How do you communicate the results and impacts of your project to the public and the media?

1 Know your purpose

Before you start communicating your project, you need to clarify your purpose. What are you trying to achieve? Who are you trying to reach? How do you want them to react or respond? Your purpose will guide your choice of messages, tone, format, and channels. For example, if your purpose is to inform the public about the benefits of your project, you might use a press release, a blog post, or a social media post with positive and factual statements. If your purpose is to solicit feedback from the community, you might use a survey, a focus group, or a public consultation with open-ended and inviting questions.

2 Know your audience

Once you have defined your purpose, you need to know your audience. Who are they? What are their interests, needs, expectations, and concerns? How much do they know or care about your project? Your audience will influence your language, style, and content. For example, if your audience is the general public, you might use simple and clear language, avoid jargon and acronyms, and provide examples and stories to illustrate your points. If your audience is the media, you might use catchy and concise language, highlight the main facts and figures, and provide quotes and testimonials to support your claims.

3 Know your format

Depending on your purpose and audience, you may select different formats to communicate your project. Press releases are short and formal documents that announce news or updates about your project to journalists and media outlets. Blog posts are longer and informal articles that share insights, opinions, or experiences about your project. Social media posts are brief and engaging texts, images, or videos that promote, inform, or interact with your project's followers or fans. Surveys are structured and quantitative tools that collect data or feedback from your project's participants or beneficiaries. Focus groups are interactive and qualitative sessions that gather opinions, perspectives, or suggestions from a small group of people. Public consultations are open and participatory events that invite comments, questions, or input from a large group of interested or affected people.

4 Know your channel

After you have chosen your format, you need to select your channel. How will you deliver your communication? Where will you publish or distribute it? Who will manage or moderate it? Your channel will affect your reach, frequency, and impact. For example, if you use a press release, you might send it to relevant media outlets, follow up with phone calls or emails, and monitor the coverage and response. If you use a blog post, you might post it on your website, share it on social media, and encourage comments and shares. If you use a survey, you might email it to your contacts, post it on your website, and analyze the results and feedback.

5 Know your message

The most important part of communicating your project is your message. You should ensure that it is clear, consistent, and compelling. It should answer the questions of what, why, how, who, when, and where. In addition, it should address the benefits, challenges, and opportunities of your project. To craft an effective message, you could use the inverted pyramid model to start with the most important or interesting information and provide more details or background before ending with less relevant or optional information. Or you could use the STAR model to describe the Situation or problem your project addresses, the Task or goal it pursues, the Action or method it applies, and the Result or outcome it achieves. The AIDA model can also be used to attract Attention with a catchy headline or hook, generate Interest with facts or stories, create Desire with benefits or emotions, and prompt Action with a call to action or a next step.

6 Know your feedback

The last step of communicating your project is to know your feedback. How did your communication go? What was the response or reaction? What did you learn or improve? Feedback is essential to measure the effectiveness and impact of your communication, as well as to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your project. To collect and use feedback, you can track and analyze data such as views, clicks, shares, likes, ratings, or downloads. Additionally, you can ask for feedback from your audience directly through surveys, focus groups, consultations, or interviews. You should also consider indirect sources such as media coverage, social media mentions, or online reviews. Finally, it is important to recognize both positive and negative feedback; celebrate positive feedback that validates or praises your project and take into account negative feedback that challenges or criticizes your project.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?