Social media teams are being asked to do more than publish content and track views. They must adapt messages to different audiences and respond to people in the channels they use. They also must show organizations what that work accomplishes.
That’s a growing challenge for teams with limited staff facing changing platform formats.
At the Mid-Atlantic MarCom Summit in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 14, communications leaders discussed how they are adjusting social strategies and what makes the work difficult.
Audience Research Shapes the Channel
For PBS Digital Studios, research changed when the team published a series on women’s mental health. Claribel Rivas, the studio’s Senior. Social Media Manager, said the team first considered placing “Wellness Inside Out” on PBS Vitals, its mental health-focused YouTube channel. But research on the intended audience—women ages 18 to 25—pointed to Instagram and TikTok.
“We first think about what our audience will need and what they want to see from us, and then we think about the creative of what the content is going to look like,” Rivas said.
The team made the series for social media, producing 12 videos of about 60 seconds each and working with influencers focused on women’s mental health. Rivas said the videos reached nearly 1 million views in total. She summarized the approach: “Audience first, then the content.”
Aliza Bran, Director of Media Relations at the International Spy Museum, described a similar need to reach audiences where they are.
“You’re going to find the youngest audience on TikTok,” she said. “You’re going to find millennials like myself on Instagram two weeks later, getting all of the videos that the kids get on TikTok.And then Facebook—moms and everyone's grandparents.”
For news organizations, that audience segmentation can mean deciding not to distribute the same story everywhere. Paige Hopkins, Social Media Director at theGrio, said her team increasingly publishes stories on one platform that may not appear on others.
“There’s a different group of people on Facebook than there are on TikTok than there are on Instagram,” she said.
Social Is More Than Publishing
Panelists described social media as a two-way communications channel that requires teams to listen and respond. At AARP, Tisa Sinclair, Director of Social Response, said her social response team grew from focusing on Facebook to working across Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit. Sinclair said the team sits within consumer care, alongside functions such as SMS, chat and email, to keep responses consistent across channels.
“It’s not just a one-way conversation,” Sinclair said. “You have to get in there. You have to listen. You have to respond.”
On Reddit, AARP used topic-specific communities and “Ask Me Anything” sessions with subject matter experts, Sinclair said. The team’s presence there followed research showing that Reddit appeared in search results on topics relevant to its members.
The panelists also discussed the judgment involved in moderating comments. Sinclair said her team uses tools to filter spam and abusive material, leaving staff to focus on more complex interactions. When deciding whether to respond to negative comments, she said, “Ignore, engage, both. It really depends on the topic at hand.”
Panelists differed on how much to engage with trolls. Rivas said her team often ignores them because continued engagement can encourage more comments. Bran said a public comment policy helps explain when content will be removed.
The discussion pointed to a practical distinction for communicators: moderation tools can sort comments, but teams still need policies and people to make decisions.
Measuring Impact and Making the Case for Staff
The panel’s examples also showed how much social work is being done by small teams. Rivas described PBS Digital Studios’ social operation as mostly herself, with help from her manager. Bran said she handles the Spy Museum's public relations and social media, with support from one videographer. At Save the Children, David Johnston, Senior Director, Social Media, said he inherited two social media professionals and made the case for additional headcount by showing the need to respond across platforms.
Bran said she came to budget discussions prepared to demonstrate the impact of the work.
“When I show up to a situation, I come very well researched, and I want it to be hard to say no to me,” she said.
She cited viewership growth and the exposure social media generated. In 2025, she said, the museum doubled its viewership.
Measurement methods varied across the panel. Sinclair said her team looks at sentiment and how people respond to its messages. Other panelists described using platform analytics and social media tools. The speakers did not offer a shared standard for measuring social's impact, and the outcomes they discussed ranged from views to responsiveness and audience feedback.
That leaves communicators with the dual task of showing what the team did and connecting it to an outcome their organization values. Bran said to show “the growth and why it’s important, and how you’re reaching audiences.”