Use this AAPI History Month Social Media Toolkit to celebrate AAPI Month on your company’s social media channels. Posting about AAPI Heritage Month on social media can be a powerful way to demonstrate your company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion while also supporting AAPI community in meaningful ways.
In this post, you’ll find ideas, inspiration, and best practices to plan a successful AAPI Month social media campaign. Keep reading to see how your team can honor this occasion in a respectful way, spark meaningful dialogue, stand against racism, uplift AAPI voices, and learn together.
A few of our favorite AAPI History Month social media ideas:
Read on for more details on these ideas, and additional ideas!
- Share meaningful quotes from AAPI leaders, innovators, and activists
- Highlight books, podcasts, tv shows, and movies from AAPI authors, directors, etc.
- Diversify your company’s social media feed by following AAPI creators
- Share about Asian American history, heritage, and cultural sites
- Support a worthy cause and encourage followers to join
In this list, you’ll find:
- Topics to post about for Asian American History Month
- AAPI Month hashtags to boost engagement
- Team building experiences for AAPI Month
- Inspiration for AAPI Month social posts
For more information about what AAPI Month is and how your team can celebrate, check out our blog post: 11+ Ideas for AAPI History Month.
AAPI History Month Social Media Toolkit: Post Ideas & Inspiration
1. Support AAPI-Led Causes & Encourage Followers to Join
Leading by example can be an impactful way to change the world. This AAPI History Month, support an AAPI-Led Cause and invite followers to join!
For instance, you can raise money for a nonprofit organization serving AAPI communities, bring awareness to a cause, sign petitions, volunteer, or join anti-racism initiatives. You can highlight the good work an organization is doing in the community, tag them, and share a link to their webpage, volunteer sign-up, or donation form.
Not sure where to start? Reach out to local organizations to see how your company can help.
2. Book an AAPI Month Team Building Experience & Share About It – One of Our Favorite AAPI Month Social Media Ideas!
Connect and learn with colleagues during a virtual team building session led by an expert guide – and then share about it on social!
Coming soon: the Unexpected Virtual Tours AAPI History Month experience will inform, inspire, and enlighten your team. With interactive elements, live tour guides to answer questions, and an engaging program created by historians, this will be an unforgettable experience for your team! Browse our Tours page for more details coming soon.
When posting about your team building session on social media, remember to prioritize your team’s privacy and comfort. Some team members may not be comfortable having their images or quotes shared on your company’s social platforms. Consider asking those who feel comfortable to sign a photo release form before the activity. Or, create optional photo and feedback opportunities.
Additionally, it is best practice to share ahead of time content you plan to post with employees featured in the content. Gaining approval ensures that everyone is on board with their involvement and how they’re being portrayed.
3. Be Respectful & Avoid Stereotypes
When it comes to Asian American and Pacific Islander history and culture, there are a number of stereotypes to avoid. When in doubt, consult your company’s HR department or an external consultant who can help you figure out what’s appropriate.
Overall, it’s important to remember that the term “Asian American” is broad and encompasses a wide variety of countries of origin, languages, cultures, diets, religious traditions, and more. Avoid grouping all Asian Americans together in such a way that implies they are a homogenous group.
In fact, the UN notes that today, Asia is made up of 48 unique countries – each with their own histories, customs, and norms. And of course, within those countries, there is diversity within various communities and families.
Acknowledging diversity within the AAPI community can lead to a more well-rounded and inclusive conversation.
4. Post AAPI History Month Quotes on Social Media
Sharing words of wisdom from AAPI authors, innovators, and leaders can be a powerful way to inspire your audiences.
As an additional benefit, social posts featuring quotes are easily sharable and can resonate with many people. As a result, you might find more followers than usual hitting the “share” button to amplify your company’s message. This can help broaden your reach to engage new followers.
Get started with our blog post, 45 AAPI History Month Quotes for Work.
5. Share Books, Podcasts, TV Shows, and Films from AAPI Creators – One of Our Favorite AAPI Month Social Media Ideas!
Engage your employees and your social media audiences at the same time! Ask employees what AAPI-authored works they’re reading, listening to, and watching. Or, choose a book, podcast, or streaming content to enjoy together.
Then, post about these works on your company’s social media accounts. You can include your team’s takeaways or a quote, share what resonated, and ask audiences what they thought of the work. You can also ask audience members for their suggestions and recommendations!
RECOMMENDATIONS TO SHARE DURING AAPI HISTORY MONTH:
- Books written by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors
- Songs by AAPI musicians and playlists that highlight AAPI artists of the past and present
- Your favorite AAPI-owned and run magazines, e-zines, and poetry journals
- Films or documentaries about Asian American history and culture
- Podcasts focusing on AAPI issues and topics
6. Share About AAPI History and Heritage
Asian-American history can be, at times, fascinating, tragic, uplifting, and everything in between. Use your company’s platforms to share about AAPI history and heritage during the month of May. You can highlight a specific historical event or subject matter – or share more broadly by linking to educational resources and museums.
Topics to learn & share about during Asian American Heritage Month:
- The construction of the U.S. transcontinental railroad
- The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
- Internment of Japanese Americans during WWII
- Struggles and triumphs of the Fillipino American farm workers and labor movements
- Asian American artists and their works
- The representation of AAPI people in film & television
If your company is located near AAPI heritage sites or museums, sharing about them can be a great way to engage your local community as well as spark a larger conversation.
Check out Frommer’s guide to The 10 Best Museums to Learn About Asian American and Pacific Islander History and Culture.
7. Highlight AAPI Innovators – One of Our Favorite AAPI Month Social Media Ideas!
In all industries, AAPI people are making valuable discoveries and creating innovative change. During AAPI Month, highlight AAPI leaders who have made significant contributions to your company’s field. This might be a historical figure, or someone actively working in the field.
From entertainment to technology, sports to literature, and everything in between – there are so many amazing AAPI professionals your company can highlight.
Get inspired with this CNN article: “Asian American history is American history. These AAPI leaders transformed the US for generations to come.”
8. Post About AAPI-Owned Businesses
May is a great time to share about your favorite AAPI-owned businesses to support. From professional service vendors to retailers and restaurants, take the time to review your vendor list and see which businesses you could shine a light on. If your vendor list doesn’t include any AAPI-owned businesses, this can also be a great prompt to review diversity among your company’s vendors.
When posting, be sure to tag the relevant business and share a few words about why they stand out!
This list from New York Magazine includes 98 AAPI-owned businesses to support, from cosmetics and fashion to food and drink, home and office decor, client gifts, and more.
9. Use AAPI Heritage Month Hashtags
Get more eyes on your post by using AAPI Month hashtags. Using relevant hashtags can help your posts reach audiences who are actively searching for the type of content your company is sharing.
Join in the conversation about AAPI Month and lead a wider audience to your company’s channels and content.
AAPI HISTORY MONTH HASHTAGS TO BOOST SOCIAL MEDIA VISIBILITY:
- #aapi
- #aapihistorymonth
- #aapiheritagemonth
- #aapimonth
- #stopasianhate
- #asianamerican
- #celebrateaapi
10. Diversify Your Company’s Social Feeds by Following Asian American & Pacific Islander Creators
AAPI Month is an opportune time to diversify your social media feed – both for your company, and in your personal life!
Especially if you feel you’re in a “social media rut” or the content you’re consuming no longer resonates with your goals, cleaning up and adding thoughtfully to your “Follow” list can be transformational.
Browse your “Following” list and take notice of how many AAPI creators you’re following. If the list looks slim, make an intentional effort to seek out and follow AAPI creators. This is also a great time to follow accounts from other marginalized communities, too. For instance – when scrolling social media, do you see content from people living with a disability, people of all genders, Indigenous creators, and people of color?
Nowadays, there’s a lot of discussion about algorithms and how social media can create an “echo chamber” that reinforces our existing worldview. The upside? It only takes a few minutes to curate your social feed and broaden your digital horizons! This is a great year-round activity that can help ensure your company is engaging equitably on social media.
To get started, check out this guide: 13 Asian American Influencers to Follow on Instagram.
11. Amplify AAPI Voices – One of Our Favorite AAPI Month Social Media Ideas!
After you diversify your company’s social media feed (idea #10 above), be sure to also amplify AAPI voices to your audiences.
You can do this by re-sharing content from AAPI creators. This might include sharing memorable quotes, community events, messages related to current events, artwork, and more. Sharing posts from AAPI creators is an easy way to broaden your audience’s viewpoints while sharing valuable messages and resources.
Of course, it’s important to ask for permission ahead of time when you’re sharing other people’s content. As a best practice, asking for approval to share content helps make sure your company is respectful of AAPI creators. Additionally, gaining a creator’s approval is a way to show respect for the time, energy, and resources they have poured into creating their content. It can also be a way to build a new connection!
Looking for more AAPI Month resources? Check out our blog posts: 11+ Ideas for AAPI History Month and 45+ AAPI History Month Quotes for Work.
Brand-new for spring 2023: our virtual experience celebrating AAPI History Month!
Honor Asian American and Pacific Islander history during the month of May with a meaningful virtual experience. This session – brand new for 2023 – shares the history of Asian Americans from the 1800s to the present day, including leaders like Fred Korematsu and Bhagat Singh Thind.
Take a virtual field trip to San Francisco’s Chinatown, learn how Asian Americans have impacted every aspect of American life, and connect with your team.
Located in Atlanta? Check out Unexpected Atlanta Tours & Gifts