Workflow: Campaign
Plan an integrated campaign from a single brief
The Communications Campaign workflow works for product launches, report launches, partnership announcements, and brand campaigns. It starts from one brief and ends with a plan for each channel you choose.
Photo by Water Journal on Unsplash
Who it is for
Communications managers and agency teams who need a campaign plan covering strategy, messaging, channels, and timeline.
The 4 steps
- 01
Campaign brief
A structured brief with the overview, business objectives, communications goals, target audience, and timeline.
- 02
Strategy and positioning
The campaign narrative, three or four key messages, audience positioning, three to five story angles for different journalist beats, and how success will be measured. It draws on current competitor coverage.
- 03
Choose campaign channels
You list the channels that belong in this campaign, and it confirms what each will contribute to the narrative.
- 04
Generate channel plans
A plan for each channel you selected, grounded in outlets, journalists, and current context for media relations.
Example
An example, the steps built from your own input
Northfield Credit Union and its report are made up, and every detail here is invented. This sample shows the steps that work from what you type in. The strategy and channel plan steps search the live web, so they are left out here.
The brief you type in
Northfield Credit Union is launching its first annual Home Affordability Report in six weeks. The business goal is to bring in first-time buyers who are comparing lenders. The communications goal is to be the local source journalists quote on housing costs. The audience is first-time buyers aged 25 to 40 in the Northfield region. Channels in play: media relations, a newsletter and a webinar.
Step 1
Campaign brief
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Campaign | Launch of the first annual Home Affordability Report |
| Business objective | Bring in first-time buyers who are comparing lenders |
| Communications goal | Become the local source journalists quote on housing costs |
| Audience | First-time buyers aged 25 to 40 in the Northfield region |
| Timeline | Six weeks to launch |
Step 3
Choose campaign channels
| Channel | What it adds to the campaign |
|---|---|
| Media relations | Puts the report's findings in front of the journalists who cover local housing |
| Newsletter | Reaches members and prospects who already read the credit union's updates |
| Webinar | Gives first-time buyers a place to ask questions about what the report found |
The tool confirms the three channels and leaves the plans for the next step.
What you end up with
- A structured campaign brief
- A narrative, key messages, and story angles
- A plan for each selected channel
Tips for running it
- It works for any campaign type.
- Choose only the channels that belong to this campaign in step three. The last step builds plans for those alone.
- The strategy step searches the live web, so run it close to when you will act on the campaign.
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