Fall 2026 Creative Collective
Build a Real Social Media Campaign
This fall, the YAB Creative Collective is taking on a real project.
You’ll step into the role of a campaign and project manager working for the YAB Creative Collective. Your client, Mz. Big, is hiring your team to help grow Alaska YAB’s new social media accounts.
Your job is to figure out the strategy.
You’ll ask the client the right questions, build the campaign plan, review creative work, track performance, make adjustments and report the results.
Behind the scenes, you’ll also work with the DreamTeam, our creative production team, who will turn your strategy into finished content between sessions.
By the end, you’ll have hands-on experience with the same planning, project management and campaign skills used by communications professionals every day.
The Client Challenge
Mz. Big wants to grow Alaska YAB’s social media accounts.
Your team will figure out how and why, plus how to measure results.
How the Course Works
You’ll be part of the YAB Creative Collective, acting as the campaign team.
You: The Campaign Managers
You’ll lead the strategy and project.
You will:
Meet with the client
Ask questions
Set campaign goals
Identify audiences
Plan messaging
Direct creative work
Review drafts
Track results
Recommend changes
Report back to the client
Mizter Big: The Client
Mz. Big will give you the campaign challenge, answer your questions, review your recommendations and approve the work.
Like a real client, they may also ask questions, request changes or change priorities along the way.
The DreamTeam: The Creative Team
The DreamTeam will handle the hands-on production between sessions.
They:
Draft captions
Create graphics
Edit videos
Schedule posts
Run ads
Pull campaign data
Your job is to give them clear direction and feedback.
Week 1
Map the Campaign
Question: What are we trying to accomplish, who are we trying to reach and how will we measure success?
You’ll meet your client and gather everything you need to build the campaign.
You’ll learn how to:
Run a client discovery meeting
Turn a client request into campaign goals
Identify target audiences
Work with audience personas
Choose key messages
Choose calls to action
Decide what success looks like
Build a simple measurement plan
By the end of Week 1
Your team will have:
A clear campaign goal
Priority audiences
Key messages
Calls to action
Campaign success measures
A campaign brief for the DreamTeam
Then the DreamTeam gets to work.
Week 3
Measure + Adjust
Question: What is the campaign telling us?
Now we have real data.
The DreamTeam will bring your team early campaign results.
You’ll look at things like:
New followers
Reach
Engagement
Shares
Saves
Profile visits
Link clicks
YAB inquiries
Signups
Ad performance
You’ll learn how to:
Read campaign results
Compare performance to your goals
Figure out what is working
Identify what is not working
Avoid overreacting to one number
Make smart changes while a campaign is running
Explain recommendations to a client
Then you’ll meet with Mz. Big again to share what you’re seeing and recommend adjustments.
By the end of Week 3
Your team will have:
Reviewed real campaign performance
Identified strengths and problems
Made data-informed recommendations
Presented those recommendations to the client
Given the DreamTeam an updated plan
Then the DreamTeam makes the changes.
Week 2
Review the Campaign
Question: Does the creative work actually match our strategy?
The DreamTeam will return with the first campaign drafts.
Before anything goes live, your team will review the work like professional campaign managers.
You’ll learn how to:
Review social media drafts
Check creative work against a campaign brief
Decide whether content fits the target audience
Give clear and useful creative feedback
Present recommendations to a client
Handle client edits
Get final approval
You’ll review the campaign internally first, then present it to Mz. Big for client approval.
By the end of Week 2
Your team will have:
Reviewed the first campaign drafts
Given the DreamTeam edits
Presented the campaign to the client
Responded to client feedback
Approved the campaign for launch
Then the DreamTeam launches the campaign.
Week 4
Report the Results
Question: What happened, what did we learn and what should happen next?
The campaign is finished.
Now your team will review the full results and report back to the client.
You’ll learn how to:
Evaluate whether a campaign met its goals
Identify the strongest content
Explain why something may have worked
Talk honestly about what did not work
Turn campaign results into future strategy
Make recommendations to a client
Present campaign results professionally
You’ll also decide how Alaska YAB can use what we learned.
That might mean:
Reusing a successful content idea
Changing future recruitment messaging
Creating a recurring social series
Improving ad targeting
Reaching a different audience
Strengthening the YAB signup process
Using campaign results in reports or funding requests
Setting the next campaign goal
By the end of Week 4
Your team will have:
A final campaign report
Results and key findings
Recommendations for what comes next
A portfolio-ready campaign project
The details
Fall 2026 Creative Collective
When: Every Wednesday, Sept. 16 through Oct. 7
Time: 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Commitment: Four evenings
Facilitator: Sasha Lyons
Questions: slyons@aceh.org
The Big Picture
The whole course follows one simple professional process: