Social media-based participant recruitment in mental health research: an exploratory pilot study

Purpose Despite potential benefits of using social media for participant recruitment in mental health research, there are limited evaluations to guide researchers. This pilot study aims to explore feasibility of using social media in mental health research to recruit a population-representative, heterogeneous sample of adults from the general population. Design/methodology/approach The global, top 15 most popular social media platforms were evaluated according to researchers’ needs to determine use in this study. Recruitment, over three months, used standard, cost-free methods to recruit participants to a survey-based mental health study. In the last month of recruitment, researchers piloted the addition of paid advertising, to reduce sampling bias and aid recruitment. The evaluation aimed to monitor engagement of potential participants with social media. Findings Survey participants (n = 2,195) were mostly of white ethnicity, female and aged 18–24 years, indicating limited representation. Over one million individuals interacted with social media posts. Standard use averaged 1,124 people reached, 32 engagements, 6 link clicks per day on tracked social media posts, and on average 24 new participants per day. Paid advertising averaged 36,372 people reached, 5,959 engagements, 338 link clicks per day, and on average 22 new participants per day. Conversion rate differed between phase of recruitment, but sample diversity did not differ significantly. Paid advertising did not appear to make a difference. Originality/value This study highlights that social media is an exciting development in research and has potential to increase sample size. This study identifies practical challenges for researchers, such as adequate funding and understanding of social media.