Social Media Recruitment: Lessons from a Pilot Study Incorporating a Digital Breastfeeding Intervention Recruter à l’aide des médias sociaux : expérience d’une étude pilote impliquant une intervention éducative sur support numérique

Recruitment strategies are essential for achieving a priori sample size and ensuring sample representativeness (Flanagan & Beck, 2025). Challenges during recruitment can affect the methodological quality of a study and may also lead to ethical, financial, and clinical issues (Flanagan & Beck). It is estimated that up to 80% of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) do not reach their planned sample size, and 11% fail to recruit even a single participant (Bogin, 2022; Herbell, 2019). The Lasagna’s law may explain these recruitment difficulties, as it suggests that only about one-third to one-tenth of the targeted population is available to participate (Feinstein, 2001). Therefore, addressing methodological issues and adopting effective recruitment strategies are crucial. Evidence indicates that social media has positive effects on recruitment in research studies. Compared to traditional methods, it shortens recruitment times, enhances access to diverse or hard-to-reach populations, and reduces costs (Ashfield et al., 2024; Pekarsky et al., 2022). However, some challenges have been reported regarding the use of social media, such as difficulties in joining specific groups for research advertising, such as parenting groups (Ashfield et al.) or groups for pregnant women with certain health conditions (Herbell, 2019). Ethical concerns regarding privacy and data protection have also been documented (Audet et al., 2024). Fees may also apply if paid advertisements are used to enhance the visibility of recruitment information (Ashfield et al.). Fraudulent responses have also been reported in studies involving incentives (Pekarsky et al.). While the literature highlights both the potential and the pitfalls of social media recruitment, little is known about how these challenges manifest in concrete research contexts and how teams adapt to overcome them. This short paper presents and discusses the challenges faced during the recruitment phase of a breastfeeding pilot study and proposes possible solutions to address these issues. Social media recruitment was used in a pilot study to assess the feasibility, accessibility, and impact of a digital educational intervention aimed at enhancing breastfeeding self-efficacy. Inclusion criteria were being at least 18 years old, able to read and write in French, residing in Quebec (Canada), being a first-time mother of a single baby gestating at 37 weeks or more, and planning to exclusively breastfeed. The target sample size was 60 participants (30 per group). Based on Quebec’s birth rate data, we aimed to recruit 20 participants each month over a 6-month period. The recruitment process used Facebook media, enabling participation from individuals across the Province of Quebec with diverse sociodemographic backgrounds. A poster advertisement was created and posted on the researchers’ Facebook profile and shared in Facebook groups for breastfeeding parents, with instructions to share further to increase visibility (Collette et al., 2023). Interested participants were asked to click on a “LimeSurvey” link for more details about the project, provide informed consent, and answer a few questions to determine their eligibility. After giving consent, participants were invited to complete Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy (BSE) (Dennis, 2003) and Perceived Insufficient Milk Supply (PIMS) (McCarter-Spaulding & Kearney, 2001) questionnaires at 4-time points: prenatally, 48 hours postnatal, and at 2 and 4 weeks after birth. Recruitment and data collection took place between August 2023 and May 2024. The feasibility of the pilot study was assessed by recording the participation rate (the number of clicks on the link included in the ad), the use of the intervention site (the number of visits), retention, and data collection processes, including response rates and missing data. The acceptability of the intervention and data collection methods was assessed using an adapted version of the Treatment Acceptability and Preference Questionnaire (Sidani et al., 2009) at 1 month postpartum. The study received approval from …