As the U.S. election approaches, the American public will have a front-row seat to an unprecedented trend: the collaboration of political candidates and content creators.
This shift has been building recently, with the White House beginning to work with digital content creators, inviting them to spread the word about key legislative action amid a fragmented media ecosystem. Over the summer, the Biden administration invited more than 100 such content creators to discuss elements of his agenda that ranged from AI and mental health to pay equity.
Meanwhile, for the first time ever, the Democratic National Convention gave 200 passes to digital content creators, offering them a credential similar to those given to members of the traditional news media. On the other side, former President Donald Trump invited TikToker Bryce Hall, who has nearly 24 million followers, to address the crowd at a recent campaign rally in Las Vegas.
Not so long ago, candidates and elected officials relied heavily on traditional campaigning — TV ads, rallies, and speeches — to spread their messages. Now, by turning to digital content creators, officials are tapping into valuable gatekeepers to public opinion.
Reaching the ‘Unreachables’
What this means for the future of democracy remains an open question — one we’ll have more insight into after November 5. However, the tactic seems designed to reach certain hard-to-reach groups of voters.
Elections are now often decided by a small group of voters, some of whom are difficult to engage. There are many people who just shut down the moment they hear about politics. They don’t want to read the news or listen to any political discussions.
However, if these same people follow certain content creators who are focused on nature, cooking, clothes, or another personal interest, and those content creators happen to share one or two messages about the importance of showing up to vote, disengaged voters might be more receptive to hearing about politics. In other words, content creators may even be able to inspire voters to come to the polls in ways that traditional advertising has not — reaching people campaigns can’t.
Crafting Customized Content
Some content creators may also be able to help campaigns fine-tune their messaging in ways that have eluded traditional marketers.
Political news influencers, for example, can better engage younger audiences when compared to traditional media. A series of Pew Research Center surveys found that close to 40 percent of U.S. adults aged 18-29 regularly get their news from TikTok. News influencer Harry Sisson, a college senior, drove more than 100 million views to his TikTok posts supporting the Democratic Party, rivaling those posted by traditional media outlets.
Past research on persuasion demonstrates that matching your message to your target audience is crucial.
Content creators are experts in their niche communities. They have spent a long time developing strong relationships with their followers. They understand their audience’s interests and priorities. Therefore, content creators may be able to tailor a campaign message to their audience—whether it’s made up of nurses, parents, hikers, or another group—in ways that may elude some campaign staffers. In short, campaigns may gain a powerful edge if they adjudicate the power to craft and customize their content to influencers, instead of trying to figure out the messaging themselves.
Unknowns and Open Questions
Following the money between political campaigns and content creators can be nearly impossible, thanks to a lack of regulatory oversight. While political groups that advertise on behalf of candidates are mandated to disclose their connection, online content creators are not obligated to do the same.
Another unknown is how effective content creators will actually be in getting their followers to act on what they are saying.
Content creators have access to metrics of engagement, such as the number of views, likes, and comments their posts receive. Campaigns are in the business of persuasion and mobilization. Their goal is to change people’s minds about a candidate and get people to turn out and cast their vote. Campaigns that team up with influencers to persuade and mobilize voters will need to make sure the messages put out by influencers are boosting persuasion and turnout, not just engagement. To do this, campaigns may wish to run A/B tests and controlled experiments to test the effectiveness of messages produced by influencers on their behalf.
Another unknown is how readily influencers will team up with politicians. Many influencers shy away from getting involved in politics. How can campaigns energize influencers and get them to accept their sponsorship offers?
More Transparency Needed
One important issue the public will need to consider is transparency. Although campaigns’ interactions with influencers might be considered marketing, the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the agency in charge of regulating federal elections, has so far refrained from regulating the use of content creators in politics. As a result, there are no required donor disclosure requirements for the sponsorship of influencers, as there are for campaign ads.
The FEC did, however, decide to mandate that political campaigns disclose when they pay social media companies to promote an influencer’s post; the ruling does not go as far as needed.
Where this all leads remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Some influencers are making their voices heard in the campaign, and we’re going to know a lot more about what that means once the votes are in and the campaign data is analyzed. Those findings will no doubt open a fascinating new window to what American-style democracy will look like in 2025 and beyond.
Watch Professor Mohamed Hussein describe a new approach to political campaigning and explain why it might not always have the desired impact:
