The right way to write an efficient communication plan [+ templates]

An indignant, influential buyer tags your organization in a LinkedIn rant a few buggy product launch. You watch the impressions climb quick. Feedback pile up as others vent their frustrations and feed the frenzy.

Welcome to a social media communication disaster. How do you reply?

You may’t predict each problem, however you can count on moments like this. Small communication gaps snowball rapidly — usually due to the incorrect response, or no response in any respect.

The identical goes for moments you’re enthusiastic about. Possibly you’re launching a brand new product or rolling out a celebrity-backed marketing campaign. You need your workforce aligned, your viewers engaged, and your message clear.

I’ve labored on campaigns throughout that spectrum, from controlling harm to constructing buzz. One lesson has held true: You may’t afford to attend till one thing occurs to determine the way you’ll talk.

You want a plan.

On this publish, I’ll share what goes into a robust communication plan and share templates you should use to construct one that really works.

Desk of Contents

Together with armoring your organization towards crises and challenges, clear communication delivers higher enterprise worth. Grammarly’s newest annual State of Enterprise Communication report discovered that efficient communication led to vital beneficial properties like:

• Heightened buyer satisfaction
• Improved model popularity
• Profitable enterprise offers
• Value reductions

Organized communication occurs at each the strategic and tactical ranges. You may have plans for long-term organization-wide communication campaigns and for rapid wants like product launches, PR campaigns, or crises.

The vital half is to jot down it down and maintain your workforce accountable to it — a troublesome job given what number of long-dead plans I discover gathering cobwebs in purchasers’ Google Drive folders.

Can you utilize a communication plan template?

Sure, however earlier than you do, contemplate what sort and format of communication plan template you utilize. I discover most templates deal with the overarching ideas effectively (i.e., I can observe my targets), however they disintegrate with nuanced wants (e.g., planning social media posts versus e mail outreach).

A social media communication plan will look vastly totally different from a product launch plan. You’re monitoring totally different targets and success standards and require totally different channels to succeed in your audiences. Even formatting variations like panorama versus portrait orientation can crop up.

That stated, templates can get your workforce began — and I’ll take communication momentum over perfection any day. HubSpot has a number of templates you possibly can put to work instantly that cowl a spread of communication wants.

What about AI in communications?

If you happen to’re in comms, you can’t escape generative AI instruments like ChatGPT. They’re seemingly in all places, and it sounds prefer it’s serving to some staff do higher work. Grammarly’s State of Enterprise Communication report discovered that information staff utilizing AI are markedly much less burdened and extra productive at work than their non-AI-using friends.

Nonetheless, Grammarly’s report references two limitations that I consider deeply have an effect on communication plans:

1. An adoption hole persists, with 90% of leaders utilizing AI however solely 50% of information staff doing the identical.
2. AI literacy is low, as 52% of information staff need improved schooling and coaching to make use of generative AI successfully.

These mismatches breed errors. Staff don’t know what knowledge they need to embody in mannequin prompts, probably leaking delicate info to a public area. Or leaders may take away human oversight from AI use too quickly, resulting in automated communication errors that maintain up in a court docket of regulation — and price you thousands and thousands.

I see many organizations both rush adoption or again away as a result of they’re afraid. Boundless enthusiasm can get you in scorching water with comms, however prefer it or not, AI will in all probability turn out to be a part of your comms ecosystem.

That’s why I recommend constructing an “AI within the office” coverage now to control instrument use, particularly in case your comms workforce interacts with confidential or delicate info. AI coaching remains to be nascent however rising as distributors like OpenAI develop their enterprise affords. Discover choices that fit your workforce’s tech stage and use circumstances. You don’t need to overwhelm them with options; as an alternative, empower them to make use of AI responsibly.

For strong templates for varied enterprise comms wants, take a look at these enterprise templates by HubSpot. You will discover comms plans and different templates for objects like motion plans, annual experiences, enterprise proposals, and different enterprise circumstances. I’ll additionally stroll by a number of communication plan templates later on this article — take any of these to start this course of.

2. Audit your present communication supplies.

Earlier than you construct a brand new plan, take inventory of what you could have already. A communication audit helps you to see what’s working, lacking, and damaged.

