To effectively communicate your cause, you need campaign activities – such as publishing a survey or report, or holding a demonstration, a stunt, a meeting, a workshop or conference.
It’s these activities that will involve the people whose stories you can tell and that will produce the images and video your campaign needs. And the activity can create a ‘news peg’ to gain you media coverage.
To make the most of any campaign activity, plan the communications to reach all target audiences. Use these prompts as a communications plan template.
1. Concept, goals and actions
Give a summary of the campaign activity. What are the campaign goals or objectives the activity can help achieve? What is the ‘call to action’ – what are you asking people to do to help your cause?
2. Target audiences
Who do you wish to reach? Why are they important in your campaign? These should be some or all of the audiences you’ve already identified and profiled in your Campaign Communications Strategy.
3. Key messages
These will have been set out for the whole campaign in your Campaign Communications Strategy, but you should identify which ones will be particularly communicated through this activity, and if they need to be adjusted or refocused.
4. Communications channels
Which channels will you use (e.g. website, Facebook, Twitter, email, leaflet, poster), to reach which audiences?
5. Media relations
If seeking media coverage, which newspapers, tv and radio programmes, websites, blogs etc are you targeting? Have you developed your communications to be interesting to their audiences (‘angle’) and timely (‘news peg’)? Will you tailor your press releases for different targets, or perhaps arrange exclusives?
6. Multimedia
If an event, how will you capture video / audio / images? How will these be used in your content, or made available to other media? What other images will you need? How will these be sourced, what are the licensing arrangements and budget implications?
7. Timeline of activity communications
For example:
- Publish webpage (with online action)
- Email supporters
- Social media activity
- Press notice
- Campaign event / activity
- Press release covering activity
- Social media activity
Include dates, channel, purpose and content details for each stage
8. Measure, evaluate and review
How can the success of the activity be measured? How will you know if it makes an impact and moves your campaign towards its goals?