Political advertising has been banned on Meta and Google's social media platforms since last fall.

Isamaa betting on organic spread

Isamaa Secretary General Andres Metsoja said political content itself has not been banned on social media, only its promotion through paid advertising. "This means that content needs to be engaging and resonate with people and then it will spread on its own," Metsoja said.

He noted that outdoor advertising is certain to reach everyone in Estonia.

Metsoja added that organic reach is always better than paid advertising when it comes to how social media works. "Ahead of elections, paid advertising becomes 'wallpaper' because all parties would be using it extensively. In other words, if the content doesn't have a 'hook' that makes readers or viewers stop scrolling, its impact won't be particularly significant anyway," Metsoja said.

"Isamaa has people who are very good at capturing viewers' attention on social media. Sandra Laur and Jüri Ratas are certainly the best-known examples, but Aivar Kokk's gardening and cooking videos are also very popular. As a party, we will certainly invest in producing quality content over the coming months to ensure it spreads and that the positions we are campaigning on reach as many people as possible," he added.

Metsoja said that, according to publicly available data, Isamaa and its affiliated candidates spent a total of €35,000 on paid advertising on Meta platforms during the final month before the 2023 Riigikogu elections. This was €20,000 less than both the Reform Party and the Social Democrats spent and €40,000 less than EKRE.

"The cost of living in Estonia has risen significantly over the past four years, including a substantial increase in value-added tax. This means the overall cost of campaigning ahead of the elections will rise by a much greater amount than the so-called 'extra money' freed up by the ban on social media advertising," Metsoja said.

Metsoja said an election campaign should be viewed as a whole, with everything starting from the party platform. Advertising, whether on the streets, on television, on the radio or on online news portals, serves to reinforce the messages of that platform.

SDE's hopes on active posting

Social Democratic Party Secretary General Piret Hartman acknowledged that the inability to advertise on Facebook and Instagram will certainly affect the party's ability to reach voters. "That's why we're putting even more effort into actively posting content ourselves and sharing and amplifying each other's posts. We've also started producing more video content," Hartman said.

"We also need to make our activities more appealing and find ways to improve the organic reach of our posts. We're also trying to increase the number of party members who actively use social media. To support our members, we're organizing training sessions for this purpose," she added.

"We're also trying to have more direct contact with our voters, both on the streets and at various events. We've also launched a poster campaign in different counties to increase our visibility," Hartman said.

According to Hartman, the loss of social media advertising will not have a major impact on the party's campaign budget, as it did not account for a particularly large share of spending in the previous elections. "We'll redirect those resources toward advertising in other channels," she said.

Eesti 200 prioritizing constant visibility

Eesti 200 Executive Director Anneli Kannus said restrictions on political advertising on social media took effect just before last year's local elections, meaning parties have already had to rethink their campaign strategies.

"Parties also generally know the profiles of their potential voters and the ways they are likely to reach them with their messages. We're also running our campaign a little differently this time than in previous elections. The fact that social media is no longer flooded with different parties' colors and slogans immediately before elections is probably a positive development for most people," Kannus said.

She pointed out that Eesti 200 and its members maintain a constant presence on social media. "For politicians, communicating with people or explaining their plans and decisions isn't something that should be limited to the campaign period. Political activity needs to be approached more comprehensively and deliberately because without an established reputation and a track record, no poster or banner will bring in enough votes at election time," Kannus said.

According to Kannus, it would be an oversimplification to suggest that young voters can only be reached through social media. "People who are interested in politics and social issues get the information they need to make their voting decisions from a variety of sources throughout the year, not just from social media ads during election campaigns. We believe younger voters are well-informed and can find information both on party websites and through party members' social media accounts. It would be truly sad if elections were won through paid advertising," Kannus said.

Center sees no great tragedy in the political ads ban

Center Party Secretary General Anneli Ott also said the ban had been known about in advance and that Center Party members are active on social media.

"The Center Party has invested heavily in social media in recent years and because our posts also spread organically, the advertising ban doesn't affect us very much," Ott said.

According to Ott, the ban poses a problem for parties and politicians who only become active immediately before elections and have so far relied on expensive outdoor advertising to gain support.

Ott said the Center Party's strengths have been its campaign tents and direct communication with people. "We do this year-round, although naturally more intensively during election campaigns," Ott said.

"The last local elections showed that people dislike enormous election posters and parties that spent more than €1 million on their campaigns ended up shooting themselves in the foot. The Center Party, which took a more frugal approach, emerged as the most popular party. People appreciate clear solutions to pressing problems and in Tallinn, we've already delivered on several of our promises," Ott said.

"As for younger people, whose voter turnout has been lower, all parties need to take a hard look at themselves and ask whether they've paid enough attention to young people's proposals and tried to address their concerns. The Center Party's election platform will certainly include measures concerning quality, accessible education and homeownership," Ott added.

Reform Party channeling ad money into direct contact and content creation

Reform Party Secretary General Kristo Enn Vaga said what matters most in elections is the future that parties offer Estonia, not how much they spend on advertising on Facebook or Instagram.

"Direct contact with voters remains the most effective campaign method and that's what we'll focus on in these elections as well. This will be supported by outdoor advertising, radio, print media and television. Good content can reach people on social media even without paid advertising. Young people are no exception. Content matters," Vaga said.

"We'll redirect the money previously spent on Meta platforms toward meetings with voters, content creation and increasing our visibility in public spaces, on radio and on television. It's also still possible to post political content and videos on social media," he noted.

According to Vaga, the party plans to focus on more modern and engaging content on the Reform Party's social media channels to increase its organic reach.

"The Reform Party's strength has always been its substantive platform and strong team. The central question in the upcoming parliamentary elections is how to keep Estonia secure and its economy growing. Electoral success will depend largely on how specifically and credibly parties can answer that question," he added.

EKRE refuses to divulge campaign details

Aarne Mäe, an adviser to EKRE's Riigikogu parliamentary group, said the party does not disclose details of its campaign in this way.

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