Social Media in Politics: Storytelling as a Formula for Success

“Whoever has the damage… Can’t wait to see the memes.” Which German politician launched a nationwide call to action with this caption and at the same time demonstrated a certain sense of self-deprecating humor? That’s right, our federal Olaf. Naturally, the user reactions were not long in coming. fritz Kola replied “Please only use standard bottle openers. Otherwise it can quickly go wrong.”. Also small ads parodied “Slight signs of wear”. The picture certainly earned the fallen recreational jogger a few sympathy points from his followers.

Whoever has the damage…
I’m looking forward to the memes. Thanks for the well wishes, looks worse than it is! pic.twitter.com/bB5INX8HnM

– Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) September 4, 2023

Above all, however, the chancellor’s Instagram post made it clear that communication between government representatives and society has changed It’s no longer just jetsetters and fashion bloggers who use social media to strengthen their personal brand, but also politicians. Just like any other content creator, they can take on different roles to clarify their positioning and inspire potential voters. We took a closer look at the approaches Annalena Baerbock, Volodymyr Zelenskyj and Markus Söder are pursuing on the various channels.

The SUCCESs Formula as the Basis for Political Social Media Communication

What Martin Luther King or John F. Kennedy achieved in their speeches, leaders today have to transfer to digital channels in order to reach their electorate. The aforementioned greats and today’s leaders have one thing in common: successful communication is based on the SUCCESs formula.

• Simple: The message must be clear and understandable, without complicated technical terms or long explanations
• Unexpected: A surprising twist or an unexpected element in the message increases attention.
• Credible: The message should be credible and based on trustworthy sources or experiences.
• Concrete: Abstract concepts should be translated into concrete examples or facts to make the content tangible.
• Emotional: An emotional connection to the audience can help the message to have a lasting impact.
• Story: Stories bring the information conveyed to life and draw the reader into the action.

This makes the SUCCESs formula an important prerequisite that government representatives should have internalized so that readers get the greatest possible added value from being a follower. Why is this important? Because opinions are formed on social media, as we know from movements such as Fridays For Future, Black Lives Matter or Jina Mahsa Amini’s fate. This phenomenon can be transferred to state or federal elections and shapes our view of various actors. But do politicians in our country and other nations really use the SUCCESs formula on social media?

Annalena Baerbock: The Political X-pert

The 42-year-old has been the German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs since December 2021 – and the first woman to hold this position. Baerbock is particularly active on Twitter/X (more than 621,000 followers) and Instagram (more than 570,000 followers), while her Instagram posts are mainly published on Facebook.

Baerbock on Instagram: Simple, but also concrete?

Annalena Baerbock mainly shares photos on Instagram, videos can only be found occasionally. Whether it’s a business trip abroad, German and international holidays or meetings with political figures, captions are rarely written in English. What is particularly striking is the length of the texts: The captions are usually divided into several paragraphs. In terms of clarity, it can be argued that this layout is “simple”, but can such a length of text really be “concrete”?

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Annalena Baerbock (@abaerbock)

The Foreign Minister’s choice of words is just as simple, putting the concrete aspect back into perspective and thus making the content more tangible. She also integrates story elements into both her captions and her speeches. For example, she makes connections to well-known US-American people before going into the actual topic.

Annalena Baerbock also shares a lot of background information on her activities in the highlight stories. Almost always adorned with blocks of text, followers can take a closer look at the points on the politician’s agenda. These also correspond to their expertise and lend their content the necessary credibility. At the same time, however, the question arises as to why, for example, the topic of “sport” is so present with the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and is sometimes surprised by reels in which she answers questions from the community – and, in keeping with the unexpected and the story, shares one or two personal opinions.

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A post shared by Annalena Baerbock (@abaerbock)

Baerbock on X: Political Messages to a special Readership

On X, the Hanover native exclusively represents political interests. Here, it formulates statements in short, clear messages and takes a clear position on topics such as the G20 summit or the war in Ukraine. The Green politician is targeting a more specific audience, as hashtags such as #COP28 and terms such as “OffshoreEnergie” (offshore energy) indicate – there is no such choice of words on her Instagram account. This lends the government representative seriousness: she appears credible, deals with the “core topics” of a foreign minister, formulates concretely and – for the politically savvy readership – simply. If required, she also writes tweets in English or French.

From a purely political perspective, Twitter/X is therefore particularly relevant for Baerbock. Here she expresses concrete political positions in a meaningful short form. On Instagram, on the other hand, Baerbock appears more approachable, uses simpler language and deals with topics that go beyond her activities as Foreign Minister. It is easy to see that Instagram is the tool of choice for keeping the general population up to date and also for convincing them.

