Facebook and Instagram (Meta)

Facebook and Instagram are great platforms for spreading awareness, but they can be very time-consuming.

Ideas for Facebook

Before creating a Page and inviting all of your friends to ‘like’ it, consider contacting Nicole Morris from Australian Missing Persons Register. She volunteers her time to the cause and has thousands of followers who share missing persons information and posters. See: Australian Missing Persons Register Facebook Page

Create a Page with a title consistent with your brand (e.g. ‘Missing Person – _____’ or ‘Help us find _____’)
Include a brief physical description of the person, where they were last seen and what they were wearing etc. (update details as time passes)
Ask your friends to use your poster as their profile picture or cover photo for a week
Update your status or page when new information comes to light (but be selective with what information you release)
Link to any media coverage that the case attracts
Organise events to raise awareness

If you’ve decided it’s an option you want to take, create a Facebook page.

Using Facebook

There are some things you will need to keep in mind when using Facebook. Here are some tips on how to use it effectively.

Do:

Use clear photos of the missing person
Try to use photos that only show the missing person (crop out others where needed)
Include a brief physical description of the person and where they were last seen
Keep posts positive – audiences respond to positivity and it promotes action
Communicate clearly and concisely so that your message is easy for people to digest
Post at a time when people are likely to see your message (i.e. not at 3am)
Appoint 2-4 trusted administrators to help maintain the page

Don’t:

Bombard followers with too much information. A maximum of four posts a week is recommended, although you can update more often if you have new information to share.
Feel obliged to respond to any comment or message
Respond to trolls – it’s generally best to remove or hide negative comments
Share your page with community groups where the person is believed to have gone missing (e.g., Balmain Living).

example page: Missing Person – Daniel James O’Keeffe

Things to be aware of

Journalists may hear about your story through Facebook and contact you.
It can take a lot of time and energy to manage the response social media can generate. This is why multiple administrators is important – share the load.
You may receive unkind or unhelpful comments from people; you or your administrators should delete inappropriate content as soon as you can.
You should only share the information you are comfortable to make public. Once it’s online you will have limited control over it.

Instagram

Instagram is a highly visual platform It’s especially effective for connecting with a younger, active audience.

If you’ve decided it’s an option you want to take, create an Instagram page.

Here’s how you can make the most of Instagram:

Set up an account specifically for your missing person case with a clear, consistent name (e.g. ‘Find _____’ or ‘Help Locate _____’). If you have created a Facebook page you can use the same name.

Do

Use clear, high-resolution photos of the missing person.
Instagram Stories are a great way to share real-time updates, behind-the-scenes footage, and urgent information.
Leverage relevant hashtags (e.g., #MissingPerson, #Find_____ ) to increase visibility.
Encourage your followers to share your posts and tag others.
When posting on Instagram Connect your Facebook to allow your content to be reshared on Facebook instantly.
Make use of Canva for social media templates.
Use Instagram’s ‘Highlight’ feature to save and organise media coverage, key updates, and any public appeals.

Don’t

Use links in the caption of a post (followers can’t click them). Instead, put links in your stories or bio (followers can click).

example page: Looking For Theo Hayez