Social media for government agencies is all about demonstrating your expertise, building trust and credibility, and providing audiences with fast, reliable, unambiguous information. It’s been a game-changer for the sector, transforming previously faceless organizations into teams of real people doing valuable work.

Lots of agencies are doing an amazing job at showcasing what they do (and how they do it), helping them build large, highly engaged audiences.

But getting it right can be tough. Every government social media marketer occasionally struggles with ideas or a lack of content. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up 20 tips and strategies to boost engagement for government on social media.

1. Share the Context Behind Your Work

A lot of government agency work is difficult for everyday audiences to relate to, which can naturally limit your social media engagement. If they don’t understand what you do or why you’re doing it, they won’t hit “like” or share a comment.

That’s why sharing the context behind the valuable work you perform is important.

For example, take a look at this Facebook post from the Bureau of Land Management:

If the agency had left out that first paragraph explaining the historical significance of the Bonneville Salt Flats, the second one — detailing their attempts to understand the landscape — would have been way less impactful.

Because plenty of followers would simply have thought: “So what?”

2. Add Employee Testimonials To Recruitment Posts

Social media has become an essential part of government agency recruitment strategies. After all, whatever role you’re hiring for, the people you’re targeting are on social media.

However, with the vast majority of employers across all industries already using social media to share information about their latest vacancies, it can be challenging to distinguish yourself from the noise.

One way to stand out and create more engaging job postings is to support them with testimonials from real-life employees, just like the Patent and Trademark Office did in this LinkedIn post:

Not only does this testimonial feel relatable, but it also tackles a potential candidate’s pain point by explaining that a lack of experience in a similar role isn’t necessarily a barrier to applying.

3. Communicate (Clearly) in a Crisis

Government agencies play a key role in helping their audiences navigate crises.

Obviously, we hope you never have to deal with a serious crisis. But if you do, social media can help you communicate key messages to affected communities.

Keep your guidance short and sweet, as King County, WA, did in response to a massive windstorm that saw gusts of up to 74 mph hit lowland areas:

There are no bells and whistles here — just a clear instruction that City Hall is available to anyone needing a warming shelter.

👉 Learn more: How Government Agencies Can Build an Effective Crisis Communications Strategy

4. Share Something Unique

In an age of algorithm-driven content, social media marketers are encouraged to post about trending topics—that is, topics that are already popular.

Sure, hopping on social media trends can help you generate engagement. But it’s not the only way. In fact, it can often be more effective to share unusual stories that no one else is discussing.

Just like our next example from Leesburg Police Department:

It’s easy to see why this post received so much engagement (100+ reactions at the time of writing): It’s original and fun.

Plus, as a bonus, the Leesburg Police Department even managed to turn it into a recruitment ad. Smart work!

5. Get Specific With Big Announcements

Sometimes, you don’t have to work hard to increase engagement. For example, when you have a major announcement guaranteed to attract attention.

For example, Columbus Regional Airport Authority knew its post about the new terminal at John Glenn Columbus International Airport was going to do numbers:

Still, they made the most of the opportunity by detailing what the terminal would mean for airport passengers. Instead of simply revealing that they’d broken ground on the development, they shared specific features and benefits, such as how the open floor plan and high ceilings would allow for unobstructed views of most gates.

All of which makes the announcement far more engaging (and meaningful).

6. Provide Updates for Ongoing Projects

Major projects take time to complete. After sharing the initial announcement, providing ongoing updates over the following weeks and months makes sense.

For example, since 2019, the Washington Department of Ecology has helped fund the rollout of electric buses to school districts across the state. So they decided to remind audiences of the project by posting about Washington’s first electric school bus:

It’s a great way to drum up continued enthusiasm and engagement for an initiative that might still be running in another five years.

7. Take Advantage of Interactive Social Media Content Features

Sometimes, a simple image post with an informative caption is all you need to get your message across. But social platforms offer a ton of more sophisticated content formats now, and static images aren’t always the most engaging option.

For instance, say you’re trying to share 3 – 5 key statistics about your agency or community. You could just add them to a social caption — or you could get a little more creative and turn them into a slideshow on LinkedIn, just like the town of Gilbert, AZ, did here:

This interactive format naturally encourages audiences to click through to the next slide, making it more likely that they’ll pay attention to the core message that manufacturing is thriving in Gilbert.

8. Tap Into Local Events

Promoting any event can boost engagement for​​ local government agencies, and it can also boost your engagement. However, some events are more significant than others.

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour definitely falls into the “big events” category. So before it rolled into Indianapolis, the nearby Westfield Washington Township tried to tempt Swifties to make the 40-minute trip to check out some of their local attractions:

While we don’t know how many people took Westfield Washington Township up on their offer to visit Birdies Mini Golf & Sports Bar or the Scented Oasis Candle Co., this was simply too big an opportunity for the agency to miss.

9. Be Relatable

Okay, so sharing relatable content that resonates with an audience of tens of thousands of people can be challenging, to say the least. But the rewards make it worth the effort.

Consider the City of Anna, TX. It has a population of less than 30,000 and under 6,000 followers on Instagram. Yet the local government’s social media team got 6+ million views on this Instagram Reel:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by City of Anna, Texas (@cityofanna)

How? They successfully tapped into a feeling many Texans (and plenty of other people) can relate to, encouraging many likes, shares, and comments.

👉 Learn more: Instagram Reels 101: Everything Your Brand Needs to Know to Get Started

10. Have Fun With Dry Topics

Let’s be honest: some of the work your agency does won’t naturally translate to engaging, social media-friendly content.

In those cases, learn from the Central Utah Water Conservancy District and use dry topics (pun intended) as an opportunity to have some fun:

Importantly, they didn’t just use this post to sneak in a dreadful “snow” pun — they also communicated key information about water conservation in a way that feels engaging and easy to understand.

11. Provide Community News & Updates

Arguably, the most obvious case of social media use by government agencies is providing news and relevant updates to your community.

News-driven content, whether an important public service announcement, a local road closure, or an inspiring success story, should be one of the key components of your social media content strategy. It helps position your agency as a source of authority, which builds trust in your brand and improves public perception.

Here’s a perfect example from the City of Phoenix:

This post communicates positive news for the city and provides a call to action for readers interested in learning more.

Most of all, it demonstrates that news-based posts don’t need to be especially complicated or creative. When it comes to reporting breaking news, keep it simple.

12. Showcase Real People At Your Agency

Building trust and boosting public perception is a key goal of social media for government agencies.

One of the best ways to achieve it is to humanize your social media marketing by showcasing some of the real people working at your agency. After all, it’s far easier for your audience to trust a human than a faceless organization.

The Department of Energy clearly understands this. It regularly shares information about the work carried out by its employees, such as this example:

Not only is this a consistent source of content, but it’s also a highly effective way to engage your community, show your human side, and increase engagement.

13. Treat Social Media As a Two-Way Conversation

At its best, social media acts like a public forum: a place for conversation (and sometimes debate) between interested parties. Of course, conversations must be a two-way process.

Your followers can use your social media pages to report concerns, react to news, or simply to share whatever’s on their minds. But it’s not just about what they post; it’s about how you respond.

You might receive dozens or hundreds of comments a day. No doubt, responding to them sounds like a lot of work. But the fact is, a large chunk of your audience expects you to reply. Indeed, 51% of consumers say the most memorable brands on social media respond to customers.

The City of Boca Raton demonstrates the benefits of responding to comments:

This is a nice comment. If the city had simply ignored it, there’s little incentive for the follower to further engage with the City of Boca Raton’s social media content.  If someone takes the time to get in touch, you should try your best to get back to them.

14. Share Public Service Information

Government agencies provide public services. Using your social media profiles to share valuable news and information with your audience makes sense.

