Social media has become a key tool for public safety agencies to foster transparency, share critical information, showcase their vital work, and build a connection with their audience.

But what does high-quality social media marketing look like for public safety agencies?

To answer that question, we asked Lisa Herndon, Public Information Officer at Herndon Police Department, to share strategies for creative social media usage and effective storytelling. She discusses:

  • How to build trust, connect, and engage with your community in meaningful ways
  • Real-world examples of how creative social media content can strengthen audience relationships
  • Innovative ways to communicate authentically with the public

(In case you were wondering, the town of Herndon is named after Lisa’s fifth great-uncle.)

Let’s get into it.

Why Does Storytelling Matter?

Storytelling is a valuable tool in any niche, with research from Google and Talk Shoppe revealing that 94% of consumers say good content tells a good story. But it can be particularly valuable for public safety agencies.

Lisa explains there are three main benefits:

For starters, it helps remind your audience that police officers, firefighters, and EMTs aren’t just a uniform and a badge – they’re real humans, just like the rest of us.

Building public trust is another key factor. Lisa says that storytelling is about “putting deposits in the bank of trust, by being transparent and open with your community. That way, when you really need the public’s attention, you’ve already laid the groundwork.

Storytelling also helps public safety agencies showcase their culture and values. “It’s what sets us apart and makes us unique and special to our respective communities.”

Tailoring Storytelling to Your Audience

Understanding your audience is fundamental to effective marketing, and storytelling on social media is no exception.

There will be times when you’re speaking to your entire community, such as when a public safety incident is ongoing and you need to share general information. And there are also occasions when you’re trying to reach a specific audience segment, like telling motorists about changes to traffic patterns. Depending on who you’re speaking to, you may need to alter key elements of your messaging, like the tone, timing, and format.

Lisa notes that you might also have to switch up your storytelling for different platforms. “Younger-leaning, trendier content will do great on Instagram, but maybe an older demographic on Facebook may not understand it. And when I look at my interactions on Twitter, I guess ‘edgier’ would be the right word.”

For example, consider the following post from the Office of Stafford County Sheriff David “DP” Decatur:

To be clear, Lisa says she loves this post but knows it wouldn’t play well with her audience. “There’s a distinct population here in Herndon that would say, ‘that’s not funny. Somebody could have gotten hurt. And what about that poor deer?’ So this isn’t something I would post.”

On the other hand, she knew that this mildly punny PSA about the dangers of drug driving would totally resonate:

“Knowing what will and won’t work with your audience is super important,” says Lisa. “You’re not gonna know it right away. It’s gonna be trial and error – sometimes it will hit you very hard and you’ll say, ‘okay, I won’t post any content like that again.’”

6 Types of Storytelling Content You Can Use (With Examples)

Coming up with a constant stream of unique ideas for social media content is tough.

But it gets a lot easier when you’ve got a bunch of reliable, repeatable content formats you can return to time after time.

While this is nowhere near an exhaustive list of storytelling formats, Lisa recommends six specific content types:

  • Behind-the-scenes content
  • Human moments
  • Historical flashbacks
  • Community spotlights
  • Educational (with personality)
  • Trends with a twist

Let’s take a deeper look.

1. Behind-the-Scenes Content

Behind-the-scenes (BTS) content is exactly what it sounds like – a look at the day-to-day life of teams at your agency. Lisa suggests focusing on specific events, such as:

  • Training days
  • Gear checks
  • Team briefings

One of Lisa’s favorite approaches is to do a BTS tweet-along covering every aspect of a specific officer’s shift. She prefers using X/Twitter for this format because you can thread each post linearly, but it also works well with Stories on Instagram and Facebook.

This content format is fantastic for humanizing your agency and sharing all the exciting stuff your employees get up to.

You can also use it to educate your audience. For instance, Lisa notes that in one ride-along, they did a lot of traffic stops, so they used the content to communicate messaging around speed enforcement.

Pro tip: Not everyone shines in front of a camera, so try to focus on staff who are more engaging and articulate; it’ll massively elevate your content.

Alternatively, take a leaf from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s book and share a daily snapshot of what goes on at the station:

Whatever angle you choose, BTS content is super effective at humanizing your agency and your valuable work.

As an added bonus, you can also use this content as part of your recruitment strategy, just like in the above example. “A lot of times in public safety, recruitment and retention have become an issue,” Lisa notes. “So if you can take content like this and add that recruiting message, you’re already one up in the game.”

