Hello Merge Tag: Where Social Media and Politics Intersect

Gabbi Zutrau, a digital strategist renowned for her expertise in organic social media and automation, shares her secrets to dramatic growth. She helped political figure Zohran Mamdani gain 500,000 followers using a unique tactic that also racked up 5 million views on a new Instagram account in just six weeks. Gabbi discusses the pivotal role trial reels played in capturing attention, how campaigns can authentically engage audiences, and why investing early in digital strategies is essential for success. Her insights offer a fresh take on navigating social media in politics.

"Think more about the message you're trying to get across and then make the humor something that brings people in instead of pushing people away." I met Mark Kendall and Bill Worley at Netroots this year and was super excited to invite them on the pod. They’re doing something very unique in our space — using comedy, intentionally, to win hearts and change minds. Their firm, CoolCoolCool Productions, is an Atlanta-based production company and boutique agency that uses comedy to encourage civic engagement and foster community. Their videos have racked up tens of millions of views across social media. They’ve been featured on NPR and in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and named “Best Reason to Laugh” by Atlanta Magazine. I went to a session they ran at Netroots, and every example they shared hit harder than the last. Thoughtful, smart, hilarious work—designed to move people. Throughout our conversation, we talked about: their origin storythe importance of finding joy, even in dark placeswhy embracing specificity matters if you want to change hearts and mindshow their process worksthe advice they’d offer to campaigns looking to use humor effectivelyand more Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“What I would really like to see is more Democrats using their resources to help people right now to fill in the material gaps that Trump has created. I think it's the right thing to do and I also think it is the most persuasive thing to do if you want to flip either chamber in 2026 and make a serious cultural impact." Kat Abughazaleh is running for Congress in Illinois’ 9th District. I personally think she’s running one of the most innovative campaigns of the cycle, both from a digital and from a field perspective. Listeners might remember Kat joined us back in April to talk about what it means to run a Bluesky-first campaign. She joined us again to talk about how her campaign is navigating the internet, fascism and so much more. She talked about the social platform helping her campaign raise the most money (Bluesky!), how her campaign is serving as a mutual aid hub for her community, what it means to fight back against the Trump regime in these dark times and so much more. Find links to her site, an episode transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“The most powerful form of engagement online is when a regular person posts on their channel about something they truly believe in.” Tudor Mihailescu is a cofounder and CEO of SoSha, an AI powered social amplification platform that helps mission-driven organizations leverage the social clout of their communities. Before SoSha, Tudor did a PhD in political science focused on US Presidential Speechwriting patterns and cofounded a social network for politics called GovFaces. Amanda Brink is the Executive Director of Empower Project, helping organizations grow relational organizing programs. Prior to Empower Project, she worked with Organizing For America, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, Tony Evers first statewide race and beyond. In 2024, they teamed up on a nano-influencer program. They facilitated 9 million relational conversations with 3 million potential voters across 10 targeted states. They built a network of Community Mobilizers who collectively earned 80 million organic impressions on social media. I invited them on the pod to unpack that work—how they built it, what they learned, and they think it means for the future of organizing and persuasion in the digital era. Find links, transcript, additional episodes and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

“I've always believed in the power of storytelling and storytelling as a means for kind of creating understanding across difference." Garima Verma is a strategist and storyteller who bridges the worlds of culture, politics, media and social change. With over 10 years of experience spanning entertainment, political campaigns, and impact organizations, she specializes in transforming visionary ideas into actionable strategies, impactful programming and compelling narratives on-and-offline. She’s worked across entertainment and politics—leading digital campaigns for Mission: Impossible – Fallout, black-ish, and The Oscars, as well as for Stacey Abrams’ 2022 gubernatorial run, Dr. Jill Biden’s FLOTUS office, and the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign. Today, she partners with mission-driven leaders and organizations—from the DCCC to GoFundMe—to help them be more strategic online and maximize their impact in the digital age. Her and I connected to talk about the importance of differentiating between digital strategy and digital tactics, setting appropriate KPIs, what DC can learn from Hollywood, how Zohran's campaign helped digital strategists everywhere and so much more. Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

Maya Hutchinson, Founder and CEO of BattlegroundAI, is a data-driven marketer with a rich background in Democratic politics and digital advertising. She discusses the necessity of personalized political ads and how AI can transform ad creation, making it more efficient for smaller campaigns. Maya emphasizes A/B testing and the integration of content and analytics for impactful messaging. She also shares insights on using image generation tech and adapting strategies for different social media platforms to connect authentically with audiences.

“You don't want to be caught in that high volume moment and not have a way to capture people, not have a way or a plan to funnel people from Instagram onto your owned list.” You might not recognize today’s guest by name, but you’ve seen her work in action. Gabbi Zutrau is a freelance digital consultant in the progressive space, with clients ranging from MoveOn to Stop AAPI Hate. She’s also the creator of Edna the Runt, an adorable pup who anchors her own lively social community with a ton of followers and massive engagement. As an independent digital consultant, Gabbi built the Zohran Mamdani campaign’s chatbot automation infrastructure during his recent New York City mayoral primary campaign. By deploying Manychat automations, she played a pivotal role in turning social engagement into real-world impact—helping Mamdani defeat Andrew Cuomo and his billionaire backers.It was low-cost, high-scale organizing in action. Throughout our conversation, we cover: Building ladders of engagement that nurture supporters step-by-step from interest to actionDifferences in how automation can be deployed for campaigns versus advocacy groupsUsing automation to support fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and event sign‑upsLeveraging automation to lean into — rather than try to fight — the endless scroll and capture attentionThe role of engagement bait—and how ManyChat flows can avoid feeling spammy while maintaining their effectivenessAnd more! 📊 Some key metrics from the campaign: Over 77,000 automated messages sent across comment, DM and Story flows20,000+ clicks generated directly from Instagram DMs3,000+ emails collected via in-app conversation flowsA 76% click-through rate on trigger-word comment flowsAll achieved for roughly $318 total—about $0.03 per action In a world where “link in bio” gets ignored and the platforms are designed to keep people scrolling, this campaign shows what’s possible when you meet supporters where they are—and have a plan to keep them engaged, both online and off.. Tune in to hear how campaigns can—and should—embrace automation to turn online momentum into real-world organizing power. Find links, YouTube video and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"It can't just be about the things that affect us as individuals. It has to be broader." There’s been a lot of talk lately about looking for a Joe Rogan of the left. The whole thing is ridiculous… for so many reasons. Instead of banking on a single, superstar personality to magically unite our movement, what we really need is to amplify the many voices of folks aligned with our values who are already creating great content online for large audiences. That’s why I was so excited to welcome Jess Zander of You Can Do It Gardening to the podcast. Jess is a Boston-based garden coach and consultant who launched You Can Do It Gardening in 2022 to help everyday people feel confident tackling their gardens—no matter their experience level. My wife is the green thumb in our household, but Jess’s content is super relatable and fun, even if you’re not a gardening aficionado. Jess is known for her no-nonsense, encouraging style. Think Mary Poppins—but for your garden. So is Jess the Joe Rogan of the left? Of course not! But she is a content creator with a large and engaged audience. And while she’s definitely not leading with politics, she’s also not shying away from her progressive values. Throughout our conversation, we discussed: How she got started (not that long ago!)The types of content that's working for herThe difference in response she sees across platformsHow she would start now, if she were starting from scratchWhy she’s public about her values, despite working in a non-political spaceWhy she’s comfortable losing followers to speak her truthsAnd so much more As Jess puts it: “It’s a business decision, but it’s also just a values decision… I don’t feel that this is the time to be silent. Silence is complicit.” Find links, a transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"Every newsroom, whether they acknowledge it or not, is values-driven. The choice to cover something or not cover something, the choice to use a word in a headline or not, is a statement on your values and your mission. We are just more transparent about it." RC Di Mezzo is a Democratic digital strategist with a decade of experience building online brands that connect directly with voters. As Vice President of Brand & Social at Courier, he led the 2023 launch of @Couriernewsroom—a social-first, values-driven progressive newsroom that became the fastest-growing news brand in the US, reaching over 100 million weekly views and generating more than 3 billion social views throughout the 2024 cycle. Courier’s rapid growth—from 1.8 to over 5 million subscribers in a year—has positioned it as a benchmark for both legacy and emerging digital news outlets. This episode is especially timely: a recent Reuters/Oxford report reveals that 54% of Americans now get their news from social media, surpassing TV’s 50% for the first time. While the right has spent years building creator-driven narrative ecosystems, the left has lagged—Courier Newsroom has emerged as our leading response, creating shareable, social-first content built for group chats and feeds. 🎧 What we covered: How Courier built a digital-first content machine for today’s social audienceWhy editorial and digital teams must work in lockstep—no silosWhy context outperforms clickbait Creating content in the app without fancy 3rd-party editing toolsBalancing national messaging with state-level storytellingLessons from successful campaigns—from Gavin Newsom to Kamala HarrisWhy campaigns should invest in digital earlyWhich social platform is Courier’s fastest-growing (hint: it's not TikTok!) Plus: RC’s tips for campaigns and creators building momentum from day one. If you want to unlock the digital tactics that drove billions of views, this is your behind-the-scenes guide. 🎙️ Find links, full video of our conversation and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"Sell the brownie, not the recipe... So instead of taking your public policy out in public and thinking that that is a message, which it is not, you talk about the outcome of your policy." Anat Shenker-Osorio is a political strategist, messaging consultant, and communications researcher renowned for helping progressive campaigns win by using more effective language. She is the founder of ASO Communications, a firm that specializes in crafting compelling narratives for progressive causes. Anat is also an author, podcast host, and one of the most respected messaging experts on the left. Recently, she released a concise yet impactful glossary titled Fascism and the English Language—a guide on how we should (and shouldn’t) discuss the authoritarian threats facing our country. I invited her on the podcast to delve into that piece and to help all of us become better, more strategic, and more disciplined communicators. Throughout our conversation, we explored the what, how, and why of Free America. We discussed values, villains, and vision. We examined the importance of focusing on shared values and avoiding "zombie writing." Anat renamed the so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill" the "MAGA Murder Budget." We emphasized the strategy of highlighting outcomes (the brownie!) rather than processes (the recipe). Additionally, we reviewed messaging from elected officials, identifying posts that missed the mark and discussing how they could be rewritten to be more effective. You can listen to the episode where you stream podcasts, or watch it in full on YouTube. Find links, full transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.