CDC Social Media Tools, Guidelines & Best Practices
The use of social media tools is a powerful channel to reach target audiences with strategic, effective and user-centric health interventions. To assist in the planning, development and implementation of social media activities, the following guidelines have been developed to provide critical information on lessons learned, best practices, clearance information and security requirements. Although these guidelines have been developed for the use of these channels at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), they may be useful materials for other federal, state and local agencies as well as private organizations to reference when developing social media tools.
Social Media Toolkit
The Social Media Toolkit has been designed to provide guidance and to the share lessons learned in more than three years of integrating social media into CDC health communication campaigns, activities, and emergency response efforts. This guide is available as an HTML page or PDF [2 MB, 59 Pages].
CDC’s Guide to Writing for Social Media
CDC’s Guide to Writing for Social Media was written to provide guidance and share the lessons learned in more than three years of creating social media messages in CDC health communication campaigns, activities, and emergency response efforts. This guide is available as an HTML page or PDF [1.9 MB, 60 Pages].
Other Guidelines
- Social Media Policy [471 KB, 12 pages] [Revised February 2015]
- Facebook Guide | PDF [542 KB, 16 Pages] [Revised May 2012]
- Twitter Guide | PDF [316 KB, 4 Pages] [Revised February 2012]
- Social Media Security Mitigations [156 KB, 14 pages] – Additional reference detailing CDC-specific security information related to social media is included in the following document developed in conjunction with the Office of Chief Information Security Officer (OCISO).
- Page last reviewed: January 22, 2014
- Page last updated: February 3, 2015
- Content source:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Page maintained by: Office of the Associate Director for Communication, Division of Public Affairs