2. Human Moments

Another way to humanize your agency is to focus on the people who do the work daily.

This could be a case of sharing user-generated content where a bystander captures one of your staff doing something kind or above and beyond the call of duty. Other opportunities include team celebrations, such as birthdays and retirements. “These are the kinds of things that you really want to highlight within your community.”

Lisa showcases an example of this sort of human-centric social media content from Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, featuring a profile of one of the agency’s volunteers:

“It’s a great way to highlight the people of your agency in a super simple way,” says Lisa.

This content can also help to remind your audience that your staff are just like them. For instance, check out this Herndon Police Department post from when the Washington Nationals went to the World Series:

“Our chief authorized us to wear Nationals hats during work,” Lisa explains. “It was really cool and fun, and the officers had a great time with it. It’s showing us as real people, as sports fans.”

3. Historical Flashbacks

“Throwback Thursday” content is consistently strong at driving engagement, creating nostalgia, and building feelings of community pride.

Of course, not every agency is fortunate enough to have an extensive archive of historical content. But if you do, you should definitely exploit it. For instance, try posting images of:

  • Old equipment
  • Retro uniforms
  • Historic buildings

In the next example, the Herndon Police Department asked followers to identify the make, model, and production year of a squad car in a historical photograph:

Not only did they identify the car as a 1959 Ford Fairlane, but they also received a comment from a family member of one of the featured officers who had never seen the image before. “So it was something that we got to share not only with the community as a whole, but with the family of one of these officers,” Lisa says.

Bear in mind that this sort of content doesn’t have to be decades-old.

Check out this example from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, celebrating the second anniversary of therapy K-9 Fred joining the agency:

4. Community Spotlights

Community spotlights are about connecting with your audience by showcasing local businesses, charities, schools, or even individual residents. “It goes a long way, not just with the people that you’re shouting out, but it shows your audience that you’re engaged and you’re one with your community.”

For example, Fairfax County Police Department celebrated the efforts of Dream Salon and Barbers, who gave holiday haircuts to 100 local kids:

Or, for another simple-but-effective example, check out how Herndon Police Department highlighted Virginia charity Cornerstones, which worked with local Fraternity of Police lodges to send children to summer camp:

Lisa explains that posts like this aren’t just effective at building trust and engagement, but they also encourage residents to come forward and ask what they can do to support the featured charities.

In other words, everyone wins!

5. Educational (with Personality)

As a public safety agency, it’s often your job to educate your audience.

But the trouble is, people don’t always like being told what to do – and if you do it too much, there’s a risk they’ll zone out.

That’s why Lisa recommends breathing some personality into your educational messages, like how the York County Sheriff’s Office used National Look Up At the Sky Day to promote the importance of locking your car and removing your valuables at night:

Similarly, Leesburg Police Department built a public safety message around Good Neighbor Day (complete with Mr Rogers imagery).

Lisa says this type of content can “bring some fun and excitement to social media, while also educating the public on various aspects of your agency.”

6. Trends with a Twist

Jumping on trends can be an effective way to boost reach and engagement on social media. But, of course, not all trends will be appropriate for your agency.

Rather than crowbarring yourself into the conversation, your best bet is to adapt trends that naturally align with your audience and voice, thereby allowing you to be approachable while keeping your content professional.

Like how Paulding County Sheriff’s Office shared this image of an action figure with an uncanny resemblance to Sheriff Ashley Henson.

Or how Herndon Police Department used the “of course” trend to highlight various members of their team:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Herndon Police (@herndonpolice)

“If you’ve got the personality with your agency, jump on it,” Lisa says.

Other Tips and Suggestions for Effective Storytelling

Looking for a little more storytelling inspiration? Try these general suggestions:

  • Use daily “holidays” to create fun, unique content. There are literally thousands of awareness days. Use a site like National Day Calendar to find relevant opportunities to promote your agency and share your story.
  • Utilize body camera footage to tell your story for you. Fires, traffic violations, and police chases. If you’ve got body camera footage, you should share it. Lisa notes that Fairfax County Police Department is excellent at this.
  • Don’t overthink or feel you need to overproduce graphics. Audiences typically prefer natural, authentic-feeling content, so don’t worry if your footage doesn’t look like it was created in a Hollywood studio.

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Featured image by Freepik.

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