HSDA · Communications Director

Pass
the mic.

A complete overhaul of how HSDA communicates, publishes, and shows up — built from the chapter floor up.

Grassroots first No gatekeeping Chapter-driven Real resources
9,646
current Instagram followers
10×
where we should be
500+
members we'll train
$2,500
micro-grants, semester 1
The honest diagnosis
We have a platform problem, not a passion problem.
Here's what the numbers actually say about where HSDA stands right now.
1,122
posts on the national IG — almost no follower growth to show
@hsdems Instagram
49%
TikTok engagement growth in 2026 — we're on the wrong content diet
Socialinsider 2026
0.55%
carousel engagement rate — highest format on IG, unused by us
Socialinsider
40%
of teens use IG/TikTok for politics — our audience, untapped
Pew Research 2026

The core failure

The national feed broadcasts down instead of amplifying up. Chapters are doing real work and the national platform is posting text graphics nobody sends to their friends. Content that doesn't get shared doesn't reach non-followers. And non-followers are the whole point.


Instagram audit
What @hsdems isn't doing.
A direct gap analysis between where the account is and where it needs to be.
No Reels strategyMISSING
Reels reach non-followers via Explore. 9,646 followers across 1,122 posts = growth stalled.
FIX Min 3 Reels/week. Mic Drop Mondays — 60-sec raw chapter rants.
No carousel storytellingMISSING
Carousels hit 0.55% engagement — highest of any format. We post flat single images.
FIX Weekly swipeable policy explainer, 6–10 slides, plain Gen Z language.
No Collab postsMISSING
Collabs push content to both accounts' audiences simultaneously via Explore.
FIX Min 2 collabs/month with allied youth orgs and student journalists.
No Broadcast ChannelMISSING
Built-in mass-DM tool for rapid mobilization. Completely unused.
FIX Launch channel for school board votes, reg deadlines, news drops.
No share-first designMISSING
Sends are the top metric for reaching non-followers. Our posts don't get sent.
FIX Every post must pass: would a 16-year-old DM this to someone?
No chapter UGC loopMISSING
Feed looks like national broadcasting down. Chapters doing real work are invisible.
FIX Monthly Meme & Asset Draft — chapters submit, best goes national.

The five pillars
P · I · V · O · T
Five areas of reform. Every one has measurable targets.

P — Empower the Grassroots

Pillar 01

Real organizing runs on real resources. We're eliminating the gap between national and local — money, materials, and tools go directly to the front lines, especially in red districts where progressive students fight alone.

$2,500
PIVOTAL micro-grants, semester 1
10
Red District Blueprints (IA, FL, IN, ID, NE, MO…)
5
languages for all recruitment materials
0
bureaucratic red tape for chapter funding

I — Innovative Visuals

Pillar 02

Overhauling the national feed from static text graphics to a living, chapter-powered content machine. Instagram likes are down 15% industry-wide — originality and community are the only way through.

150+
graphic assets in The Cloud vault
2 hr
max response to major news cycles
Reels per week minimum
Monthly
Meme & Asset Draft from chapters

V — Own the Narrative

Pillar 03

Building real PR infrastructure — not just posting, but pitching. Local press coverage of chapter wins is how HSDA becomes real to parents, administrators, and elected officials.

30
local chapter actions covered by press
40%
of national posts highlighting chapter wins
2 wks
per month: POV Takeovers by high schoolers
Regional
press contact list built and maintained

O — The Progressive Teen

Pillar 04

Our most underused asset. A student columnist pipeline, rapid op-ed series, and real distribution into school libraries and journalism databases so it reaches beyond the people who already follow us.

48 hr
news event → op-ed published
Monthly
themed issue tied to Villain Arc
Open
columnist applications for chapters
Library
distribution & journalism databases

T — Tactical Progression

Pillar 05

Training the next generation of communicators — bootcamps on public speaking, media training, op-ed writing, and digital organizing. Real Zoom roundtables, not cold automated emails.

500+
members trained in digital organizing
10
monthly chapter-to-national town halls
24 hr
guaranteed feedback response window
Direct
feedback line to national comms staff

Publication strategy
The Progressive Teen gets a glow-up.
A student publication rebuilt for reach, speed, and real distribution.

What we're rebuilding

A full student columnist pipeline, 48-hour rapid op-eds, and distribution into school libraries and teacher curricula. No more publishing into the void.

Teen Takes
Rapid op-eds within 48 hrs of major political news. Written by chapters, edited nationally.
Villain Arc Issues
Monthly themed issues tied to the semester's target legislation.
Columnist Pipeline
Open applications for recurring chapter columnists. Real bylines.
Library Distro
Submitted to journalism databases and school library networks.
Chapter Spotlight
Dedicated section for red-district wins and local upsets.
HSDA Dispatch
Weekly 1-page printable zine for lockers, boards, Discord.

Wildcard moves
The ideas that actually go viral.
Content teens send to their friends without being asked to.

Rate My Rep

High schoolers review local politicians like Yelp. Funny, shareable, impossible to ignore.

🗺️

Underground Map

Live crowd-sourced map of every chapter, color-coded by activity. Makes the movement visible.

🏆

Chapter Wrapped

End-of-semester Spotify Wrapped for each chapter. Shareable and bragworthy.

🦹

The Villain Arc

One piece of bad legislation becomes the semester villain. Track it. Meme it. Defeat it.

📜

Caught in 4K

Politicians called out with their own old tweets and flip-flops. Receipts-based.

🎙️

Morning Announcements

Toolkit for getting HSDA messaging into school announcements. Zero ad spend.

🔮

Political Horoscopes

Current events analysis with a horoscope wrapper. Absurd. Extremely readable.

🎮

HSDA Fantasy League

Chapters earn points for organizing wins. Live leaderboard. Trophy at year end.


Execution plan
Semester 1 — what ships and when.
No vague promises. Here's the exact sequence.
Week 1–2

Website audit + Broadcast Channel launch

Full 30-day audit begins. Instagram Broadcast Channel goes live for rapid mobilization.

Month 1

The Cloud opens + Reels cadence begins

150+ assets open to all chapters. Mic Drop Mondays launches. 3 Reels per week from here on.

Month 2

PIVOTAL Fund distributes + Red District Blueprints

First micro-grants out. 10 regional survival guides published for red-zone chapters.

Month 2

Progressive Teen relaunches

Revamped format live. Teen Takes begins. Open applications for chapter columnists.

Month 3

First Meme Draft + Blue Cross Town Halls begin

Chapters submit their best content — top picks go national. 10 monthly roundtables kick off.

End of Semester

Chapter Wrapped published + full audit

Every chapter gets their Wrapped. National scorecard published. Strategy adjusted for semester 2.


How we measure success
Receipts. Every semester.
These aren't aspirations. They're the baseline. If we miss, we say so publicly.
500+
members trained in digital organizing
30
local actions covered by real press
5
languages for core materials
10
monthly chapter town halls
40%
of posts spotlighting chapter wins
2 hr
max response to major news
24 hr
guaranteed chapter feedback response
$2,500
in micro-grants distributed