Planning and Strategy Development

Effective planning and strategy development are crucial to the success of any public health campaign. The following steps should be followed to ensure that the campaign is effective in addressing the relevant health issue:

Assess the health issue and identify possible solutions 

Fully describe the public health issue to identify possible solutions.  This includes, considering who is affected, possible causes and preventative measures, existing knowledge and solutions, as well as any barriers that may contribute to poor health outcomes.

Define communication objectives

Develop clear, realistic, and measurable objectives that will guide and focus the communication campaign.

When setting objectives, it is important to acknowledge and remember that individual behavior change cannot compensate for decades of underinvestment in access to healthcare, education, and a safe environment for some communities.

Define and learn about audiences

Identify your priority population and narrow it down to specific audience segments. This will increase the chance that the campaign will resonate with the intended audience and motivate behavior change.

This is an opportunity to listen to and learn from your priority audiences. Attempt to go beyond basic demographics to identify specific behaviors, cultural practices, and aspects of the audience’s social and physical environment. Create opportunities to listen to the audience by hosting listening sessions/focus groups, public forums, engaging with community organizations, or attending existing community events/meetings. 

Explore channels and activities to reach the audience

Consider what media channels are best for reaching your intended audience and involve your audience in identifying the media that is most accessible and appealing to them.

Identify potential partners

Partnerships are an essential part of a health communication campaign. Ensure members of your intended audience are represented in the partnerships you build. 

When deciding which partnerships to develop, consider how the experiences of community experts can inform your communication strategy, how they can enhance your credibility, share resources, and help accomplish important objectices.

Develop a communication strategy for each intended audience

To ensure you have a solid foundation to build a campaign on, developing a clear communication strategy statement is crucial.1 Consider writing a creative brief to outline the campaign strategy, and take the time to begin laying out a timeline for the campaign development and evaluation. Ask yourself how your own interests and expertise impact the types of ideas being proposed.

Consider involving members of your intended audience or community experts in the development of the creative brief to ensure the communication strategy will resonate with the audience. Engage the community to get feedback on the creative brief, make changes based on their feedback, and pay individuals fairly for their time and expertise.

Information on this webpage was sourced from the CDC's Making Health Communication Programs Work Guide (CDC), CDCynergy, A Framework for Equity-Centered Health Communication, and Mackert, M. S., Lazard, A. J., & Love, B. (2017). Designing effective health messages. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.