You may run audits nonetheless you need, however I consider any audit ought to at the least embody:

• Reviewing all current materials associated to your purpose (e.g., web site copy, e mail campaigns, adverts, and social posts). I discover individuals usually overlook inside communications, so additionally examine locations like Slack channels and Groups assembly notes.
• Evaluating efficiency knowledge to see what content material clicks and what’s underperforming.
• Gathering suggestions from inside stakeholders — this helps you construct settlement early. Additionally, join together with your audience in the event you can through surveys or focus teams.

Take into account a communication plan for a product launch. In case your present content material covers basic trade traits however lacks specifics in your product’s options and worth, that’s a niche. And that perception will information your plan’s priorities.

One tip: Preserve your purpose (on this case, a product launch) on the core as you audit. You don’t want to unravel each hole your audit finds, simply those related to getting your product to market.

You should use a lot of standards to conduct your audit. If you happen to’re struggling to know the place to begin, contemplate the “5 Ms” format, as you’ll weigh supplies towards a number of key enterprise standards. This framework ought to ship an audit with priceless and actionable outcomes.

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3. Set SMART targets on your communication plan based mostly in your audit.

Your audit will discover strengths, weaknesses, and gaps. You’ll need to set measurable targets to deal with these factors utilizing knowledge out of your audit outcomes. What do you need to obtain with this plan?

When doubtful, make your targets SMART: Particular, Measurable, Attainable, Related, and Time-based. A current HubSpot ballot revealed that over 52% of members consider the SMART framework helps them obtain their targets most of the time.

SMART targets let groups plan communication methods with delineated anticipated outcomes. I used them liberally after I was constructing my content material workforce at a PR company. I grounded the initiative in a SMART purpose: to develop long-form content material manufacturing 10x by a scalable workforce and workflow inside 12 months. My purpose was each a productiveness benchmark and a basis for an inside comms plan.

I used my purpose to handle communication with stakeholders like:

• Govt management on hiring and efficiency requirements.
• HR on recruitment timelines.
• New writers for onboarding and expectation-setting.
• Account groups to make sure we met shopper expectations.

The SMART framework’s readability helps flip a posh, cross-functional initiative right into a structured plan the place we might maintain one another accountable and measure progress.

Professional tip: Want a bit assist constructing your first SMART purpose? Take a look at our free SMART purpose template.

4 . Decide your plan’s audience.

Who ought to hear your message? I’ve seen comms methods flop arduous as a result of groups selected “all people” as a audience. It hurts to chop teams (and potential model impressions) from consideration, however your comms plan must land with the proper viewers for max impact.

That viewers might be inside or exterior, relying in your plan. As an illustration, my team-building comms plan included government management as the first viewers as a result of:

1. They wanted to know progress — and success.
2. They tracked my workforce’s progress towards total company progress and path.
3. They bankrolled the operation and wanted to know ROI.

However plans can have secondary audiences, too. My workforce members and different organizational managers and leaders had a stake within the consequence. Simply be considerate about what number of goal audiences sneak into your plan, as every new viewers subtly shifts your communication outputs.

5. Define and write your plan, remembering your viewers.

If you happen to’re utilizing a pre-built communication plan template, you’ll see precisely the way to define and write your plan’s particulars and ways. If not, right here’s a typical construction:

• Targets. What are you making an attempt to attain?
• Key messages. What are you saying?
• Goal audiences. Who must know?
• Channels. The place will you talk?
• Timing. When will messages exit?
• Obligations. Who owns every bit?
• Success metrics. How will you realize your plan labored?
• Approval and escalation protocols. Who indicators off on the plan, and what’s the method for modifications or disaster response?

For instance, I’ll use an sadly all too frequent disaster: an IT firm suffers an information breach. You will have a right away want to speak that the breach occurred, what it affected, and the way you’re remedying the state of affairs. What may this plan appear to be?

• Targets: Preserve your belief with key stakeholders and share subsequent steps.
• Key messages: What occurred, the way it’s being fastened, and what purchasers must do.
• Goal audiences: Prospects, companions, and workers.
• Channels: Electronic mail, press launch, firm web site.
• Timing: Speedy, with ongoing updates because the state of affairs modifications.
• Obligations: Disaster response workforce, PR workforce, authorized.
• Success metrics: Well timed supply of communications, views, engagement metrics, buyer retention post-breach.
• Approval and escalation protocols: Authorized and PR approve public-facing messages; government workforce will get concerned if the breach worsens.

