Not all channels are created equal. And no single channel is right for every organisation, every audience segment, or every objective. Some are easier to use than others, more are subject to changing regulations, etc.
Channel strategy is the discipline of choosing where to show up – and where not to – based on where the people you’re trying to reach actually are. Again, choosing the channel is all about choosing the audience.
Your anchor: the person with disability
Channel choice starts with audience. And your audience is the person with disability – segmented specifically.
Different communities within disability use different platforms in genuinely different ways. Autistic communities have strong presences on Twitter/X, Reddit, and specific Facebook groups. Disability rights advocates are on LinkedIn. Parents of children with disability are in Facebook groups in enormous numbers. Younger disabled people and their networks are increasingly on Instagram and TikTok. People with acquired disability navigating the NDIS for the first time often rely on peer Facebook groups and Google.
Know your segment. Choose the channels where they actually are.
The channels available to you
Facebook – Largest reach across multiple demographic groups. Community groups are where real disability community conversations happen – and being genuinely useful in those groups builds trust that no paid advertising can buy.
LinkedIn – The right channel for secondary audiences: support coordinators, allied health, sector leaders, partners. Valuable for professional credibility, but remember: this is not where your primary audience predominantly lives.
Instagram/Tik Tok – Strong for younger audiences, visual storytelling, and building brand personality. Where younger disabled people and their networks increasingly spend time.
YouTube – Long-form, searchable, permanent. Particularly useful for educational content that helps people understand their NDIS rights and options.
Email – Your highest-trust channel. You own the list. Excellent for staying genuinely connected with participants and families who have opted in.
Podcast – High engagement with a loyal audience. Powerful for reaching disability community members who consume content on the go.
Your website – The hub. Often underutilised as a content channel. Blog posts, resources, guides – these drive SEO and give your content a permanent home.
The danger of defaulting to LinkedIn
I see it a lot. Too much. Many disability sector organisations default to LinkedIn because it’s where sector professionals are – and it’s comfortable. But if your primary audience is people with disability, LinkedIn may be the least important channel in your strategy.
Don’t let comfort or familiarity drive channel choice. Let your specific audience segment drive it. Besides, the more you use a channel the easier it gets and there’s plenty of how-tos on the internet.
The two-channel rule
Start with two channels. Get genuinely good at them. Add a third when the first two are running well. Mediocre content on five channels is worse than excellent content on two.
Exercise
For each channel you’re currently active on, rate your content quality (1-10) and your posting consistency (1-10). Then ask: is this channel actually where the specific person with disability I’m trying to reach spends time? Prioritise the two that matter most for your audience segment.