You’re deep in focus time, ready to start a new project.
Then you hear the *ping* of your phone. A second later, you see your inbox light up with new emails… and you haven’t even opened your Slack yet.
In an increasingly connected workplace, it’s easy to get distracted. That’s because we’re overloaded with content every day — 54 million Whatsapp messages and 294 billion emails are sent each minute.
On average, we scroll through 300 feet of content per day.
That’s the height of Big Ben or the Statue of Liberty.
As an internal communicator, this sheer volume of content presents a major challenge:
In a world of information overload, how do you make sure your content gets noticed by employees?
We took a look at some solutions in our Masterclass on Content Formats.
Here are four ways to make your content more engaging:
1. Change up your content formats
In internal comms, you drive the conversation in your organization. The key to getting that conversation started: using a variety of content formats.
Let’s say one of your key campaigns is focused on the topic of making your company more sustainable. You could introduce the initiative in an interactive town hall where you outline the campaign mission and business goals. Afterward, you could follow up with a survey to collect employee insights and ideas. You could also host a photo competition for employees so that they can share their own sustainability initiatives.
With a mix of content formats like this, you’ll engage employees in creative ways — and your campaign content won’t be stale.
2. Craft a short and snappy headline
You only get a few seconds to convince readers of the value of your content.
The headline is the first thing your readers will give their attention to. Make sure they understand what it’s about immediately — while remaining true to your brand’s tone and voice.
Here’s a before and after of a headline straight from our own Staffbase app:
3. Use memorable images
Visual formats like images, videos, or infographics will draw your readers in and help them better understand your message.
Make a visual memorable by keeping it personal and real. People will react better to images, for instance, if they can identify with someone who looks authentic instead of posed.
Compare the image of Dani (on the left), one of our very own customer care agents, to this stock image (on the right):
4. Tell a compelling story
Our brains love stories.
Information shared through a story is retained much longer than facts and figures. And when we hear a story we resonate with, our brains release oxytocin, increasing our trust, compassion, and empathy.
When it comes to internal comms, you can connect your employees to your content through captivating, human-centered storytelling.
Here are some storytelling formats that you can use for internal comms:
- “A Day With …” - Feature an employee at their job and show what their day-to-day is like through a profile interview and photos.
- Change / Hero Stories - Are some of your employees training for new roles or switching departments? Tell the stories of how they experienced change and their accomplishments.
- Customer stories - Let your employees tell the stories about their experiences with your customers.
Resources To Help You Create Content That Your Employees Will Love
In a sea of endless scrolling, make sure that your content stands out.
Think creatively about your content formats, make text and visuals memorable, and lead with stories that put a face to the great work your colleagues do.
For more examples and a deeper dive into content formats, check out our full Masterclass here:
We've also created an Internal Comms Strategy Template Collection with helpful templates and links to resources for your internal communication strategy. Click on the image below to download it!
Ready for the next lesson? Dive into our Masterclass on enabling your organization for internal communication.