This document summarizes a Tumblr campaign by NARAL Pro-Choice America to educate young people about crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs). The campaign launched a Tumblr account during CPC Week of Action in 2013. It posted internally created content daily, including a photo campaign, images using a "red pen" to mark deceptive CPC claims, and other content. The campaign gained over 1,500 subscribers in two weeks and media coverage. The document provides tips for successful use of Tumblr, such as having your own niche content, using images, frequent posting, proper tagging, and making it part of a broader campaign.

1. Educating Young People about CPCs:
a Tumblr Campaign
Sarah La Due
NARAL Pro-Choice America
@LaDue
April 6-8, 2014
San Francisco, CA
Annual Conference on Youth + Tech + Health

2. • National advocacy and lobbying group working to protect
and advance reproductive rights… because politicians
make crappy doctors.
• Electing pro-choice candidates to office.
• Lobbying congress and in the states.
• Education.
• Abortion isn’t the only issue…
• Birth control
• Sex Education
• Maternal care
• Access to healthcare.
NARAL: what we do

3. • CPCs…
• …pose as legitimate reproductive health centers.
• …have a record of outright lying to dissuade people from
exercising the right to choose.
• …often advertise as if they provide abortion services, drawing
people in by promising free reproductive health services,
including free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and options
counseling.
Crisis Pregnancy Centers: the (fake) clinic
arm of the anti-choice movement

5. • State investigations dating back to 2000
• Reports issued across the country
• Legislation in New York, Austin, Baltimore, and San
Francisco
• Campus mobilization
NARAL has led the movement to expose
these fake clinics.

6. • The plan:
• Mobilize students & other young people across the country to
educate their peers about CPCs.
• The challenge:
• CPCs can be difficult to explain
• Large visual element
CPC Week of Action 2013

7. • Launched Tumblr account at the beginning of the CPC
week of action
• Posted internally created content every day
• Multiple aspects, one tumblr
The Tumblr: Exposing Fake Clinics

8. • Launched Tumblr account at the beginning of the CPC
week of action
• Posted internally created content every day
• Multiple aspects, one tumblr
The Tumblr: Exposing Fake Clinics

9. Aspect #1 – The Photo Campaign

10. Aspect #1 – The Photo Campaign

11. Aspect #1 – The Photo Campaign

12. Aspect #2 – The “red pen” images

13. Aspect #2 – The “red pen” images

14. Aspect # 2 – The “red pen” images

15. Aspect #3 – Everything else.

16. Aspect #3 – Everything else.

17. Aspect #3 – Everything else.

18. • Over 1,500 subscribers in the first two weeks
• Entire segment on The Young Turks YouTube show
devoted to our campaign
• Jezebel article
• #CallOutCPCs used widely on Twitter
Results…

19. • Gives you a built-in audience for future campaigns
• Helps you reach new audiences (via hashtags)
• Users tend to be younger (on average) than Facebook
Users
• It’s free!
Some Reasons to Use Tumblr

20. • Know if Tumblr is the right tool for you.
• Do you have your own content? Does it fill a specific niche?
• On Tumblr, specific does better than broad. People want to know what they’re subscribing to.
• Images, images, images. (And gifs!)
• Avoid text-heavy posts.
• Post frequently.
• Applies to all social media sites.
• Use it to cross-promote your other work, but only when it applies.
• Know how to tag posts properly.
• Go broad and go big!
• Repeat yourself! (A lot!)
• Should be a part of a broader campaign.
Tips for success!

21. Sarah La Due
@LaDue
sarahjladue@gmail.com