PRP staff work with the study team to create the social media recruitment strategy, which the study team submits for IRB approval. Once approved, PRP sets up and run the ads from a central UCSF Research Facebook/Instagram account. Potential participants contact the study team directly for screening.

1. Schedule your initial consultation with PRP by submitting a consultation request.
2. After your initial consultation, you will be asked to fill an intake form to initiate your study into the Social Media Recruitment Service.
3. The PRP team drafts an “Advertising Strategy Document” (10-15 days post intake form submission) with campaign images and texts.
   - Your intake form should detail your target audience (age, language, location, interests) and campaign images, if possible.
4. Devise the website link for your campaign during the document creation.
   - Teams typically create an eligibility survey on RedCap or Qualtrics, or you may want to refer them to your study website.

Initial set-up: $440 (4 hours at $110/hr). Set-up time includes project management, developing Facebook advertising strategy document (ad language, target audience filters, ad images), IRB guidance, and launching the ad on Facebook (ad set up and Facebook approval process).

• Ads in additional languages will be billed $110 (1hr at $110/hr)
• One round of adjustments to ad content and/or audience selection is included in the initial set-up fee.

Monthly maintenance fee: $110. The maintenance fee includes time spent monitoring Facebook comments and inquiries, providing standard ad metrics (clicks, views/impressions, and total amount spent), and other maintenance (updating budget, pausing ads, responding to Facebook support inquiries, and updating study website link in the ad) on your ad.

Meta (Facebook/Instagram) advertising costs: $10/day minimum. This will be charged to the study team as a pass-through cost. The team will determine the daily budget. For detailed guidance on determining your budget, please see our FAQ about Meta Ad Charges.

Additional Adjustments (billable): The following adjustments are not included in the monthly maintenance fee and will incur an additional charge
of $110 (1 hour at $110/hr):

• Creating an ad set in an additional language.
• Providing assistance to enhance or review your intake survey.
• Post-launch optimization of your social media campaign, such as modifying the target audience, ad text, ad image, and custom metrics reporting.
• Any other adjustments, typically those requiring more than 15 minutes to complete, will be billed at a rate of $110 per hour.

1. Include a Welcoming Message:

Add a "welcome" message at the top of the form to provide context for potential participants. Keep it concise and easy to understand. Here’s a basic template:

“Thank you for your interest in <<STUDY TITLE>>, a study about <<ONE SENTENCE STUDY DESCRIPTION>>. Please fill out the form below and we will contact you to discuss the study further and determine eligibility.” 

You can add a few more details if necessary—but be selective! It’s important to keep this text short and easy-to-understand.

2. Provide Multiple Contact Options:

Include a phone number, email address, and a study website to cater to diverse communication preferences.

3. Keep Screening Questions Brief:

Limit eligibility questions in the pre-screener to a maximum of four, ensuring quick completion. Reserve sensitive questions for later.

4. Offer Contact Options:

Collect not just contact information but also details like preferred language, best time to reach the participant, and preferred method of contact. Include an "Other comments" section.

5. Ask for Referral Source:

Include a question about how participants heard about the study. This information aids in evaluating recruitment strategies.

6. End of Survey Message:

Inform respondents about the next steps and when you will contact them after they complete the form. Consider sending an automated email with this information.

7. Bonus Tip: Seek Feedback:

Have someone unfamiliar with the study complete the form and gather feedback. Revise the form based on any difficulties or unclear questions.

1. Add Captcha Verification
   To prevent spam and bots, include a Captcha verification question, especially if using Qualtrics.
2. Add Domain-Specific Questions
   Ask questions relevant to the specific subject matter of the study. For example, in a pregnancy study, try asking, “At which hospital did you give birth?” Responses naming hospitals without maternity services or lacking specificity could indicate false participants.
3. Check for Multiple Entries
   Implement an IP address check to flag duplicate or potentially fraudulent responses from the same or similar IP addresses.
4. Capture Survey Completion Time
   Record the time taken by participants to complete the survey and analyze it for inconsistencies or rushed responses.
5. Update Your Informed Consent Language
   In your informed consent, be sure to address the accuracy of participant information directly. A suggested statement to include is: “If the research team discovers that participants falsified their identity to meet eligibility criteria, the team reserves the right to dismiss the participant from the study and to not pay them for participation.” This ensures that participants understand the consequences of providing false information and clarifies that the study team is not liable to compensate those who falsify their information.
6. Include Free-Text Questions
   Incorporate open-ended questions to assess response quality and authenticity.
7. Repeat Questions with Different Wording
   Ask the same question in different ways to identify inconsistencies in responses.
8. Conduct a General Reasonableness Test
   Review responses to identify outliers or unreasonable answers that may indicate fraudulent entries.
9. Consistency Checks
   Check for consistency in responses across different questions, looking for discrepancies that might indicate fraudulent entries.
10. Randomize Question Order
    Randomize question order or response options to deter guessing and ensure authentic responses.
11. Consent via Zoom
    Incorporate a Zoom session to handle the consent process. This can be a practical way to visually confirm a participant’s identity and make sure they’re equipped for any digital aspects of the study. Note, this may not be applicable to all studies.

Many thanks to the UCSF Better Birth Options Study and Dr. Nicholas Rubashkin for their insights and contributions to this list.

The Social Media Recruitment Service includes the creation of a recruitment strategy in cooperation with the PRP team, obtaining IRB approval, and PRP’s management and operation of ads on Facebook and Instagram. An initial cost of $440 covers project management, development of an advertising strategy, IRB advice, and ad launch on Facebook.

To start, schedule an initial consultation with PRP by submitting a consultation request.. You will be asked to complete an intake form after the consultation to begin the setup process.

The document contains campaign images and texts, ad language, and target audience filters. Drafting typically takes between 7 and 10 business days.

Please email [email protected] to change the language. Study teams can modify the language as they deem suitable, in compliance with Meta advertising policies. Help in creating new post text is chargeable at $110 per hour.

Advertisements are published on both platforms by default. Study teams can choose to advertise on either platform.

Yes, PRP can operate ads in several languages. Study teams will be in charge of translating the original ad language. However, ads in extra languages will cost $110 per ad set.

The monthly maintenance fee of $110 covers tasks such as monitoring Facebook comments, providing ad metrics, updating budgets, and responding to Facebook support inquiries.

Ad charges on Facebook and Instagram are based on the cost-per-click (CPC) model; you only pay when your ad is clicked. Study teams must allocate a minimum daily spend of $10, with the understanding that a higher budget can amplify the campaign’s reach and performance. For more detailed information on ad charges, please refer to the Meta Ads Charges Information. 

The daily advertising budget for your Meta (Facebook/Instagram) campaign depends on various factors such as your campaign goals, intended audience, and desired reach. Here’s a general guideline to help you determine an appropriate budget:

• For local campaigns: We recommend starting with a daily budget of $10-20. This allows you to reach a localized audience and assess the effectiveness of your campaign. You can gradually increase the budget if needed.
• For statewide campaigns: We suggest a daily budget of $30 or more to expand your reach within the state and engage a larger audience.
• For nationwide campaigns: We recommend a daily budget of $50 or more to reach a broad audience across the country and maximize the impact of your campaign.

Please keep in mind that these are general recommendations, and the actual budget may vary based on your specific campaign requirements and objectives.

Yes, adjustments like creating an ad set in another language or post-launch optimization will incur an additional a fee of $110 per hour.

Factors such as an efficient screening form, appropriate demographic filters, alignment with the target audience’s interests, inclusive imagery, and concise yet informative post text significantly influence the success of a social media campaign. These factors, when considered and implemented strategically, can greatly improve your social media campaign’s success.

Include a brief description of the study, multiple contact options, brief screening questions, ask for referral sources, and provide an end-of-survey message informing respondents about the next steps. Refer to the above PRP guidance on creating an efficient screener for more information.

Incorporate Captcha verification, check for multiple entries, and refer to our guidelines on preventing fraudulent entries for additional measures.

If your campaign is not attracting the desired interest or demographic group, consider contacting the PRP team for post-launch optimization assistance. Please be aware that extensive post-launch optimization might incur extra charges.

To diversify your audience, collaborate with PRP to identify additional demographic filters, interests, or languages that align with your study objectives. You may want to also consider consulting with PRP for advice on creating ad sets for different audience segments.

Yes, study teams receive monthly metrics reports, which include standard data such as clicks, views/impressions, and total spending. For an in-depth report analyzing metrics by location (state), age, gender, post text, and image, please contact [email protected]. Customized metrics reporting is available as an "additional adjustment" and is billed at $110 per hour.