Communications teams help spread company news and other important information both internally and externally, creating narratives their organization hopes will resonate with target audiences to establish a strong brand story and reputation.
Whether it’s a social media post, a piece of thought leadership or an outbound email, seasoned comms pros develop their own unique processes to ensure all external communications are on point. Here, members of Forbes Communications Council share questions they and their teammates ask themselves before posting, publishing or hitting send on any external communication.
Forbes Communications Council members share questions they ask themselves before sharing external communications.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. How does this message align with our brand values?
We ask, “How does the message of the piece of content align with our overall brand values?” Of course, that means we first did the work of establishing a big-picture framework that clearly defines those values and establishes our core narratives. That way, we can keep our messaging consistent, whether in a social post or a 10-page report. - Alyssa Kopelman, Healthline Media
2. Does this messaging align with our brand’s mission?
We always ask if the messaging aligns with our brand’s mission before issuing any external communications. If organizations really believe in their brand mission, it should be at the forefront of everything they do. All brand communications, even quick social media posts, must authentically align with the mission. If they don’t, go back to the drawing board. - Casey Munck, Act-On Software
3. Does this content resonate with our brand’s personality?
At Similarweb, we define ourselves as curious, witty and practical. Every piece of external communication we create across a global marketing team has to reflect that—blogs, emails, reports, PR, you name it. It’s the only way to ensure messaging is consistent, relevant to your readers and reflective of your company’s goals. - Yael Klass, Similarweb Ltd.
4. Does the main message align with our brand’s overarching strategy?
Before posting any type of content, I always consider the main message that I want readers to take away from it and whether it aligns with our brand’s overarching strategy. No matter how well you develop a piece of content, getting readers on the same page is always the hardest part. It’s like an art form in a way. When your intention matches readers’ understanding, that’s when things spark. - Hanna Park, bemyfriends
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5. If I am the intended audience, why should I care?
If I am the intended audience, why should I care about this? How does this affect me? In today’s world, we are getting bombarded with so much information, you have to be relevant and stand out to make an impression. - Chris Cline, State of Missouri Information Technology Services Division
6. Will the audience take action?
No matter how interesting or thought-provoking a piece of communication is, it doesn’t matter if your audience doesn’t follow through with a desired action. Framing your communication in terms of action drives optimal business outcomes and ensures that you don’t overwhelm your audience with laborious storytelling or excessive messaging. - Patrick Ward, Rootstrap
7. What is the intended goal of this communication?
What’s the intended goal of this piece of communication, and does this messaging accomplish that goal? This means you need a strong call to action, on-point messaging and a compelling reason that causes people reading to take the action you desire them to take. - Melissa Kandel, little word studio
8. What is the one big thing we are trying to communicate?
We always ask ourselves what the one big thing we are trying to communicate is and why it matters to our audience. As a company and as a team, we believe strongly in not wasting our audience’s time. If we can’t communicate the point and the importance concretely and succinctly, we keep working until we can. - Yolanda Brignoni, Axios
9. So what?
What’s the “so what” of this communication? Is what we’re saying important and meaningful to the people we’re trying to reach? Once they see the content, will they be moved to action? Asking, “So what?” before hitting send helps you improve the message and call to action and ensures your communication will have a higher impact on your readers. - Tom Treanor, Snipp Interactive
10. If my competitor wrote this, how would I view it?
If my competitor wrote this, how would I view it? We can be more critical when we have some distance. Try to look at each piece through the eyes of a discerning reader. - Sarah Falcon, Object Edge
11. Why does our audience care about this message?
I always like to ask why our audience cares about any comms we send out. If the goal is to drive any kind of engagement with your audience, then it’s important to consider why they would want to read and engage with your messaging. If the message doesn’t really deliver any value to your audience, consider revising it to deliver it in a way that will interest your audience. - Tom Wozniak, OPTIZMO Technologies, LLC
12. How does this serve us, and how would we feel reading it?
We ask two things. First, “How does this communication serve us?” Does it serve our goals? If so, how, and why? Second, “How would we feel if we read this?” Take yourself out of your role as a comms professional; instead, consider yourself as a person first. If you were frustrated, scared, anxious or angry with the brand, how would you read this? - Christina Hager, Ovations Digital
13. Is this really thought leadership?
In order to lead, content needs to not only be important to the audience but also truly have intelligence and information behind it. It can’t just be the same as everyone else’s content. That’s why we like to use our customers to tell our story—how they are impacted, the problems and challenges they face and how they overcame them. It can’t be about the company. - Lori Stafford-Thomas, Degreed
14. Does this language speak to our target audience?
When developing external communications, always keep your target audience in mind. This practice will help ensure that you have used language that reflects your audience’s wants and needs. - Alysia Gradney, The Gudz
15. Is this authentic to our company’s culture and brand?
Are you being authentic to your company’s culture and brand? All channels, both external and internal, need to mirror the same tone and core message that is tailored to that audience. Timing of external communications should be done synchronously with internal messages, or follow shortly after. There is nothing worse than having employees feel as if they are the last ones “in the know.” - Kris Pugsley, Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
16. Who is our primary audience?
External communications often reach multiple audiences. A LinkedIn post, for example, isn’t limited to the company’s employees and followers—media, job candidates, customers, prospects and others can see the post through network shares or directly on the account. Don’t be self-serving; make sure the message correlates to the audience for their benefit, not yours. - Neil Wu Becker, Onit
