Toolkit
November 2025
Influencer Guide
A practical guide for content creators to tell immigrant stories.
Download the GuideAbout the guide
The influencer guide is designed for content creators who want to tell immigrant stories. Backed by research and real-world insights, it offers practical tips to humanize immigrants, avoid stereotypes, and counter fear-based narratives.
In a world where misinformation spreads fast, thoughtful storytelling is one of the most powerful tools to change hearts and minds. This guide gives creators the strategies they need to craft content that resonates, builds empathy, and shifts the conversation about immigration.
5 Tips to Consider When Creating Content About Immigrants
1
Prioritize Telling A Good Story
Leverage universal and relatable themes to showcase how connected and shared our experiences as humans really are. Even if one has not lived in a community with immigrants, we can all relate to ideas like wanting to belong, succeed, feel free, and find love. Nuanced and humanizing depictions of immigrants can make audiences more understanding and able to relate to people outside their own bubble.
2
Avoid Stereotypes
Too often, we see reductive, repetitive, and harmful portrayals of immigrants in ways we do not realize, and even when writing with the best intentions. Immigrants are not a monolith. Some are newly arrived and may be rejoining family members they have not seen for many years. Some are in the process of applying for asylum, while others are waiting years for their day in court with an immigration judge. All immigrant experiences are unique. We encourage you to understand the various terms related to immigrants and migrants.
3
Use Accurate and Humanizing Language
Reducing people to an economic value-add or taking away their right to be flawed, complex individuals is dehumanizing. An immigrant does not have to be perfect or need to overcome every form of adversity in order to have rights, worth, or dignity as a human being.
4
Do Not Let Fear Win
Many immigrant portrayals today are “fear-based” narratives depicting immigrants as either living in fear (of deportation or other types of discrimination) or causing fear in others (as terrorists or criminals). Move away from narratives that exploit fear, suffering, and trauma; these are already overrepresented in the media. Consider centering moments of joy.
5
Be Sensitive to Risk & Privacy
Undocumented immigrants are assuming a personal, and sometimes legal, risk when they speak to the news and entertainment media. Many choose not to disclose their immigration status, rather than risk deportation due to unwanted attention from this exposure. Keep in mind the risk that undocumented immigrants face when relating their personal journeys. Respect privacy preferences.
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Partnership Inquiries
Shauna Siggelkow
Vice President
shauna@defineamerican.com