Dear Finalists,

Congratulations on making it to the final round of this year’s AMA Global Health Challenge! It’s time to start generating some buzz for your team’s quest to become contest winners. Let’s show the world the innovative ways your team plans to address some of today’s most pressing global health challenges!

Here are the basics: 10 teams have been selected to participate in the final round of the contest. Each team has submitted a video responding to the prompt. All videos will be posted to the contest website for a period of 3 weeks. During that time, the general public will have an opportunity to vote on their favorite video. Everyone can vote once per day through the three week period. Following the end of the voting period, the winning team will be selected from the 5 videos receiving the greatest number of votes. So let’s get started gathering votes by getting the message out to your friends, family, supporters, and the community at large!

There are many simple ways to broadcast the message to both traditional media and social media. For example, a simple mention in your campus newspaper, on a local radio station, or in your community blog, in addition to frequent Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Snapchat posts and Tweets, have the potential to generate some strong support from a wide network of voters.

The attached toolkit includes several ideas on how you may want to share your team’s video and connect it to your long–term interests in fighting health disparities. Please keep in mind that this is just a set of suggestions, not a mandate. You should work closely with your teammates to create a plan that works best for your group. Additionally, please note that using elements from this toolkit will not guarantee your chances of winning, but may help you spread the word and potentially increase your vote totals. Your team has complete autonomy in deciding how you would like to solicit votes; however, contest finalists may not entice voters by offering any type of consideration, gift, or award deemed to have monetary value in exchange for votes.

In this toolkit, you will find a number of assets that may help you generate activity during the 3 week voting period. But our help doesn’t stop with this toolkit! We’re here to support you wherever we can. Please feel free to email us with questions, concerns, and ideas throughout this process. And remember—your team is playing a powerful role in the conversation about global health disparities, and we hope this voting period will broaden your efforts to make an even bigger impact! Remember, voting begins TODAY, so NOW is the time to get out there and generate buzz about your team’s video.

 Good luck and happy voting,

The AMA Global Health Challenge Team

@AmerMedicalAssn | @MedPlusAdv | @TimmyGlobHealth | @QtheAgency |  #AMAghc

CONTENTS

I. KEEP YOUR FACEBOOK & LINKEDIN POSTS FRESH

II. OPTIMIZE YOUR ACTIVITY ON TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, SNAPCHAT & OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA

III. AMPLIFY YOUR MESSAGE

IV. DON’T BE AFRAID TO GO DIRECT

I. KEEP YOUR FACEBOOK & LINKEDIN POSTS FRESH

Most of your teammates probably have individual Facebook accounts that you’ve been using for years. But with all of the changes that Facebook has made recently, a quick lesson on how to keep your Facebook posts fresh may be helpful. Here are a few tips and best practices for breathing new life into your Facebook chatter:

1. Diversify your types of posts. Sure, share your video link and ask for votes, but don’t stop there. Get creative! Share screenshots from your video or photos of your team filming. Ask questions and share powerful quotes to keep your Facebook & LinkedIn community engaged.
2. Thank your supporters. You’d be surprised at how a simple shout out like, “Thanks to all of the amazing people out there voting for our video,” generates excitement.
3. Reply to old threads. Everyone who’s commented on or liked an old thread will get a notification when you respond, and it’ll help to keep the conversation going.
4. Evoke emotion. Make your posts personal – be open and share why this contest is important to you. Your friends are more likely to engage with comments that are genuine and heartfelt, rather than posts that just ask for votes.
5. Keep it short & sweet. 150 to 250 character posts get 60% more interactions.
6. Use the “Events” feature. Create an event on Facebook to remind supporters of when to vote, how to vote, and how often to vote. Invite all of your friends, and encourage teammates to invite theirs as well. The more people join the event, the more likely it is to show up on your friends’ timelines, and the faster the word spreads!
7. Strategically engage other networks. You don’t have to go it alone. Think about all of the other Facebook and LinkedIn groups and pages that you’re a part of that might be able to help you spread the word. Connect with your current campus or alma mater page managers to try to spread the word to your fellow students or an alumni network. Ask friends and family to share your video link. And post the link directly on their pages!
8. Sample Facebook and LinkedIn Posts (Timmy pictures approved for use are attached in Zip File)
   

• Please help my team and I win the 2018 Global Health Challenge by voting for my Challenge video! <insert video link>
• Just 5 minutes could help me make a huge impact on global health. Please watch and vote for my AMA Global Health Challenge video! <insert video link>
• One Team. One Video. One idea to change the world. Please watch and vote to help me make a lasting impact on global health disparities. <insert video link>
• One of the biggest health challenges today is <insert challenge>. But I have a solution. Click here to watch my AMA Global Health Challenge video and vote for my team! <insert video link>
• Just a few days left to help my team fight global health All you have to do is vote. Use this like to watch and vote, and together we can make a powerful impact: <insert video link>
• Chuck, Founder of Timmy Global Health, says, “We weren’t all born to be doctors and nurses, but we were all born to be healers.” Join me in being a healer today and vote for my AMA Global Health Challenge video: <insert video link>

