Communication Planning

  • CDC supports innovative ways to convey the goals and objectives of your program.
  • Communication planning allows programs to deliver consistent, effective health messaging to the right audiences at the right time.
  • Effective communication planning is purposeful and timely.
Communication Plan Strategy illustration
Do you have a communication plan?

If you do, review these questions to develop an effective communication strategy for your program. If you have not developed a plan, ask and answer these questions to create your communication strategy. For more information, consult CDC’s Health Communication Playbook.

Step
1
Goals
What do you want people to know or do?
Step
2
Audience
Who are you communicating with?
Step
3
Message
What information do you want to communicate?
Step
4
Strategies
What are you going to do?
Step
5
Timeline
When are you going to do it?
Step
6
Staffing and/or partnerships
Who is going to do it?
Step
7
Budget
How much will it cost?
Step
8
Evaluation
Did it work?

School-Based HIV/STD Prevention Communication Resources Toolkit

1807 toolkit communication resources icon

This toolkit provides communication planning guidance, information, strategies, and resources to develop materials and implement youth HIV, STD, and unintended pregnancy prevention efforts using public health research, policy, and practice.

Marketing Your Program’s Success

Program success stories are an important part of communication planning. Success stories are brief, written reports that demonstrate the progress of a program or activity and how results can improve the health of a community or population over time.

Success stories highlight activities, such as new interventions or feature evaluation data from a completed project. The more educated your stakeholders are about your program’s goals, activities, and successes, the more likely they are to support your program. Success stories can be used to communicate your program’s achievements and progress in addition to garnering support. When presented effectively, a success story can be a useful tool for educating your stakeholders about the outcomes of your work and the valuable results you are achieving.

Communicating Your Program’s Story

Sharing your program’s success can:

  • Capture accomplishments and progress over time
  • Educate decision makers and partners about the impact and reach of your program
  • Demonstrate responsible use of resources and funding to stakeholders
  • Share “best practices” with other similarly-funded programs
  • Attract new organizational partners for collaboration and outreach

Guidance for How to Write Your Success Story

Health Marketing Campaign Example

GYT: Get Yourself Tested for High Schools is an empowering campaign that can be implemented in high schools to encourage young people to get tested for HIV and STDs.

GYT: Get Yourself Tested for High Schools Logo