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Target Audience

Specify your target audience here.

Every communication plan begins with a clear identification of your product’s target audience.

Who is the target audience for your Voter Guide? Is it bigger than your circulation?

Be specific.

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Voter Guide Communication Plan Overview

Objective(s)	What you want to accomplish, written in the SMART format (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound)
Strategies	How your going to accomplish your objectives
Tactics	Specific actions/programs to deliver your strategies.
Metrics	What does success look like? How will you measure success?
Timeline	Tactical milestones

Voter Guide Communications General Principals

It must be aligned with your brand identity in design and tone and your organizational mission, vision and values
Deliver an integrated approach to communications – spanning paid, owned, earned and shared communication channels
Don’t assume a “create it and they will come” approach
Establish success parameters – what does success look like?

What are your Voter Guide Critical Success Factors?

Paid, Earned, Shared & Owned Channels

Paid Media. Paid media, in this case, doesn’t necessarily refer to big, fancy commercials and highly creative print ads. For your Voter Guide, paid media may mean social media advertising, sponsored content, and email marketing.
Earned Media. Earned media is what you know as either publicity or media relations. It’s getting your Voter Guide publicized locally beyond just in your media outlet. Can you promote it to local TV or radio stations? Can you get candidates to promote it?
Shared Media. Shared media is also known as social media. It’s evolving as well and continues to build beyond just marketing or customer service teams using it. Organizations have begun to use it as their main source of communications internally and externally. It includes not just social networking, but community, partnerships, distribution, and promotion.
Owned Media. Owned media is otherwise known as content. It is something you own, and it lives on your website or blog. You control the messaging and tell the story in a way you want it told.

Communication plan template

Goals What you want to achieve	Strategy How you’ll achieve goals	Tactics Executing the strategy	Metrics How you’ll measure success	Notes/Timeline
Example: Publish an online Voter Guide on XX date, including candidate profiles, a Voter Toolkit (where to vote, how to register, etc.)	Example: Showcase (news outlet name here) reader-centric approach, thought leadership and Voter Guide key messages through paid, earned, owned and shared communication channels.	Example: Promote Voter Guide on all social media channels from XX date to XX date. Interview candidates on how the Voter Guide is helping them and highlight interviews online and in social channels