Immunology Explained Toolkit
November 2023
Thank you for supporting the American Association of Immunologists’ Immunology Explained campaign.
AAI created Immunology Explained to help the public better understand how their immune system works, so they can feel more confident in the health decisions they make for themselves and their families.
This toolkit provides more information about the campaign and how you or your organization can get involved and help share resources on immunology with your network.
What Does Immunology Explained Offer?
Immunology Explained provides easy-to-understand resources on the science of the immune system and its role in health and diseases.
Resources include:
- Explanations of immunology and the immune system, including a focus on changes in the immune system as we age and how vaccines can help maintain immune health. This content is geared toward middle-aged individuals (Gen X) who are starting to think about aging and how it impacts their health.
- Short videos from AAI expert immunologists that talk about general immunology and your immune system as you age.
- Additional resources about immunology from trusted sources.
We hope you will encourage others to explore and use these resources to help better understand immunology.
Get Involved!
Interested in spreading the word about Immunology Explained? Here’s how you can help:
- Follow us on social media and share/engage with our campaign-related posts.
- Share the template social media posts included in this toolkit.
- Share related content on your social channels using the hashtag #ImmunologyExplained.
Use your voice to encourage others to explore and use these resources to help better understand immunology. Below you will find templates for social media posts and tips for how to share these on your social media.
Social Media Template for Social Media Posts
IMMUNOLOGY EXPLAINED CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
(Timing: Post the week of November 13th or later)
Post with graphic:
and choose Copy Image
Note: When tagging an account on Facebook and LinkedIn, do not copy and paste the name of the organization; this will not tag AAI. You must manually type in the name, which will then appear in blue to indicate that it has been properly tagged.
POSTS RELATED TO AGING
(Timing: Post after campaign launch on November 13th until mid-January to continue building momentum around the new site/resource)
Post with graphic:
and choose Copy Image
Post with video:
https://vimeo.com/842998308/9913ec1dda
* When tagging an account on Facebook and LinkedIn, do not copy and paste the name of the organization; this will not tag AAI. You must manually type in the name, which will then appear in blue to indicate that it has been properly tagged.
POSTS RELATED TO BRANCHES OF IMMUNE SYSTEM
(Timing: Post after campaign launch on November 13th until mid-January to continue building momentum around the new site/resource))
Post with graphic:
and choose Copy Image
* When tagging an account on Facebook and LinkedIn, do not copy and paste the name of the organization; this will not tag AAI. You must manually type in the name, which will then appear in blue to indicate that it has been properly tagged.
POSTS RELATED TO ADULT VACCINATION
(Timing: Post after campaign launch on November 13th until mid-January to continue building momentum around the new site/resource)
Post with graphic:
and choose Copy Image
* When tagging an account on Facebook and LinkedIn, do not copy and paste the name of the organization; this will not tag AAI. You must manually type in the name, which will then appear in blue to indicate that it has been properly tagged.
POSTS RELATED TO HOW VACCINES WORK
(Timing: Post after campaign launch on November 13th until mid-January to continue building momentum around the new site/resource)
Post with video:
https://vimeo.com/842998253/76ac1990d9
* When tagging an account on Facebook and LinkedIn, do not copy and paste the name of the organization; this will not tag AAI. You must manually type in the name, which will then appear in blue to indicate that it has been properly tagged.
POSTS RELATED TO NATIONAL INFLUENZA VACCINATION WEEK
(Timing: December 4 -11 during National Influenza Vaccination Week)
Post with graphic:
and choose Copy Image
* When tagging an account on Facebook and LinkedIn, do not copy and paste the name of the organization; this will not tag AAI. You must manually type in the name, which will then appear in blue to indicate that it has been properly tagged..
Tips for Sharing Immunology Explained
While the below social media posts can be shared on your social media channels, you can also create your own content, like graphics, photos, and videos, to share information and resources from the Immunology Explained website (immunologyexplained.org). See below for best practices on becoming an immunology champion and content creator.
