate campaign website package.
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