FLOTUS on Twitter: How Michelle Obama took her followers to Africa

By
Wednesday, 10 July 2013

When the First Lady (@FLOTUS) joined the President for a trip to Africa, she brought her 400,000 Twitter followers along for the journey.

Michelle Obama shared the first family’s travels in Africa, tweeting and using Vine along the way with #FLOTUSinAfrica. She personally took charge of her Twitter feed, usually run by staffers, giving her followers a unique insight into daily life on the trip through her eyes. Her followers asked questions directly over Twitter, which she replied to using Vine, the first time she had tried the six-second video platform.

During the trip, the White House posted eight videos with Vine via @WHvideo.

By sharing behind-the scenes photos and images, she offered a peek behind the curtain of what daily life is like as the President’s wife. This image was taken as news of South African President Nelson Mandela’s health became global news, giving an insight into the conversations between world leaders.

By engaging with her audience, she attracted new followers too.

Do you have examples of people in government engaging successfully with their audiences on Twitter? Email us [email protected].