Social Media

Use social media to effectively communicate with your audience.

By using social media, agencies can strengthen their connection with the public, promote transparency, and respond to their audience’s needs. Social media meets customers where they are, and it is a great place to communicate with them — making it an essential tool for communications during emergencies.

M-10-23, Guidance for Agency Use of Third-Party Websites and Applications (PDF, 103 KB, 9 pages, June 2010)

M-10-23, Guidance for Agency Use of Third-Party Websites and Applications (PDF, 103 KB, 9 pages, June 2010)

Social media: essential knowledge

Social Media events

Annual Gathering

Spring 2024 Community Summit

Digital service experts across the federal government will share case studies and best practices on delivering a digital-first public experience.
2024

Social Media news

Celebrating the work of public servants

Performance.gov invites you to participate in their #GovPossible campaign to celebrate Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW)! Recognize the invaluable efforts of government employees who ensure that the everyday needs of Americans are met. Access a range of tools and resources to help you join the #GovPossible campaign and show your support. The #GovPossible toolkit makes it easy for you to participate in this important (and fun!) campaign. — via Performance.gov

Performance.gov logo

Apr 09, 2024

Getting the word out about voter registration: Vote.gov’s first social media takeover with USAGov

Last fall, vote.gov and the USAGov program partnered for their first-ever social media takeover on National Voter Registration Day. The campaign, which encouraged the public to register to vote, reached 36,000 people across USAGov’s platforms and generated over 2,000 engagements. The partnership raised awareness for vote.gov, boosted vote.gov’s website traffic, and laid the groundwork for the future collaborations and resource-sharing between the two entities. This collaboration between vote.gov and USAGov offers a model for social media takeovers and partnerships between federal agencies and teams. — via USA.gov

USA.gov logo

Feb 06, 2024

Kids Online Health and Safety

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Task Force on Kids Online Health & Safety, NTIA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) are working with other agencies to advance the health, safety and privacy of minors online by identifying current and emerging risks, potential benefits, and efforts to mitigate harms. — via National Telecommunications and Information Administration

National Telecommunications and Information Administration logo

Sep 28, 2023

Why the American People Deserve a Digital Government

OMB released new policy guidance for government that includes a variety of actions and standards to help federal agencies design, develop, and deliver modern websites and digital services. Memo M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience, will make it seamless for the public to obtain government information and services online, and help agencies fully implement the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA). — via The White House

The White House logo

Sep 22, 2023

Resources on Social Media

  • Social media cyber-vandalism toolkit

    Cyber-vandalism presents a serious challenge to online-based communication tools. This resource provides information for agency practitioners to prepare for, recover from, and respond to cyber-vandalism.

  • An introduction to working with social media influencers

    Learn how to partner with social media influencers and design, implement, and measure an influencer program.

  • How to start and sustain a federal podcast

    Discover how to create and maintain a successful podcast at your federal agency.

  • Introduction to QR codes

    What is a QR code and how can you create one? What are some alternatives to using QR codes? This introductory resource will help you explore your options.

  • Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media

    Guidelines and recommendations for using social media technologies in a manner that minimizes risks are analyzed and presented in this document.

  • Social Media, Web-Based Interactive Technologies, and the Paperwork Reduction Act

    This memo clarifies when and how the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA) applies to federal agency use of social media and web-based interactive technologies.

  • Social Media Cyber-Vandalism Toolkit

    Cyber-vandalism presents a serious challenge to online-based communication tools. This document provides guidance and security practices to federal, state, and local government employees. Suggestions and resources prepare users to respond to cyber-hijacking.

  • Improving the Accessibility of Social Media in Government

    Government agencies are increasingly using social media to engage with citizens, share information and deliver services more quickly and effectively than ever before. But as social content, data and platforms become more diverse, agencies have a responsibility to ensure these digital services are accessible to all citizens, including people with disabilities.

  • Federal Social Media Accessibility Toolkit Hackpad

    The following contains the shared document for the development of the Social Media Policy Toolkit, a shared service of the Federal Social Media Community of Practice lead by teams including The Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.

