Welcome to the first edition of the SBDownload, SBDigital’s informational newsletter. Each edition will spotlight a different subject ranging from things tied to a specific area of our work or of broader industry trends.
We hope this newsletter helps to keep you up to date on our latest work and crucial trends in the field, and provides inspiration for new strategies or services to try.
Without further ado, please welcome the author of this first edition: Jae Masino!
A graduate of the University of San Francisco, Jae Masino joined SBDigital in 2023 and currently serves the team as the head of Vox Pop. She got her start in politics as a field director, organizing volunteers to knock on doors and talk to their neighbors. Taking that experience, she took that effort online to build thoughtful and authentic creator programs that resonate at the local level, much like knocking on doors. She has spent the past three years working in the progressive creator space, where she has led and advised key programs such as Busse for Montana, Bros for Repro, and the DCCC’s multi-tiered long-form creator program in 2024. Across these efforts, she has specialized in designing scalable
creator ecosystems that center authenticity, accessibility, and long-term audience trust. Most recently, she worked with COURIER Newsroom to build and launch a comprehensive creator program in Virginia. Built from the ground up, this initiative partnered directly with the Abigail Spanberger campaign and the Dogwood Newsroom to develop a durable, data-driven framework for creator-driven political communications.
Using Micro-Creators to Reach Your Audience
It’s just like knocking on doors — on your audience’s For-You-Page.
Online creators and storytellers have spent the last few years building their platforms, their voices, and their audiences. They often have strong, authentic relationships with their followers, making their endorsements of any product, whether political or not, more trusted.
They know what their audience engages with and cares about the most. Each influencer has their own creative flair, which means content is never the same — and they know how to stand out and get viewers to stop the scroll and listen.
Think (Way) More Local
The metrics we use to measure success need to shift to keep up with the changing landscape. Hyperlocal creators have higher engagement rates and a tight-knit bond with their community. REAL discussion is taking place in the comments, and friends are sending topical videos about their neighborhood back and forth online. While high views and national reach are great for awareness, local creators can speak directly to hard-to-reach audiences year-round in the most authentic and relatable way. This is a crucial observation at a time when more adult Americans now report getting news from social media (Pew, 2025). At SBDigital, we pride ourselves on being at the cutting edge of emerging landscapes, and microinfluencers are exactly that.
Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/
Local Creators in Action: “We’re From Jersey, Baby!”
It’s not just theory; we’ve seen it in action. Last year, we ran a joint creator and digital ad campaign focused on raising awareness for environmental issues in the 2025 NJ gubernatorial election. Two local New Jersey creators, passionate about the environment and their local community, created content which was posted organically and then run as a digital ad vertical placements across Facebook and Instagram, serving over 4 million impressions. In a study done by the Pew Research Center, 38% of U.S. adults say they regularly get news on Facebook, and 20% regularly get their news from Instagram and TikTok. Young voters are especially likely to seek out news on social media, making them perfect targets for highly effective local creators. Younger audiences demand authenticity and personalization, two qualities that define microinfluencers.
What did we learn? Localized, passionate creators are more effective at engaging viewers.
We saw high engagement rates and conversations picking up in the comments.
You don’t have to spend big to reach the right audience, and this program was proof of that. In an era when trends indicate that more Americans than ever are getting their political news from social media, microinfluencers are at the cutting edge of political content. They’re less expensive, more authentic, and more effective than other social media strategies.
Up next: how celebrity cameos can enhance your fundraising… and your digital engagement.
— SBDigital
P.S. Want to join us at the cutting edge? We just launched our in-house creator marketing service, Vox Pop! And if you’d like to meet some of our creators and learn more about us in person, join us for our America Votes Happy Hour on April 22nd! You can click here to see details and RSVP!
Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/