Volodymyr Zelenskyj: Channel? No matter

As a former actor, the current Ukrainian president has certainly had a considerable following for some time. But with Russia’s war of aggression in February 2022, all eyes turned to Zelensky’s social media profiles. Everyone has at least one video or picture of the head of government in their head, running through the streets of Kiev in army fatigues or standing in the trenches, with dark circles under his eyes, unshaven and completely exhausted. Even now, a year and a half after the invasion, the Ukrainian still shares daily insights into the situation in his country on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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A post shared by Володимир Зеленський (@zelenskiy_official)

While Facebook only plays a minor role in Germany, the platform continues to be an important means of communication in Ukraine. More than 3 million people follow the President’s contributions here. However, the X account and Instagram profile can boast even higher figures: 7.3 million and 16.9 million subscribers can be found on the respective channels.

Zelenskyj uses every network equally: His profiles are a mix of professionally designed videos, photos and recordings in which he films himself. The Ukrainian mainly formulates his messages in the national language, and subtitles or captions are also recorded in English. This simplifies its communication and the content can be disseminated beyond national borders. The president posts several times a day, always referring to the war situation, expressing his thanks to the defenders and calling for action. His choice of words is simple and concrete, his message is clear and the topics he addresses are credible.

Five outcomes of our talks with Prime Minister @KMitsotakis.

1. Greece joined the aviation coalition: it will train our pilots to fly F-16s. Greece is also preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine.

2. I proposed ways for Greece to assist us in securing Ukraine’s new… pic.twitter.com/saayynoA5I

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 21, 2023

His outfits, which clearly set him apart from other heads of state, also lend him particular credibility. Instead of a suit and patent leather shoes, Zelenskyj presents himself in army-colored shirts on which, for example, “I’m Ukrainian” is written or the trident of the Ukrainian national flag is emblazoned. With this not insignificant detail, the President sends out a clear emotional message that no follower can misinterpret: “We are still in battle, I am always ready.”

The updates on the current situation in Ukraine not only tell the current story of the country, which is still present through media coverage, but also provide readers with background information. In this way, Zelenskyj serves the element of the unexpected. On Instagram, for example, you can also find videos that explain certain circumstances in more detail.

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A post shared by Володимир Зеленський (@zelenskiy_official)

It is important to emphasize that the Ukrainian president uses social media under completely different conditions than, for example, the German foreign minister does. Before the Russian invasion, Zelensky was also a classic suit wearer. However, the change in his appearance alone sends a clear message on every channel and is intended to remind the rest of society of the ongoing situation in Ukraine. Whether Facebook, X or Instagram – Zelenskyj uses social media to disseminate information: to his own people, media representatives and the international population. His text messages also follow the principle of the SUCCESs formula. They are simple, unexpected, credible, concrete, emotionally charged and consistently tell the story of the national situation.

Special case CSU-Söder: With TikTok to the Iconic Politician

In general, Markus Thomas Theodor Söder is no gray mouse on the social platforms. Like Baerbock, the 56-year-old Minister President of Bavaria uses X (around 420,000 followers) to spread political statements, but has been focusing more on Instagram (380,000 followers) for some time now.

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A post shared by Markus Söder (@markus.soeder)

It quickly becomes clear that the CSU politician is out to score sympathy points: independently developed hashtags such as #SöderIsst, selfie videos of cycling and pictures with his wife convey a clearly emotional and at the same time very entertaining language. In this sense, Söder more than does justice to the unexpected aspect and the emotions. Between these supposedly comical images, there are always bold posts with clear statements that are simple, concrete and credible. Söder appears authentic on Instagram, whether it’s his political positioning or his next bockwurst photo. But the politician on TikTok takes the cake.

The CSU is not the only party with a TikTok account – but it is probably the only one to model its “flagship politician” as an entertainment figure in this way. The Bavarian Minister President presents himself in live streams, answers questions from the community and also talks freely about his private life. Unexpected is probably an understatement when you consider that the CSU is a strongly conservative party and now has such a strong presence on the platform.

@csuauftiktok Today at 1pm Tik Tok Live! Be there and ask your questions to #markussöder 👏 #csu #politics #qanda #live ♬ Original sound – CSU

On TikTok, Söder intensively addresses topics that particularly affect younger target groups, such as the German school system and general educational opportunities. In this way, the Christian conservatives create an emotional bond with their TikTok audience, which is also reflected in the comments column: Users write, for example, “He’s the most likeable” or “You’re simply the best politician”.

No other party instrumentalizes its:n chairman as much as the conservatives from Bavaria do – helping Markus Söder, who has already positioned himself independently on Instagram with amusing outfit pictures and his own hashtag creations, to achieve a cult politician image. And the comment column on TikTok proves the CSU’s approach right! But we will probably see in a few years whether the Bavarian patriot can hold his own against the pirate meme Olaf Scholz in the battle for the chancellorship. Perhaps Federal President Steinmeier will have his own TikTok account by then – or the FDP will have invested in the metaverse.

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