  • Guidance for Social Media Providers

    GSA welcomes interest from providers that want to offer, for the federal government’s consideration, social media products that are free of charge. If you are such a provider, please email GSA and include the following information: Explanation of the

Tools and Services

  • DotGov Registry

    We make it easy to register and manage a .gov domain for US-based government organizations.

  • U.S. Digital Registry

    An inventory of official government social media accounts and mobile apps.

More News and Events on Social Media

332 posts

Celebrating the work of public servants

Performance.gov invites you to participate in their #GovPossible campaign to celebrate Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW)! Recognize the invaluable efforts of government employees who ensure that the everyday needs of Americans are met. Access a range of tools and resources to help you join the #GovPossible campaign and show your support. The #GovPossible toolkit makes it easy for you to participate in this important (and fun!) campaign. — via Performance.gov

Performance.gov logo

Apr 09, 2024

Annual Gathering

Spring 2024 Community Summit

Digital service experts across the federal government will share case studies and best practices on delivering a digital-first public experience.
2024

Getting the word out about voter registration: Vote.gov’s first social media takeover with USAGov

Last fall, vote.gov and the USAGov program partnered for their first-ever social media takeover on National Voter Registration Day. The campaign, which encouraged the public to register to vote, reached 36,000 people across USAGov’s platforms and generated over 2,000 engagements. The partnership raised awareness for vote.gov, boosted vote.gov’s website traffic, and laid the groundwork for the future collaborations and resource-sharing between the two entities. This collaboration between vote.gov and USAGov offers a model for social media takeovers and partnerships between federal agencies and teams. — via USA.gov

USA.gov logo

Feb 06, 2024

Kids Online Health and Safety

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Task Force on Kids Online Health & Safety, NTIA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) are working with other agencies to advance the health, safety and privacy of minors online by identifying current and emerging risks, potential benefits, and efforts to mitigate harms. — via National Telecommunications and Information Administration

National Telecommunications and Information Administration logo

Sep 28, 2023

Why the American People Deserve a Digital Government

OMB released new policy guidance for government that includes a variety of actions and standards to help federal agencies design, develop, and deliver modern websites and digital services. Memo M-23-22, Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience, will make it seamless for the public to obtain government information and services online, and help agencies fully implement the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (21st Century IDEA). — via The White House

The White House logo

Sep 22, 2023

Three Tips for Using Facebook and Instagram Stories

At USA.gov and USAGov en Español, we’re always looking for better ways to connect people to government information through social media. Using stories has helped us increase our engagement rate and our number of followers as we deliver helpful information to people. Stories may be a good addition to your agency’s social media strategy, too. These three tips can help you get started. — via USA.gov

USA.gov logo

Feb 21, 2023

#GovLove 2023

We’re spreading the #GovLove with Performance.gov the week of February 13th to celebrate public servants like you! Prepare your hearts to be warmed. — via Performance.gov

Performance.gov logo

Feb 06, 2023

Medicare Open Enrollment Period Outreach & Media Materials

Medicare Open Enrollment kicks off this Saturday, October 15 and runs through December 7. Join the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on social media to help spread the word! For suggested posts and shareable images, use their partner social media toolkit – available in both English and Spanish. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #MedicareOE to engage with the conversation online.
Oct 14, 2022

U.S. Department of Defense Releases First Departmentwide Social Media Policy

The DOD released a policy that for the first time spells out, from the highest levels of the defense community, how DOD military and civilian personnel should use official social media accounts to best advance the mission of the U.S. military and further instill trust in the credibility of the DOD.
Aug 15, 2022

Three Ways USAGov Outreach Can Help with Your Agency’s Next Campaign

Three Ways USAGov Outreach Can Help with Your Agency’s Next Campaign—Does your agency have an idea for a new marketing strategy? USAGov’s Outreach team can support your agency in all stages of your campaign. We can brainstorm with your team, discuss best practices, and try new marketing approaches to grow together in serving people. Learn how to begin partnering with us. — via USA.gov

USA.gov logo

Nov 17, 2021