Monday, August 3, 2026 | 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Justin Bagby, CMCP, Telecommunications Supervisor, Louisville Metro Emergency Services, Louisville, Kentucky
In this session, Justin Bagby, Telecommunications Supervisor for Louisville Metro Emergency Services (MetroSafe) in Kentucky, shared ways smaller agencies or agencies with no dedicated public information officer can easily create content for social media.
Bagby opened by explaining the importance of leveraging social media platforms strategically. MetroSafe uses Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) to communicate with their community, but they understand the audiences that frequent each platform.
Facebook is preferred by an older audience. Photos perform well, captions can handle more text, and link sharing is tolerated. Instagram skews younger and is dominated by photos and reels. X is good for quick information sharing, but the current algorithm deprioritizes government account content, which can make visibility a challenge. Using photos can help agencies say more and draw attention to posts on X.
After discussing the importance of tailoring content to the appropriate audience, Bagby shared some examples from MetroSafe’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Posts with photos sourced from the center performed well on both platforms.
Top-performing content included a drone photo of a walking bridge over the Ohio River lit gold for telecommunicator recognition, and an Instagram reel of the same drone footage set to music that drew 8,900 views. A “day in the life” reel following a call taker who stayed overnight at the agency during a winter storm. It drew nearly 11,000 views with an 11-second average watch time. A separate reel that Harkins built from radio traffic during an active-shooter call required far more editing time, Bagby said.
Staff from MetroSafe can submit photos from events like Halloween or the Fourth of July to their public information officer, Monica Harkins. Harkins can then turn that content into a reel on Instagram or post on Facebook. Employees like to see themselves on the agency page, so using crowd-sourced photos and content creates buy-in and can drive engagement. Other examples of posts included highlighting employees of the month, sharing call statistics from major events, and celebrating staff after complex incidents.
Bagby shared recommended tools to support social media content creation. The “must have” list included: a smartphone, editing software such as Canva and Instagram Edits, and a wireless microphone for recording audio for videos. He also shared a video from Harkins demonstrating how to use Instagram Edits to turn photos into a reel.
The session concluded with tips and tricks for drafting captions and posting on social media. Collaboration with other public safety agencies and local government organizations can be a powerful way to increase reach. Engaging with comments quickly supports the “social” aspect of social media and encourages increased engagement. Paying attention to what time of day users are online and engaging with content can help agencies tailor their posting schedule so content appears for users when they are most likely to be on the app.
Bagby presented five takeaways from the session:
- Photos are king
- Humanize your team
- Keep captions short and sweet (while maintaining the agency’s voice)
- Watch for trends to tap into
- Ensure content production is maintainable — larger projects can be fun, but if the accounts are not consistently posting, views and engagement decrease quickly
The agency’s social media accounts are operated under @LouMetroES.
Written by Allison Heider
