INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Media captionReporter Elizabeth Glinka tries out the advice from a Tory training presentation about social mediaConservative MPs have been
encouraged to show they are "real people" by being "playful" on Instagram, according to a document leaked to the
TheIndianSubcontinent.Earlier this year, party chairman Brandon Lewis arranged sessions teaching MPs how to set up an account and project
their personality on the video and picture sharing app, following criticism of the Conservatives' social media strategy.MPs from all parties
have tried to use Instagram to show a more relaxed, human side.Image Copyright jeremy_corbynmpjeremy_corbynmpBut efforts by Conservatives to
get to grips with the app, at their party conference last year, led to a series of rather stiff, formal pictures of ministers - and ridicule
on social media.Image Copyright conservativesconservativesThree months after that, in January this year, the party held sessions giving tips
for MPs on how to use Instagram
Here is a selection of slides from that presentation, and some examples of posts by Labour MPs we have chosen to illustrate how Jeremy
Corbyn's party are using Instagram.The first slide of the Conservative presentation suggests that sophisticated use of Instagram could be a
way to win over younger voters, who are the biggest users of the site.Image copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage caption
The
party wants to reach younger voters through Instagram
The guide for Conservative MPs begins with the very basics.Image
copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage caption
The advice begins at the very beginning
Later slides encourage
"human shots" and "action shots", and MPs are also advised to give concise biographies with a link to their website.What does this button
doPosting on Instagram might seem easy if you do it every day
But if you're not used to it, there's a lot to figure out.This slide uses a Boris Johnson selfie as a case study to show the meaning of
various icons.Image copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage caption
Instagram can be confusing if you're not used to it
Smile!Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was early to embrace Instagram
Animals are very popular on the app, and his timeline has featured dogs, owls and goats.Image Copyright
gavinwilliamson.mpgavinwilliamson.mpIt looks like Mr Williamson's Instagram efforts are respected by party headquarters - he pops up twice
on a slide giving "good examples".Image copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage caption
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was an
early adopter of Instagram
'Playful'Political Instagram isn't all cats and briefcases
The app can be used to highlight local issues, as this post by Labour's Matt Western demonstrates.Image Copyright
mattwestern_mpmattwestern_mpLabour's Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry has a serious job, and her Twitter and Facebook feeds tend to
reflect that.But on her Instagram feed you're more likely to see a picture of her cat, or a weekend walk in the woods, than criticism of
government policies.Image Copyright emilythornberrympemilythornberrympThe Conservative presentation singles out this post by Universities
Minister Sam Gyimah as an example of the "playful" nature of the site.Image Copyright samgyimahmpsamgyimahmpThe guide advises MPs to use
pictures of "objects" from their daily life to suggest it is a "behind the scenes" look
Image copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage caption
People like seeing "process" according to the Conservatives' presentation
The only example in the presentation made by someone other than a Conservative MP is this post by Nick Weston, who runs a
"foraging and cookery school" in Sussex.Image Copyright huntergathercookhuntergathercookMPs have been told to emulate this because "people
like seeing your process".Tories telling storiesThe Conservative presentation picks up on a post by Culture Secretary Matthew Hancock, in
which he uses a screenshot of a letter from a 28-year-old man praising government efforts to crack down on online ticket touts, as a good
example of "storytelling," as opposed to bombarding people with statistics.Image copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage caption
Stories are seen as important as well as facts and figures
Other slides encourage posts about historical events, like
celebrating Churchill to coincide with the release of the film "Darkest Hour".Opposition politicians do this too - such as Labour's Dawn
Butler marking the centenary of votes for women.Image Copyright dawnbutlerbrentdawnbutlerbrentWhat not to doThe Conservative presentation
highlights Instagram posts which don't "feel real"
Tory MPs are encouraged to use their own images to show issues they care about, rather than generic ones.Image copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage
caption
Generic party graphics are discouraged
A slick, but rather impersonal post by Tory MP James
Cleverly is included on a slide which says graphics should be used "sparingly".Image Copyright jamescleverlyjamescleverlyRecent posts by the
party's deputy chairman have been more informal.Image Copyright jamescleverlyjamescleverlyExpert level InstagramThe Conservative
presentation also advises MPs on how to make more creative posts, including a "boomerang"
This is described as a "playful option
Records a motion then plays back on itself - like a boomerang!"Conservative MPs were shown some of the more fiddly ways to edit an image,
such as adding blocks of text with coloured background while using the "story" function (a picture which deletes after 24 hours).Image
copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage caption
The presentation also included advice on how to make posts look colourful
Tory MPs were encouraged to poll their followers for "interesting insights".Image copyrightAlamyImage caption
MPs
were encouraged to use stickers and emojis
Necessary hashtagsSir Peter Bottomley has been a Conservative MP since 1975 and
is an unlikely social media star - he has a Twitter account but has never tweeted
However, on Instagram he seems to be something of a trailblazer, with his posts highlighted not once but twice in the Tory presentation.A
picture of him signing a book to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day is highlighted as an example of promoting a serious cause by using a
relevant hashtag, #HMD18.The presentation also gave special mention to a picture of Bottomley out campaigning with Margaret Thatcher which
used the hashtag #TBT, or "throwback Thursday".Image copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage caption
Use of #TBT, or "throwback
Thursday", is also encouraged
Sajid Javid recently became home secretary
Before January, when this presentation was given to Conservative MPs, his feed was heavy on generic party graphics
Since then though, his posts have been become more light-hearted - though this sort of playfulness may be harder in his new job.Image
Copyright sajidjavidmpsajidjavidmpOne of Javid's "story" posts is highlighted in the presentation as a good example.Image
copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage caption
A post about Sajid Javid's Jobs Fair comes in for praise
Post late,
post oftenAnother slide encourages MPs to reply to comments
Very senior figures in the Conservative Party have taken this advice on board
Gavin Williamson recently used Instagram to post about his new lawnmower, and replied to questions about where he bought it from and how
much it cost.Image Copyright gavinwilliamson.mpgavinwilliamson.mpSocial media fans will know that timing is everything - and not every app
follows the same pattern.Political Twitter tends to be busy in the daytime during the working week, and far quieter at the weekend.People
tend to check Instagram in their leisure time, so Tory MPs have been advised to post in the evenings.Image copyrightCONSERVATIVESImage
caption
Timing is everything, the document says
But social media connoisseurs will know that evening
posts carry risks, especially on Fridays and Saturdays
Fewer people tend to be online at those times because many are out enjoying themselves
Also, those who stay in may be wary of interacting with other people's posts, for fear of giving away the fact that they are sat at home