II. OPTIMIZE YOUR ACTIVITY ON TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, SNAPCHAT & OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA

Whether you’re new to social media or a veteran, it may be time for a quick review of how to optimize your activity. Here are a few tips and best practices to keep your social media activity singing:

1. Get new followers by being a follower. The most basic way to ensure users see your posts is for them to follow you. Search for people, organizations, charities, etc. that you already know and follow them first. They’ll get a notification that could help generate interest in your account.
2. Tap into your resources. Do you have friends or family members that are active on social media? Encourage them to be your advocate by reposting your posts and sharing your video voting link.
3. Don’t be afraid to post often. If you’re only posting once a day, your message may get lost in the shuffle of the hundreds of other posts your followers are streaming. Don’t be afraid to post multiple times a day – even if it’s the same post over and over again. It’ll increase the likelihood that someone sees and engages with your message.
4. Direct Message. You’ll increase the chances of someone seeing your message if you send personal messages. Please feel free to tag us as well! Connect with us at the handle @MedPlusAdv and @TimmyGlobHealth or use the #AMAghc and we’ll do our best repost your messages when appropriate.

Sample Posts

• Your vote will help me make a lasting impact on global health Use this link to watch & vote today: <insert video link> #AMAghc
• I joined the #globalhealth challenge to help @TimmyGlobHealth provide care to patients in Plz vote for my vid: <insert link>
• Watch, vote & share my video to help me solve 1 of today’s biggest health issues!<insert video link> @TimmyGlobHealth @MedPlusAdv #AMAghc
• 1 team 1 video. 1 idea to change the world. 1 vote will help us do it. Plz watch & vote today: <insert video link> #AMAghc
• 5 min to spare? Watch & vote for my #AMAghc video & help me change the world w/ @TimmyGlobHealth <insert video link>

III. AMPLIFY YOUR MESSAGE

Social networks are a great way to spread the word about your video during the voting period, but don’t forget about traditional media as well. Connect with local journalists, reach out to campus newspapers and blogs, and spread the word through list‐serves. These mediums can be invaluable in getting the news out about your video, rallying support, and getting votes for your team!

1. Draft a simple press release. Press releases are a great way to notify local media and groups about your team’s involvement with the MedPlus Advantage Global Health Challenge. Keep the message short – 300 words or less – and customize your press release with: a call for support for your team, information about your teammates, information about the AMA Global Health Challenge and specifics about how people can help.
2. Develop your Press List. This is your team’s targeted list of who to reach out to. Don’t overlook campus press or hometown media outlets, because reporters and bloggers often prefer stories that hit close to home. Start local and brainstorm radio stations, campus groups, local press outlets, etc. that you can share your story with. Do a simple web search to gather more information on other media resources on your campus and in your hometown community. Search for blogs that cover local events and continue to develop your list throughout the voting period.
3. Follow Up. After you’ve sent your press release to as many outlets as possible, don’t forget to follow up! Here’s a sample script that you could use via email or over the phone:

[Identify yourself]. I wanted to follow up with you about a press release I sent regarding my involvement in the AMA Global Health Challenge. Did you receive it?

[If YES] Great! I would love to give you more information about the impact our team could have if we are chosen as the contest winners. When are you able to talk more?

[If NO, get correct email address and offer to resend] When you get the press release, you will see that our team has a real shot at winning and making a powerful impact on global health. Is this a story that you are your colleagues may be interested in?

IV. DON’T BE AFRAID TO GO DIRECT

Traditional and social media are great ways to spread the word about your role in the AMA Global Health Challenge. But at the end of the day, your family and friends are going to be your biggest supporters. The best way to engage people that care about you is to show that care about them. Here are a few quick suggestions for doing just that:

1. Send a personal email. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Aunt Karen…they all want to know how you’re doing and what you’re passionate about. Shoot them each a quick, personal email explaining your role in the contest and ask them to vote for your video. A personal touch goes a long way.
2. Pick up the phone and call. 5 minutes on the phone with an old friend or a relative is a quick and easy way to get their vote AND get them on board with sharing your cause. Talk them through the voting process, get their vote, and then ask them to get 5 more votes from 5 friends.
3. Remember: Parties, Family Gatherings, Study Groups = Opportunity. Don’t forget to capitalize on your group gatherings for the next few weeks. Whether it’s your little cousin’s birthday or your Organic Chem lecture—use these moments to advocate for the AMA Global Health Challenge, your video, and your vote. If you ask people to vote for you face-­‐to-­‐face, it’ll be a lot harder for them to say no!