10 ways to promote OT online
Whether you're a social media junkie or a newbie, our top 10 ideas will give you the information you need to start promoting OT online this month (and throughout the year). Because we know you're busy, we've sorted the ideas by the estimated time commitment for each—from as little as 5 minutes to a couple of hours.
April is OT Month, and it's the perfect time to promote our profession. With our society's increased use of social media, digital communications, and the Internet, promoting occupational therapy has never been easier.
1. Share information about occupational therapy on social media sites (5 minutes)
Sharing information about OT in a digital format is easy, and during OT Month you can use your social media accounts or even e-mail to share resources about the profession. Consider your audience (friends? other health care professionals? clients?) and choose information that directly applies to them. For friends or new clients who may not know much about the profession, select information describing OT's role. You can find some helpful resources on the What is OT page, including the Ask for OT handouts. For colleagues that are not AOTA members, you can encourage them to realize their boundless potential by sharing the OT celebration video. Before sharing other types of articles be sure you have permission to do so. You can find more information, including examples of OT showcased in the mainstream media, to share by following AOTA's Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube accounts.
2. Use the hashtag #OTMonth (5–10 minutes)
Instagram and X users can use hashtags in their tweets by putting a pound sign in front of a keyword that will categorize the message and allow other users to click or search for posts and tweets by that keyword. During OT Month, when you share information about the profession, use the hashtag #OTMonth. The more people who use a hashtag, the better chance it has at becoming a "trending topic," and gaining the interest of others. Help make #OTMonth a top hashtag by tweeting it throughout April.
3. Answer questions on Q&A sites (15 minutes)
If you've ever typed a question into a search engine, you've probably seen answers from question and answer sites such as Reddit, Ask.com, Yahoo! Answers, and Quora. Web users can submit a question and anyone on the Web can answer it. Check out the question and answer sites to see if there are any questions you can answer using your occupational therapy expertise. Perhaps an adult child is asking a question about caregiving options for an aging parent, or a parent is looking for ways to help a child do better in school. Start answering questions and link to occupational therapy resources so people can learn more about our profession.
4. Contact your legislators (15 minutes)
An important part of promoting our profession is advocacy. Did you know that most senators and representatives are on Facebook and X? Find your legislators and contact them, write on their wall, or include their social media handles in your messages during OT Month. Visit AOTA's Legislative Action Center to learn about the issues AOTA is advocating on the Hill, and get ideas about what to write as well as talking points to help you craft the perfect message.
5. Start pinning on Pinterest (20 minutes)
Pinterest is a great place to promote occupational therapy. Create a pin board about occupational therapy and start pinning ideas, posts, and photos. Get specific with your board (e.g., if you work with children, you could create a board of fine motor activities for kids) and pin items to it throughout the month. Make sure to include information in the pin's description about occupational therapy and how the profession can help people participate in everyday living.
6. Take and share pictures of OT in action (time commitment varies)
It's one thing to tell people about our profession, but imagine if you could show them occupational therapy in action. You don't need a professional camera to take and share pictures on the Web, so break out your point and shoot (or even your phone) and start snapping photos of your work. If you are taking pictures of clients, be sure to get their consent in writing. Post your pictures on X, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, CommunOT, or any other photo sharing site. Remember to write captions for the photos that describe occupational therapy and what you are doing. If you post your photo on Instagram use the #OTMonth hashtag and tag AOTA so we can see it.
7. Write a blog post about OT (Approximately 30 minutes)
Already have a blog? Take this month to do a special series on occupational therapy. Even if your readers are mostly friends and family, a blog post is still a great way to promote the profession. You could write about many different topics, but here are a few ideas to help you get started: a day in your life as an occupational therapy practitioner; occupational therapy's role with a topic that you're passionate about; a review of your favorite smartphone app that clients can use; or a top 10 list about the ways occupational therapy can help clients. Want to connect with your colleagues? Write a blog on AOTA's online community, CommunOT. Share your experiences of promoting the profession with fellow practitioners and students and gain fresh ideas and perspectives.
8. Relate a story about OT on Wakelet (45 minutes)
Wakelet allows users to save, organize, and share content from across the web on a single forum. Bookmark your favorite occupational therapy articles, videos, blogs, and tweets all in one place. Once you've selected your content, arrange it into stunning collections that you can share with others. You can use the Wakelet browser extension or download the mobile app and use it on the go.
9. Record a podcast (1 hour)
A podcast is typically a short recorded audio session. If you have a microphone on your computer or a smartphone, you can record a podcast. During your podcast you can talk about occupational therapy, interview a colleague or client, or describe the ways occupational therapy can help a person with a certain condition, such as traumatic brain injury. You can use a free service to record podcasts. Remember to share the podcast with your friends via social media sites.
10. Create a video (A couple of hours)
Video is a very powerful medium for promoting occupational therapy. This will be the most time intensive, but the results can be well worth the effort. Online videos are best when they are shorter than 5 minutes, have attention grabbing graphics and visuals, and tell a good story. Grab your smartphone or a video camera (many point and shoot cameras come with video capabilities) and start filming. Don't forget that video editing software usually allows you to put photographs and text in your video in addition to the footage you film. Remember to include a transcript or closed captioning to make your video accessible to more viewers. Once again, if you film clients or other people in a private or medical setting make sure you have their permission in writing. Upload your video to YouTube and share.