On paper, you’re doing all the right things. You’re sending your email newsletter at its promised frequency, and your social following is slowly ticking upward. You host the occasional public event, leading a guided walk or tabling at your local Whatever Fair. You’re doing “public outreach.”
So why does it feel like you’re spinning your wheels?
Maybe it’s because it’s the same 50 people showing up to everything. Maybe it’s because nobody outside your inner circle seems to know about your work. Maybe it’s because you don’t feel like any of it is moving the needle on “what really matters” — to you or to your organization.
The reason for this? Traditional public outreach tactics, like your steadfast email newsletter, can’t do the heavy lifting alone. Here are a few thoughts on what public outreach strategies you’re likely missing, and how to fix each issue.
You have tactics, but no strategy for your outreach
You have a sense of what “public outreach” or even “digital marketing” looks like — because you’re copying what you see others do. Blog, email newsletter, social media, events. Check, check, check check.
But what are you trying to accomplish? Don’t you dare tell me you’re “raising awareness” — that’s a fine starting point, but way too broad and intangible of a goal. You’ll never be able to measure the success of your efforts if you haven’t defined what success looks like in the first place.
Let’s say you’re a researcher working on an important environmental issue, and you’ve set up a table at a high-traffic event. A hundred people stop by and chat with you — that’s great! But, not to be a jerk but, so? Did those people: Learn something actionable? Sign up for something? Leave ready to change their behavior? Remember your, or your institution’s, name a week later?
Even if you can’t articulate what you wanted them to do, the event can still have been rather nice. But “nice” doesn’t bolster your operating budget for next year, you know?
Having a real public outreach strategy starts with having specific, tangible goals. What do you really need right now — what’s your top priority?
- Want more donors? Then focus your public outreach on the people with capacity to give and an interest in your cause.
- Want policy change? Your Instagram posts aren’t going to move that needle anytime soon. Send one less email newsletter this quarter and use that time to send a letter directly to relevant decision-makers.
- Want more volunteers? Make sure that’s obvious and incredibly simple at every touchpoint.
- Want name recognition for future opportunities? That’s a long game — think about what measurable metrics would show whether you’re making progress among the people who matter most.
Whatever you do, you must link your tactics to your goals. If what you really want is federal grant funding, spending 10 hours at a public event raising awareness among the electorate will be significantly less effective than one well-crafted letter to your representative’s office. Strategy means aligning your tactics with your goals.
You’re not meeting people where they are
Perhaps you’re a young professional, and you try to stay active on all your favorite platforms: Instagram and email, mainly. If you’re an advanced digital marketer (or, you know, under 30), you’re on TikTok, too. “Who is even on Facebook anymore?,” you, a person who is no longer on Facebook, asks me.
Bad news: You’re using the channels you prefer, not the channels your audience actually uses. What demographic is your top priority? Are all of your volunteers retirees? Is your prime audience for your education programs stay-at-home parents with kids? You might need to do some research to find out where your specific audience is actually spending their time. And I have bad news: A lot of people are still on Facebook, and more people than you think are not checking their email, like, ever. (I know some of these people personally, trust me, they’re out there.)
You might need to get creative. This issue might go deeper than “does my audience prefer Facebook or Instagram.” Do they use social media at all? Do they listen to local public radio — or show up at library events? Are they members of other community organizations you could partner with? Do you need to have a “call for volunteers” system that has an option to get text alerts, not just emails?
“If you build it, they will come” is not an effective public outreach strategy when there are so many channels to choose from, your bandwidth is limited, and your audience is picky. You must build where they already are.
You’re preaching to the choir
You love engaging the public because you want more members of the public to care about your mission. But even if you see increases in your engagement numbers, you might not be changing hearts, just getting better at advertising to your in-group.
Your bird walk attracts the local bird enthusiasts. Your conservation lectures attract people who already care about conservation. You’re reaching the same people over and over.
This is fine if your goal is to deepen your relationship with existing supporters. This is a great goal! You do need to do a good job engaging your current audience — that’s what will lead to an increased volunteer base, more donors, more individuals taking action, and more. But if your goal is to grow your community, to make new bird enthusiasts and attract new supporters of conservation, you’ll need different tactics.
