Social media

This guidance is for Cochrane Groups who are using or would like to use social media. All channels or content representing Cochrane should follow these guidelines to present a cohesive organization, uphold Cochrane's high standards and meet best practice.  

This guidance covers:

Sharing stories and events from your Group via central Cochrane channels  

Groups have a wide variety of great stories and events to share. We have several ways Groups can share their content with a wider audience.  

What are we looking for?

News stories, updates, or events that have international implications or relevance.

1. Share it with us

Use this form to share any upcoming content you would like the Communications team to promote through our central channels.

Share your Group's activities with us >

Please note:

  • It is best to give us as much advance notice as possible, and at least a week
  • By filling in this form you are not guaranteed support, we will determine if the content is suitable for a wider audience and if we have the capacity to support your request.
  • If we can support your request, we will recommend the most suitable approach and confirm the support we’ll give your content and when.  

2. Share it in our LinkedIn Group

Our Cochrane LinkedIn group is a community space with an audience of approximately 40,000 professionals. We welcome Groups posting about their activities here. 

Setting up a new social media channel

Before starting

Before creating a new social media account, consider the following:

  • What are you trying to achieve by using social media? Do you have clearly defined aims and objectives?
  • Who are you looking to reach?  Are they present on this platform and how will you reach them?
  • Do you have sufficient resource to create content, build a following and manage engagement?
  • Do you have enough content to share new posts with followers on a regular, ongoing basis?
  • What is the expected lifetime of the account? If short-term (e.g. for a project or event) could an existing account be used?

Ultimately, do you need your own dedicated social media account? New channels should only be created if you have the capacity and content to build a following and maintain active and engaging channels. If you aren’t sure about any of these questions, you might want to explore other ways to share your information.

Let us know

Please fill out this form before creating a new account. This will allow us to support you, discuss naming and brand conventions, and assess if there are existing channels that you may be able to use to promote your content.  

Setting up a new Cochrane social media account >

If a new account is set up, please note:

  • the details will be logged by the central team so we can understand the full picture of Cochrane accounts
  • in order to keep an active and engaging online presence for Cochrane, dormant accounts will be reviewed periodically and recommendations made

Social media content guidelines

Below are some simple guidelines to follow when creating content for your social media channels. Cochrane’s full brand guidelines can be found here.

Copy

  • Keep the copy simple and clear
  • Avoid use of symbols or emojis to replace words, for example, do not use “=” instead of the word “equals”
  • Use hashtags and mentions after the main body of text so as not to disrupt the flow of screen readers
  • Use full links and avoid bit.ly or other shortened links, this instils trust for many users knowing they are going to a trusted source
  • Capitalize the start of every word in a hashtag, for example, #CochraneLibrary, as this makes it easier for people to read

Graphics and video

  • If a graphic includes lots of text, consider whether this should this be in the body of the post instead
  • Be thoughtful about representation in stock images
  • Choose a font in a suitable size that will be clear and readable on all devices, including mobile
  • Use left alignment for all text; justified text is poor for accessibility, especially for users with dyslexia
  • Ensure high contrast between background and font colours (ideally 4.5:1, you can use contrast checker)  
  • Do not rely on colour to convey messages or distinguish between information in graphs or graphics
  • All videos must include closed captions or a voiceover to be accessible to visually impaired users
  • Provide descriptive alternative text for images