There are many reasons you might need to reach out to your followers with essential advice. For instance, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources provided this invaluable update about what motorists should do if a deer runs out in front of them:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Iowa DNR (@iowadnr)

As you can see, this post isn’t just a simple image and some written advice; they accompany it with a dedicated graphic that breaks down the information. This style doesn’t just make the post easier to understand — it also makes it more shareable.

15. Don’t Shy Away From Humor

Government agencies do serious work, making breathing humor into your social media content challenging.

Naturally, there will be many times when it isn’t appropriate to say something funny. Often, your best bet is simply to play it straight. But that doesn’t mean there’s no room for humor.

It’s important to remember that “funny” content isn’t something frivolous you can post between more important information. It humanizes your agency and helps you generate more engagement. So it should form a part of any strategy for government on social media.

The Transportation Security Administration is one agency that’s nailed its use of humor. They pack their Instagram full of (terrible) puns, but that doesn’t stop the agency from communicating important information — such as in this post about traveling with knitting needles:

16. Dig Into the Vaults

It stands to reason that the people who follow your social media accounts are interested in what you do.

Many government agencies have driven a ton of engagement by sharing images and information about their histories and communities. This strategy is a guaranteed win for local agencies: find and share old pictures of your location with a story behind them. It will likely lead to engagement.

But what if you’re a federal agency with no specific geography?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission proves there’s still an opportunity to benefit from promoting historical content. In one example, the agency opened up its archive of old public service announcements (PSAs) and shared them in a Twitter thread:

Its efforts generated lots of engagements, with followers weighing in on everything from the actors in the videos to memories of their favorite PSAs.

17. Use Community & Event-Specific Hashtags

Hashtags are an invaluable way to monitor social media conversations, particularly for agencies with large followings.

Twinning your posts with an accompanying hashtag doesn’t just make your content more visible, but it also makes it easier for your team to manage responses (and respond themselves).

For instance, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources regularly shares posts with the hashtag #IdentiFriday, encouraging its followers to identify some of the state’s best-loved and lesser-known species:

But this strategy isn’t just about adding hashtags to posts. It’s also about monitoring popular hashtags within your location or community to ensure you don’t miss important news and are well-placed to join relevant conversations.

18. Create Platform-Specific Content

It inevitably takes more time to create dedicated content for each social media account than simply sharing identical posts across multiple social channels.

Unfortunately, there are few shortcuts in social media for government agencies. If you genuinely want to boost engagement, your best bet is to invest time and resources in crafting platform-specific messaging.

That means analyzing each platform to understand the types of content that work best on each.

The US Postal Service shows us how this looks in practice:

This post is perfect for Twitter, using the type of phrasing popular on the platform. But a simple, 60-character post without accompanying media wouldn’t work on any other social media site.

19. Celebrate Awareness Days (Provided You Have Something to Say)

There’s no shortage of awareness days. If you were short on content ideas, you could probably come up with a different awareness event-themed post for every day of the year. However, when it comes to driving engagement, there are right and wrong ways to get involved in these occasions.

The wrong way is to latch onto any old awareness day and share a throwaway post about it. “Happy National Clean Your Desk Day, everyone!”

On the other hand, the National Science Foundation shows us how to get it right:

First, it’s picked a meaningful event relevant to its audience (and employees). Secondly, and most importantly, it has something to say about the occasion. If you can’t put your unique spin on an awareness day, it’s not worth posting.

20. Tell a Story

Storytelling can be one of the most valuable tools for marketers in any industry, and the world of social media for government is no different.

So, what does effective storytelling look like for government agencies? Here’s a fantastic example from the US Fish and Wildlife Service:

This content could easily have been a simple, visual Instagram post with a short caption saying, “This is Wisdom, the oldest bird in the world!” That’d still be interesting and pretty shareable.

But the agency took things (several steps) further by telling Wisdom’s story, from the moment they first identified her to the name of her long-term partner, Akeakamai.

Social media is often about sharp, punchy content. But if you have an exciting story to tell, don’t be afraid to go in-depth — it’ll make for a more engaging post.

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