Social media remains the most powerful tool for wildlife rehabilitation nonprofits like yours to showcase your mission. It can help the public understand the realities of rehabilitation, build trust and inspire donors to become more involved. A strong wildlife rehab public relations strategy uses social media to make engaging and education content.
Turn rehabilitation stories into education
You have access to stories that naturally capture attention. An injured animal that was rescued from the pet trade, an orphan learning survival skills or a successful release are all attention grabbing opportunities for education.
The Orangutan Project offers a strong example of this approach. Across its social channels, the organization shares individual orangutan rescue and rehabilitation stories while explaining the larger threats facing the species, including habitat destruction, the illegal wildlife trade and human-wildlife conflict. By putting a face and name to conservation issues, the organization can make complicated challenges easier for the public to understand.
Your operation can take a similar approach. Instead of simply posting a photo of an animal, explain why it needed help, what rehabilitation involves and what followers can do to help.
Make education engaging
Educational content doesn’t need to feel like a lecture. You can frequently uses photos, videos and updates from the field to bring supporters closer to conservation work. Content showing rescued orangutans or dogs progressing through rehabilitation or preparing for life in the wild gives audiences a reason to keep following the story while learning about the lengthy process behind a successful release.
Wildlife organizations can also use Q&As, lives, short videos and behind-the-scenes posts to explain treatments, diets, behaviors and release criteria.
Give followers a way to participate
With wildlife rehab public relations social strategies, followers will want to participate moving forward. But, it’s important to get the story elements right. Hook the viewers and readers with great storytelling and offer them a call-to-action in the end. Every rescue, feeding or slow progress is part of the story. Don’t neglect things that seem small in your day-to-day operations. Those small actions add up to big wins for your organization and the animals you protect.
If you’d like to get started today, contact Orange Orchard PR online or at 865-977-1973.