Election social media management in Turkey: for candidates and lists

Why is social media managed differently during an election?

A brand’s social media can run at the same pace for months; in an election campaign time is short, there is a new programme every day and every post speaks for the candidate. That is why election social media management pays particular attention to three things: fast but approved publishing, a consistent visual language and compliance with election rules.

Account preparation

Before the campaign starts, the candidate’s existing accounts are reviewed: usernames, profile and cover images, bios, contact details and old posts. It is clarified in whose name the accounts are registered and who holds the passwords and two-factor authentication. Account security is the issue most often overlooked during a campaign.

Content calendar

The calendar is prepared weekly and updated alongside the campaign programme. A balanced calendar includes these types of content:

• Candidate introduction: short film clips, portraits, the candidate’s own words
• Projects and priorities: a short video and carousel for each topic
• Field: short videos from visits, meetings and events, published the same day
• Announcements: event invitations, live streams and event details
• Information: election day, polling station and voting steps

Video-led production

During an election, short vertical videos are the most shared type of content. Field footage is edited the same day, subtitled and exported in each platform’s format. In the Darıca 2019 and Dilovası 2024 campaigns, which we ran from start to finish, we produced 29 and 22 campaign videos; the Gebze Chamber of Commerce election series, managed with the same scope, is live on our channel with 24 videos.

Approval flow

Every post is approved by the campaign manager before it goes live. Who holds approval authority, who decides in an emergency and which content is shown to the legal adviser are written down from the start. That keeps the balance between speed and control.

Managing comments and messages

A response guide is prepared with the campaign team: frequently asked questions, topics to refer onwards and types of message not to answer. A reporting route to the campaign manager is defined for insults, personal data and content with legal risk.

Election rules and restricted hours

The campaign period, restrictions in the final days and polling-day rules are set by Law No. 298 and the decisions the Supreme Election Council publishes for each election. For example, in its decisions for recent elections, the YSK banned sending campaign messages to citizens’ phones and email addresses, while campaigning through a website was permitted. Rules specific to social media should be checked for each election against the current YSK decision and with your legal adviser. Details and sources: election bans and social media.

Advertising and measurement

During elections, social media ads are subject to the platforms’ own political advertising rules; some platforms require identity verification and a “paid for by” disclosure. The advertising plan follows these rules. The weekly report covers published content, reach and engagement figures and the topics that stood out; instead of promising results, it keeps a record of the work done.

After the election

The accounts belong to the candidate or organisation. After the election, a thank-you post, the archive and the handover of account access are planned. For an overview, see our election campaign management page.