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» MEDIA STRATEGY

» POINT PEOPLE AND RESOURCES

» MESSAGE DEVELOPMENT

» MEDIA PLAN

Getting Started 

You need to be able to tell journalists and through them the general public what your organization stands for and does in no more than three lines, and in words that anybody can understand. When beginning message development the first thing to consider is why you are creating this message and what you want to achieve with it. This information comes directly from your organization’s media strategy. The strategy will determine if your message advocates, explains, promotes or alarms. Depending on your strategy you may create a only single message for your organization, or you also may create different messages for different programs or departments within your organization. 

But how do you define your message? Consider the points below.

Research
An organization that communicates effectively has strategic, long-range plans for relaying information to a variety of audiences. The messages you develop must answer the questions why, why care and why act. You need to learn how your issues relate to prevailing public opinion and values. Understanding how your issue is perceived by the public will help you articulate your message and frame the debate. 

The more your message reflects your community’s positive core values, the more likely it is that public attitudes towards that initiative will be favorable. What is important is to be aware of the possibility that what we think is important to the public isn’t always so. One of the most valuable tools in the development of a message is communications research. If you don’t have this information you are just guessing. If you guess, chances are that what is important to you and your partners doesn’t resonate with the media or with the public. Public opinion research answers the five W’s:

To whom are the media and public least/most likely to listen? This helps you select the appropriate spokesperson. What are the issues that concern them and the positions you should take to sway them toward your side? When are they likely to be most influenced or motivated to act? Where is your audience and how do they get their information? Why do they like, dislike or remain uncertain about specific issues or organizations?

Depending on your budget, answers to these questions can be found through informal focus group discussions, rapid surveys, or comprehensive surveys of public opinion.

It is also important to follow up delivery of messages with an evaluation of the effectiveness of the communication techniques employed, to find out:

Who received the message? Was the message delivered accurately using the appropriate medium? Did the message have the desired impact (did it change people’s attitudes or behavior)?. What more effective methods could be employed next time?

Evaluation tools should be incorporated into your media plan from the beginning. Simple things like monitoring press clippings can give you the information you need to tell you how much coverage your issue or your organization is receiving and how often and whether the coverage is accurate, positive or negative. Or for more timely information at special events, you can hand out questionnaires in order to get immediate feedback from participants.