If your goal is to expand your audience, not just to get more bodies, but to actually convert people to your cause, you need to reach people who aren’t already on your team. A great way to do this is to partner with other organizations in your community who reach a different swath of the population. Don’t panic, I’m not asking you to invite your local NRA chapter to your next ultra-liberal-coded event (or vice versa… I make no assumptions about the politics of my readers here in science and conservation). But some organizations are better at reaching a more diverse contingent than you might be: Local libraries, community centers in neighborhoods you’re not reaching, schools and scout troops, Boys & Girls Clubs.
A great way to find the right partner organization is to think about what groups in your community share a core value with you. You don’t need to align on everything — just on the mission at hand.
Whatever you do, be honest with yourself about whether your public outreach tactics are deepening existing relationships or expanding your reach. Both are valid goals, but require different approaches.
You’re trying to reach “everyone” (so you reach no one)
Who’s your audience for public outreach? “Ummm, the general public?” Wrong!
“The general public” aka “every person on Earth” is not a target audience. That’s too big and broad of a group for you to communicate to effectively. If you’re really trying to appeal to “everyone,” you’ll see one of two results: 1. You’re mistaken, and you really only appeal to a small segment that, to be honest, is probably people most like you, or: 2. You appeal to no one because your message is so diluted — nobody feels personally spoken to.
To fix this, of course, get specific: Who is your actual, specific target audience? Be as specific as you can — the more you can paint a picture of your target, the more your communications will resemble an actual message for that person. Do you want to reach families? What about families with young kids? What about families with young kids who live within your jurisdiction? What about families with young kids who live within your jurisdiction and are homeschooled and looking for educational opportunities during weekdays and also own a big parcel of land that could be restored to a native ecosystem? Now we’re talking.
I’m exaggerating, but you get my point. The more specific you can get about who your audience is that you want to reach, the more likely you are to craft a message that resonates, use a channel that they’ll actually see, and pitch a call to action that they’ll actually take.
There’s no clear call to action
Speaking of calls to action… what’s yours?
Picture this: Someone stops by your table at a public event. They learn something interesting. They say “huh, I didn’t know that!” and you feel a warm fuzzy glow from teaching someone something that you care about. And then what? They wander off. There was no ask, no path to follow up, no way to stay connected.
I’d push you to have a clear call to action (CTA) at every touchpoint. Can they sign up for your volunteer list? Can they follow you on Instagram for weekly tips related to your mission? Can they register for your next workshop right now? Can they book a free consultation with a science communications professional to help them with this pesky public outreach strategy thing (Oh hey! You can do that right here)?
That said, although you might have a number of good options for a CTA: a volunteer list, an Instagram account, an upcoming event with open registration, and on and on. Don’t overwhelm them. Don’t have 12 different QR codes to scan at your booth. Decide what your real goal is for that interaction, and intentionally guide people toward it. (The exception to this may be in an email newsletter, where yes, I think you can deliver your laundry list of opportunities. That’s what an email newsletter is for.)
Public outreach: It’s super effective
Traditional public outreach activities certainly have their place. And done right, they work. And for a lot of us in the science and environmental sectors, our options are limited. That’s fine! But these activities will be most effective — nay, they might only be effective — when they’re part of a larger public outreach strategy.
So, in a nutshell:
- Define your actual goals, and be specific
- Know your audience, and it better not be “the general public”
- Choose tactics that will actually bring you closer to your goal
- Measure what matters, and track your progress
- And always iterate: You’ll need to pay attention to what works for your organization with your audience.
This all reminds me a lot of SMART goals, but I won’t go all corporate on you. (Admittedly, if you want more goal-setting tips, I do recommend looking up SMART goals — they are actually on to something.)
Need help figuring out your public outreach strategy?
If you wanted an example of a “call to action,” here’s one. Sorting out goals and metrics and audiences and finding the right tactics is exactly what I do. I work with conservation organizations, botanical gardens, and research institutions as a contractor to help solve all sorts of communications problems. My goal is to help people doing critical work tell their stories and get their message out. I’d love to help you move from “we’re doing stuff” to “we have a strategy and it’s working.”