My team and I think a lot about how to get people’s attention. No shock there, right? It’s our job. But a lot goes into how we analyze audiences, channels, tactics, and more – and we regularly come across the idea that “we serve the public, so everything is for everyone on all channels.” It’s trite but true: If everyone is your audience, no one is. But how does that translate into public communication? Isn’t “the public” everyone? This part of our job is really fun, especially if it’s a sticky, controversial or unpopular subject. It requires imagination, creativity and collaboration with colleagues and community leaders to narrow down the avatars of your audience. Our team asks key questions of the subject matter experts in our Office who have something to say: Tell me about who you’re talking to. What’s happened in the past? How do they feel about us? How will they feel about this news? What is happening right now in their world? Can we make this easier on them? At the Office of the Washington State Auditor, we focus a lot of our communication on other governments. But it’s never a faceless institution. It’s Betty, who keeps the books for the small volunteer fire department in her community. It’s Joseph, who leads a small finance team at a mid-sized city. It’s Carina, the deputy administrator for a county. We write for them – in our bulk emails; on our website, in our videos about our services. This exercise happens every day, multiple times a day. We have empathy for our audience – the world is noisy. How can we help them? Whether we’re trying to speak to “the public” or every group within, it’s helpful to envision actual people. That will go a long way to helping you craft a message float above the fray. (Photo of Charlie, who has experience getting attention)
This is such a great explanation of why one size doesn't fit all - thank you Kathleen!
A cat will always get my attention 😊