The guidelines on this page are intended for administrators of university-affiliated social media accounts. For any questions, please contact Mary Leufstedt, Staff Associate of Web & Digital Communications, at mleufstedt@worcester.edu.
Account administrators are responsible for maintaining account security and following best practices to prevent unauthorized access. Passwords and login information should only be shared with trusted individuals. If login credentials are shared with an outside party—such as during a social media takeover—be sure to change the password immediately afterward.
When creating an account on behalf of a department or organization, use a shared departmental worcester.edu email address and add yourself as an administrator, if applicable. If your department doesn’t have a shared email, you may request one through Information Technology.
Platforms with administrator roles:
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube
Platforms requiring shared logins:
Instagram
Threads
X
TikTok
All accounts should use two-factor authentication when available. When setting up two-factor, choose your phone number wisely—use a departmental number if possible.
If account security is compromised, contact the university IT department immediately.
Content shared on university-affiliated accounts should be high-quality and align with both your goals and the broader goals of the University. Types of content can include images, videos, contests, student takeovers, polls, and other interactive or engaging experiences.
Do not share content—images, graphics, videos, or text—that:
Depicts or incites illegal activity
Is abusive, harassing, or contain threats
Contains defamation, obscenity, vulgarity, or sexual/violent imagery
Targets or offends individuals or groups
Violates state or federal law, or university policy
Contains spam
Promotes outside products or services without a reasonable justification
Content should be uploaded to social platforms regularly to keep your audience engaged. When planning your content, keep in mind the following best practices:
Instagram: 2–5 times/week (and/or to your story multiple times a day)
Facebook: 1–5 times/week
X: 2–3 times/day
TikTok: 3–4 times/week
Threads: 2–3 times/day
LinkedIn: 1–5 times/week
YouTube: 1–3 times/month
Posting quality content that is valuable to your audience is more important than simply meeting a posting quota. However, if you’re unable to post consistently, consider consolidating or deactivating inactive accounts, as unmonitored accounts are at risk for hackers who may post fraudulent content or access information.
Content Calendar:
Using a social media content calendar is the most effective way to organize and schedule your posts. It helps ensure a balanced mix of topics and streamlines your process. For templates and guidance, see our article: “How to Create a Social Media Content Calendar.“
Collaborating with current students, alumni, faculty, and staff helps create authentic, engaging content that truly reflects the Worcester State experience. Prospective students appreciate genuine stories, while current students and alumni connect with familiar faces and moments.
For official university business, please consult the Communications and Marketing Office. When sharing official news or updates, consider re-sharing posts from the university’s main social media accounts to ensure consistent messaging. Avoid posting sensitive or critical information—such as school closings—until it has been published on official channels.
Departments, offices, and organizations are encouraged to collaborate when promoting shared events and initiatives. Coordinated visuals and messaging create a more cohesive user experience and help strengthen your overall impact. Use platform features like Instagram collaborations and post re-shares to amplify your reach. When working together, we recommend using shared design documents to streamline the process. For guidance or ideas, contact Mary Leufstedt, Staff Associate of Web & Digital Communications, at mleufstedt@worcester.edu.
Messaging:
When writing captions and messages for social media, always maintain a friendly and professional tone. Remember, you represent Worcester State University in all communications on university-affiliated accounts.
For guidance on responding to negative comments, refer to our social media best practices. To learn more about writing effective captions, see our blog, “How to Write Captivating Social Media Captions.“
Making your social media posts accessible is highly important and ensures all users can engage with your content. Keep the following best practices in mind when creating posts and comments:
Graphics: Use minimal text and ensure color combinations meet contrast accessibility standards.
Alt Text: Add descriptive alt text to images. If the image contains text, include that text in the description.
Video Captions: Include captions for all videos with dialogue. For help, see our blog “How to Create Videos for Social Media.“
Hashtags: Capitalize the first letter of each word in hashtags (e.g., #LancerNation instead of #lancernation) to improve readability and screen reader access.
Emojis: Use emojis sparingly. Screen readers read each emoji aloud, so add spaces between them and avoid overuse.
GIFs: Limit use of GIFs, as they are not accessible to screen readers.
For more information about accessibility, visit our blog “Creating Accessible Social Media Content“.
The Marketing Department maintains a digital archive of campus photos. To request specific images or browse the archive, contact marketing@worcester.edu.
Use of any photo/video pulled from an internet search or copied from another source is prohibited unless it is marked as free use/public domain. Some images may require crediting the photographer, so always check the distribution guidelines set by the source. Posting unauthorized content can lead to copyright violations.
Whenever possible, capture your own or use images from Worcester State’s image library. If you need stock images, sites like Unsplash, Canva, and Pexels offer free-use options.
Consent & Photo Releases
When taking photos/videos of individuals, consent is required.
For public events, post a clearly visible sign that reads:“Notice of Photography: Entry into the event constitutes implied consent to be photographed and for these photographs to be published by Worcester State University in promotional materials.”If participants indicate that they do not wish to have their photo taken, honor their request by working around them.
For non-public settings, all identifiable individuals must sign a photo release form.
Social media platforms should be monitored at all times and should never go without an active administrator/manager.
If the account owner leaves the university or is no longer responsible for an account, promptly assign a new administrator. Ownership should be transferred and any administrative access the former employee had should be removed. For platforms with administrator roles (LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube), remove their profile as an admin. For platforms with shared logins (Instagram, TikTok, Threads, X), change the password.
