This series of tweets on June 1, 2013 from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) features an array of AFSP programs and services that will be supported by funds raised through the Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk.
These messages are designed to achieve a specific operational goal: to raise funds for the organization. They are thoughtfully planned and timed, and include a specific call to action for the audience (to make donations). At the same time, these messages also advance a broader suicide prevention goal, which is to increase the public’s knowledge about the array of AFSP programs, policies, and services that exist to help prevent suicide.
These messages avoid content that normalizes suicide or makes it seem unstoppable, such as providing dire statistics or using language like “epidemic.”
These tweets send the overarching message that something can and is being done about suicide. The level of detail helps the public to picture what suicide prevention looks like in action.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Guide to Writing for Social Media
Also see resources in the Guidelines category Telling Others’ Stories.