Internal communications is often seen as a support function — sending announcements, updates, and policy changes to employees. But what if internal comms could be as strategic, engaging, and data-driven as a product marketing campaign?
Product marketers are experts at connecting with audiences, driving engagement, and positioning solutions in ways that resonate. Internal comms teams can borrow from their playbook to make communications more impactful, meaningful, and sticky.
1. Know Your Audience
Product marketers don’t send a blanket message to “everyone” and hope it sticks. They segment audiences, understand their pain points, and tailor messaging accordingly. Internal comms teams can do the same to increase relevance and engagement.
- Segment by role, team, or location: a sale’s team priorities differ from R&D, finance, or customer success. Tailoring messages ensures content resonates with each group.
- Consider communication preferences: some employees prefer emails, others thrive on knowledge hub updates or Teams notifications. Matching the channel to the audience improves uptake.
- Speak to priorities and benefits: instead of generic updates, show employees how a change or initiative affects their day-to-day work.
As an example, when rolling out a new collaboration tool, the comms team could create short tutorials for tech-savvy teams, detailed step-by-step guides for others, and quick explainer videos for remote employees — just like marketers craft messaging for different buyer personas.
2. Position your message
Product marketers understand that positioning is everything. Rather than just describing features, they frame their product as the solution to a problem. Internal comms can do the same to increase engagement.
- Highlight the value, not just the change: if rolling out a new HR policy, explain how it saves time on expense reports, approvals, or leave requests
- Use storytelling: share real examples of how teams benefit from the change. Stories stick far longer than lists of features.
- Address pain points upfront: show empathy by acknowledging challenges employees may face and how the initiative helps overcome them.
For instance, instead of announcing “we’ve launched a new knowledge hub portal”, frame it as “if you’ve been tired of hunting for the documents you need, you’ll be happy to hear about our new knowledge hub. It centralizes all our resources, so you spend less time searching and more time doing”. Good positioning turns an update into a meaningful message that drives behavior, adoption, and engagement.
3. Tease and roll out in phases
Marketers don’t launch products overnight. They build anticipation with teasers, phased rollouts, and targeted campaigns. Internal comms can do the same for internal initiatives.
- Previews and sneak peaks: generate excitement before the official launch. Short teaser emails, knowledge hub banners, or internal social posts create curiosity.
- Phased rollouts: test initiatives with pilot groups first. Collect feedback, adjust messaging, and scale gradually.
- Celebrate milestones: highlight adoption success stories, share user tips, and recognize early champions to maintain momentum.
For example, when introducing a new recognition program, start with a teaser campaign, then launch to one department, collect feedback, adjust communications, and finally roll out company-wide with success stories. A strategic rollout creates curiosity, anticipation, and higher engagement than a single, mass announcement.
4. Measure, learn, and iterate
Marketers constantly track engagement and iterate campaigns. Internal comms teams can adopt a single approach to improve outcomes over time.
- Track engagement metrics: monitor email opens, clicks, or tool adoption rates.
- Collect feedback: use surveys, polls, or focus groups to understand how updates are received and what’s missing.
- Refine messaging and approach: adjust formats, channels, timing, and style based on what works.
For instance, if a series of policy updates sees low engagement, the team could experiment with short videos instead of long emails, or break content into bite-sized posts to improve consumption. Treat every communication like a campaign: measure results, learn, and iterate to continuously improve engagement and impact.
5. Make comms a two-way conversation
Product marketers know engagement isn’t one-sided — they listen as much as they speak. Internal comms teams can do the same to build trust and relevance.
- Encourage feedback: let employees comment, ask questions, and provide input on updates.
- Monitor sentiment: track which messages resonate and which fall flat.
- Act on feedback: show employees their voices matter by adapting comms based on their input.
As an example, an internal survey about a new benefits program can help refine communications and address questions and concerns proactively, instead of waiting for confusion or frustration to grow.
The takeaway
Internal communications does not have to be reactive, dull, or purely functional. By borrowing strategies from product marketing — understanding audiences, positioning messages around value, teasing initiatives, measuring impact, and iterating — comms teams can make updates and initiatives something employees want to engage with.
Just like marketers turn products into must-haves, internal comms teams can turn updates, tools, and initiatives into must-know content that drives adoption, engagement, and a more connected workforce.
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