Humans Behind the Handles: Catriona Boyle

In this episode we spoke to Catriona Boyle, Head of Social Media at the NSPCC.

The Origin Story

In 2009, Catriona graduated with a degree in journalism. It was “peak recession [and] also sort of the death of print media”, so her job prospects were not as bright as she had hoped. This led her to start a career in marketing, which gradually shifted towards the digital space. She “eventually ended up specialising specifically in social”.

Although she has always worked in the third sector, she began in the arts, then moved through theatre and education, before eventually landing in charities. Her journey, like many of ours, was “definitely not premeditated in any way shape or form”.

Running Socials and Safeguarding

The NSPCC deals with sensitive, emotional and often challenging subject matter. As a result, much of what they encounter on social media is “really difficult and heavy stuff”. Thankfully, they work with an external moderating agency so that no one person is “dealing with it day in, day out. [...] It is really important that everyone gets a break from it”.

When it comes to the content shared on their channels, the team has to keep audiences firmly in mind and “really play devil’s advocate” and “think about it from all angles” to make sure the content cannot be misinterpreted, taken out of context, or read in the wrong way.

While this level of care can sometimes make the team feel risk averse, it ultimately pushes them “to have better ideas that are more inclusive, more accessible [...] [where] there is no margin of error at all. It pushes us to be better in what we are making”.

Catriona shared that one of the biggest misconceptions about working behind the NSPCC’s social accounts is that staff are exposed to “awful stuff all the time”. While challenging situations do arise, the focus is largely on “the prevention space [...], encouraging people to look out for things or [pointing out] different ways of doing things that can make a difference 10 years down the line”.

The Highs and Lows

At the start of 2025, Catriona’s team launched the NSPCC TikTok channel. Given the platform’s entertainment focus, they “really had to think about their content strategy, [...] about who was going to front the channel, and who was going to be on the channel”. Thanks to this strategic planning, the launch has been incredibly successful.

On the downside, some ideas that the team has expected to perform well simply do not, which can be “quite disheartening”. But, it is important to regroup and try again, to “move quickly and brush yourself off and crack on”. Over time, this has helped the team become more reactive and more willing to think outside the box.

“It’s good to be humbled. It helps build your resilience.”

The Boundaries

To protect her own headspace and that of her team when dealing with sensitive or difficult topics, Catriona stresses the importance of clear processes so that “when something happens, you know exactly what to do [and] you don’t need to [...] panic”.

Creating a culture where people feel they can “close the laptop and step away” when things become overwhelming is equally important. She also encourages team members to check in with themselves “if something has happened and you're still thinking about it three or four days later” and to reach out to their employee assistance programme if needed.

Catriona’s top advice for anyone moving into a mission driven, high stakes social role is to “think about how you’re building relationships with the people around you”. Make time to talk, to build bridges, because “when things don’t go so well, they’re going to be there to support you”. And don’t forget to build your processes - “Get them written down!”

A huge thank you to Catriona for sharing her experience and expertise with us.

Join us next time on Humans Behind the Handles as we continue to meet the real people behind the social feeds of charities and non-profits across the sector.