Evidence matters when creating online campaigns

Connectedness is one factor that reduces the likelihood of suicide, but despite the fact that three in four young adult Internet users belong to social networking sites, suicide remains a leading cause of death for this population. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is tapping in to this connectedness by using social media to promote help-seeking behaviors among youth. This 15-minute session will provide an overview of You Matter, an evidence-based campaign with the primary goal of persuading young adults in crisis to contact the Lifeline. To create this evidence-based campaign, the Lifeline (in partnership with the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration) conducted a multi-phase informative evaluation. The evaluation involved analyses of existing youth campaign strategies, the development of focus groups with youth and attempt survivors, the establishment of an advisory panel of experts in the fields of youth suicide prevention, as well as extensive pretesting of campaign materials. This presentation will review how this study along with safe messaging and best practices in communication informed the creation of the You Matter website and social media channels.