This tool will help communities develop a messaging strategy for key issues in their community.

1. Messaging Strategy Worksheet
1. State your project goals
What are the overarching goals for your project? Examples:
o Unite the community to tackle racism head on.
o Remove racial barriers to community services.
o Help the community embrace its diversity.
Briefly state three goals:
1.
2.
3.
2. State your messaging goals
What are your messaging goals for each of the project goals stated above? It might help to
think of your goals in terms of problems. What problems are keeping you from
accomplishing each of the project goals above?
Example:
o Problem: Not everyone realizes that there are racial tensions in the community.
o Restate problem as a messaging goal: Build awareness of racial tensions in the
community.
State a messaging goal for each of the above project goals:
1.
2.
3.

2. 3. State your audience
Who can help you accomplish these messaging goals? Think about the people who would
help solve the problem if you could influence them through your communication. Make sure
to define your audiences specifically and narrowly.
Examples:
o The Mayor’s office
o Families who are new to the community
o Customers of Marge’s Kitchen, a “hot spot” for locals.
List in order of priority:
Messaging goal #1:
Messaging goal #2:
Messaging goal #3:
4. State your messages
What can you say that would persuade your audiences to help meet your goal? State your
messages in your own terms, as though one of your audience members was sitting in front
of you. What would you say? For each of the three audiences, answer these questions:
1. What is the initiative?
2. What will the initiative accomplish?
3. Why does it matter to this audience?
Think about these questions first:
o What does your audience know about you?
o What do they know about the issue?
o Do they care about the issue right now?
o What would motivate them to get involved in your program?
o What could they do about the issue?
4. What can I do about it?
Remember: Be concrete, short, simple, memorable, and sincere. The more you say, the less
they’ll remember.

3. 5. What is the main thing you want each audience to do? (State each in 20 words or less.)
6. List five ways you can get your messages to this audience.
Choose items that are doable, not time-consuming and expensive. Think about how people
like to get information:
1. What do they read?
2. What do they watch?
3. What do they listen to?
4. Who do they talk with?
Remember: Don’t limit yourselves to words—a picture can be worth a 1,000 words.
People need to get information many times and in many ways in order to remember it.
Examples:
o Website or blog
o Social media
o Workshops
o E-mails or E-newsletters
o Displays at events
o Calls or voicemails
7. Getting it done. Make the ‘ask.’
State the most immediate next steps you and others on your team can do to help advance the
effort.
o Direct mailings: letters, postcards,
newsletters
o Presentations at meetings, conferences, or
other events
o Posters, fliers, brochures, table tents
o Partnerships with other agencies or
businesses