Your plan would get extra particular on every level, however this define shapes what you’d write in your full doc. Contain your key stakeholders and their representatives all through this course of to maintain everybody apprised and to get quicker approval.

I’ll additionally notice that realizing your viewers issues a lot at this stage and might derail even extremely detailed plans if skipped. As an illustration, I’ve reviewed many media outreach plans for occasions like a product launch or funding spherical announcement. These plans require an exterior viewers (reporters) you possibly can’t management.

On this state of affairs, take extra time to know who reporters are, what they want for a superb story, and the way they could reply to your communication. I’ve seen CEOs flail or say, “No remark,” when a reporter asks who’s funding their newest VC spherical. An excellent comms plan not solely outlines ways but additionally anticipates the audience’s wants and M.O.

6. Select your communication channels.

Your message is barely efficient in the event you attain the precise individuals on the proper place and time. That’s why channel choice is value further consideration.

Your channels ought to align with each your plan’s viewers and purpose. What may that appear to be?

For inside audiences, flip to instruments your groups already use, like Slack, Microsoft Groups, e mail, or all-hands conferences. You probably have delicate or high-impact information, like an information breach or imminent layoffs, pair written communications with dwell conversations to higher handle your individuals’s responses (as a result of they will have responses with or with out you).

I discover exterior audiences differ, particularly as digital advertising and marketing has proliferated. Widespread channels embody:

• Prospects. Electronic mail newsletters, weblog posts, and in-app push notifications.
• Companions and stakeholders. Customized emails or digital conferences.
• Media and the general public. Press releases, social media, a “newsroom” part in your firm web site.

No matter channel you select, be constant. Individuals construct belief by repeated interactions. In the event that they know to count on your product launch bulletins on Instagram, they’ll comply with and have interaction extra commonly.

Professional tip: Crucial messages like a serious change or disaster normally require a multi-channel strategy. Repeat your major message throughout platforms to strengthen key factors. And monitor carefully, as channels like social media (with ever-larger AI presences) can spiral uncontrolled rapidly.

7. Assign a DRI (Instantly Accountable Particular person).

Together with your plan in hand, it’s good to select who will ship the message. This individual is your DRI, or straight accountable particular person.

The DRI clearly communicates the message on time and thru the precise channels. With out one, even the best-laid plans will stall.

Let’s say you’re dealing with a layoff announcement, an particularly powerful and emotional comms situation. The CEO is normally the precise DRI. They should talk the message promptly and humbly to a nervous inside viewers.

Tone, timing, and supply matter. Get it incorrect, and the harm can ripple throughout morale, media protection, and long-term model belief. As an illustration, one tech firm in 2024 laid off its total workers throughout a “two-minute Google Meet,” and the backlash hit TechCrunch’s entrance web page inside hours.

On this actual state of affairs, you’re in all probability leaving the corporate as an alternative of selecting a DRI. However in much less extreme circumstances, ensure that your DRI understands the why behind your plan, feels supported, and is able to ship arduous information with care.

8. Estimate a timeline for every step.

A communication plan and not using a timeline is only a want. Deadlines preserve you on observe and aligned together with your stakeholders.

Your SMART purpose ought to’ve set an overarching timeline (e.g., 12 months to 10x content material manufacturing). You’ll additionally need to map out a sensible timeline for main milestones, together with:

• When to ship key messages.
• How lengthy approvals or critiques might take.
• When to count on follow-ups or updates.
• How lengthy it would take for the message to saturate your viewers.

For instance, in case your message wants to maneuver from management to workers, plan for the time wanted to overview, deal with suggestions, and achieve approvals from authorized and HR.

Or in the event you’re dealing with media outreach, assume quick. Fashionable media cycles demand quick responses to remain forward of the narrative. I see groups miss their second when a reporter has a 24-hour turnaround for the story and the corporate’s DRI disappears.

Construct buffer time into each step. Hofstadter’s Legislation holds very true in communication plans: Even once you account for delays, issues nonetheless take longer than anticipated. Give your workforce respiratory room to maintain issues shifting easily beneath strain.