Writing Social Media Copy
- Keep copy short and concise. If posting on X/Twitter (without a premium account), the character limit is 280 characters (257 with a link).
- Write for your audience. If your audience is mostly members of the general public, explain immunology concepts using simple and easy-to-understand language. If your audience is mostly immunology researchers or other professionals, ask them to share resources with their followers.
- Use relevant hashtags. Examples of relevant hashtags are included in the “Social Media Template Messaging” section.
- X/Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn: Limit hashtags to two to three.
- Instagram: Use at least five hashtags. Always include #ImmunologyExplained and #Immunology. Other suggestions are: #ImmuneSystem #ImmuneHealth #HealthyAging #AgingImmuneSystem #ImmuneProtection
- Tag AAI’s channels (see below for AAI’s handles on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X/Twitter), and use the campaign hashtag #ImmunologyExplained.
Creating Images, Graphics, and Videos
- General Best Practices
- Make sure accompanying videos are relevant to your post copy. For example, you could share a video explaining how the immune system declines as we age or a photo of you working as an immunologist.
- If you want to create informational infographics, tools like Canva, PicMonkey, Piktochart, and Vennage make graphic design accessible for everyone.
- Taking Photos and Videos
- Take photos and videos in a well-lit area with natural lighting.It is ideal to have someone else take the photo/video or mount it on a tripod. If not, find a stable surface to place the camera.If using a phone to take photos/videos, use the camera on the back of the phone (no selfie-style videos).If you will be speaking in a video, writing a script can help you stay brief and concise.Keep videos short—no longer than 2 minutes.Make sure the video is sized for the right channel. Square works great for all platforms, but try to record in a vertical format for TikTok and Instagram Reels.
- When taking a photo, a timer can give you enough time to set up and pose before the picture is taken.
Social Media Engagement Guidelines
AAI would like to provide you with guidelines for social media engagements that might occur during the Immunology Explained campaign.
AAI’s campaign’s primary purpose is to educate the general population about immunology in easy-to-understand terms, provide them with resources they can use to make informed health care decisions, and position AAI as a trusted source of reliable immunology information.
Overall Principles
As an AAI Campaign Champion, we’ve asked you to share content on your social media channels related to the Immunology Explained campaign.
You are not required to engage with followers who comment on your posts. However, there are benefits to engaging with your communities: it demonstrates that you’re actively listening, your followers will be encouraged to like/comment/react because they see that you are following the conversation, and your posts will get more distribution (the social algorithms track engagement and give greater visibility to those with more responses).
Responding to Comments
Unfortunately, there is a possibility that your posts connected to the Immunology Explained campaign could draw negative comments or personal attacks. AAI’s recommendation: Do not engage with anti-vaxxers or “trolls” who attempt to take over your post’s conversation thread.
The tactics below can help keep a thread focused on the intended message.
When followers make positive or generic comments or pose questions:
- Respond in a positive and helpful tone.
- Keep the conversation going by thanking them for the message. If applicable, provide more information for the user.
- Reflect a sympathetic but informed, respectful authority. Seek clarity. Never personally diminish a commenter.
If a follower says something negative or misinformed:
- Do not feel compelled to respond. Sometimes it is better to allow the community to engage; other times it is best to leave something alone if it has potential to divert from the intent of the campaign.
- Delete any comment that uses profanity or is a personal attack on you or another individual.
- Delete any comments that attempt to spread misinformation about immunology or vaccines.
- Note that “hiding” a comment is also an option, but on some platforms like X, hidden comments will be denoted with an icon, and users can simply click on the icon to see the hidden comment. On X, it is best to delete and block users engaging in bad faith.
AAI hopes that this information is helpful as you continue to share campaign content with your communities. Thank you for your dedication to the Immunology Explained campaign. We are extremely appreciative of the time you are committing to being a Campaign Champion!
For more information on the Immunology Explained campaign or general AAI inquiries, please contact Bethany Coulter at bcoulter@aai.org or visit us at www.aai.org.