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Every day, we receive countless messages. From emails, texts, and social media alerts to talking in person. Now more than ever, creating messages that stand out and leave a lasting impression is crucial as important communications often get lost.
Here are some practical tips to make your messages unforgettable across various platforms:
Know your audience
When communicating with a large group, it’s important to consider your audience. Tailor your message to what they want and like. Take a moment to think about the different roles, backgrounds, and preferences in the group. Doing a stakeholder analysis helps you understand who you’re communicating to and what they want.
Start with a hook
Think of your message as a mini story. The beginning should grab attention right away. Whether it's an email, text, social media post, or speech, start with a compelling question or statement to capture attention immediately.
Keep it short and sweet
We're all busy, and no one has time to read long messages or listen to lengthy speeches. Aim for brevity. Get to the point quickly and clearly.
Research says short messages get better responses.
· Use short sentences and paragraphs to make your message easy to digest.
· For emails, stick to three to five short paragraphs.
· For texts, keep it to a couple of lines.
· When giving speeches, be clear and avoid unnecessary jargon.
· For long blog posts or news articles, include a 5 second summary at the top.
Use visuals
A picture says it all. Adding visuals in your emails, presentations, and social media posts can help get more engagement. Studies show people are 42% more likely to click on emails with visuals.
Use images, charts, infographics, or even emojis to convey your message. Just don't overdo it—a little goes a long way. For example, a simple infographic can highlight key statistics without overwhelming your audience.
Be authentic
Authenticity resonates. People can tell when you're genuine, so let your personality shine. Whether it’s humour, a personal story, or just your unique voice, being yourself helps build a connection.
Being authentic matters to 86% of consumers, says Stackla. Remember, it’s not just about what you say but how you say it. This applies to all forms of communication.
Make it actionable
What’s the point of your message? What do you want the recipient to do next?
Make sure there’s a clear call to action. Let people know what they should do next, whether it’s clicking a link, replying to your email, following your social media, or taking some other action.
Add a personal touch
Personalisation shows you care. Even in large-scale communications, add a personal touch. Mention shared experiences or goals, and talk about things that your audience is interested in. People respond better to personalised messages. Little details like these make your message feel more like a conversation and less like a broadcast.
Proofread
Nothing kills a great message faster than a typo or confusing sentence. Take a few minutes to proofread before hitting send, posting online, or speaking publicly. Read it out loud, use spell check, or ask a friend to look it over. Clean, error-free messages are easier to read and more professional. Grammarly’s research shows proofreading can increase message credibility by 34%.
Timing is everything
Timing matters. Consider when your recipient is most likely to be receptive. Social media posts have peak times for engagement. For business communications, mid-morning or mid-afternoon on weekdays is best. Most email clients now offer the functionality to send delayed emails, allowing you to set your email to go out at a specific date and time. This feature is great for making sure your message reaches your audience at the right time.
Follow up
Messages can easily get lost in company-wide communications. Following up will make sure your important messages get attention and get acted upon.
Once you’ve sent an important message, schedule a follow-up message to remind your audience of key points or actions. A well-timed follow-up can increase response rates by up to 27%.
With these tips, you'll be crafting messages that not only stand out but are also memorable. So next time you hit send, post online, or speak to an audience, you'll know your words are making an impact.
If you need further help with crafting messages that stand out and are memorable, reach out to our expert team.