9. Measure your communication plan’s outcomes and alter as wanted.

Whether or not it’s large or small, each communication plan deserves a postmortem. Measurement and evaluation assist refine your strategy and enhance future outcomes.

After executing your plan, ask:

• Did you meet your plan’s targets?
• Did your viewers reply as anticipated?
• What delays, misunderstandings, or challenges did you encounter?
• Which channels carried out greatest?

For instance, my content material workforce’s communication plan considerably exceeded its SMART purpose, however not with out challenges. Working with a brand new workforce meant studying the way to talk successfully with government management. I encountered gaps in constant reporting that made it more durable for stakeholders to remain aligned. With expertise and time, we constructed stronger reporting techniques that communicated our affect and progress.

Method each communication plan as an opportunity to study. Overview the information, collect suggestions, and make considerate selections to strengthen your subsequent plan.

Slideteam constructed this template for inside communication groups needing to maintain stakeholders aligned by common updates. It offers a transparent, high-level snapshot of duties, timelines, and duties. That makes it simple for management and groups to remain on the identical web page.

Core parts embody:

• Frequency
• Communication channels
• Key stakeholders
• Escalation procedures

And also you get all of it in a structure that’s easy to comply with and straightforward to customise.

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What I Like

Because it’s formatted in PowerPoint (a advertising and marketing professor’s favourite lecture instrument), it’s simple to tweak. You may change colours, structure, and textual content to suit your model or construction and not using a complete rebuild.

2. Go-to-Market SOP Communication Plan Template

I’ve helped put merchandise in-market, so I do know a superb GTM communication plan takes precision. This go-to-market SOP communication plan from HubSpot makes that occur. From stakeholder settlement to model messaging, pre-launch ways, and press outreach, this framework retains important info from slipping by the cracks.

It’s designed to information groups by each part of a launch, clearly outlining duties, messaging timelines, and execution steps. Plus, it’s versatile sufficient to reuse on your subsequent product launch with minimal tweaks.

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What I Like

This template strikes a wholesome stability between construction and adaptability. You may tailor the SOP to your launch specifics whereas leaning on a dependable framework that spells out who does what and when.

3. Strategic Communication Plan Template

This text-based template from Shiny Hub covers how communication ought to occur inside your group, particularly when coping with crises or main strategic shifts. You get every thing from setting communication targets and analyzing stakeholders to monitoring prices and figuring out dangers.

If you happen to’re a marketer or undertaking supervisor and not using a formal comms workforce, use this template. It’s divided into twelve well-organized sections, together with exterior surroundings, context, and stakeholder evaluation, making it a strong decide for small- to mid-sized groups.

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What I Like

Shiny Hub is a undertaking administration agency; you possibly can see its experience mirrored on this template’s logical, strategic construction. It covers not solely what to speak but additionally why and the way, with considerate prompts for analysis, budgeting, and audience-specific messaging.

4. Undertaking Communication Plan Template

Simplicable used this template for a billing system improve undertaking. It affords a transparent and structured communication plan, laying out the necessities:

• Who must be knowledgeable.
• What they should know.
• When communication ought to occur.
• What format the communication ought to take.

I see this template’s worth in managing cross-functional initiatives the place you could have a number of departments or stakeholders concerned. The columns for viewers, targets, schedule, and communication format make it simple to trace how groups share undertaking updates.

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What I Like

The template features a devoted part for communication channels, so you possibly can plan whether or not one thing’s greatest shared in a gathering, e mail, or formal report. You additionally get a transparent DRI for every communication step, limiting dropped handoffs.

5. Advertising Communication Plan Template

This detailed advertising and marketing communication plan template from Smartsheet can assist multi-channel methods throughout a number of audiences like clients, prospects, inside groups, and media companions. If you happen to’re launching a brand new product or rolling out an enormous marketing campaign, this template can preserve you organized.

The structure helps you phase audiences and outline messaging, timing, and channels for every group. Whether or not you’re utilizing inside messaging platforms for workforce updates or social media and e mail newsletters for buyer outreach, this template helps shut the tactical gaps throughout your advertising and marketing combine.

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What I Like

Every goal features a outlined timeframe, which helps coordinate marketing campaign timing and retains comms streamlined. You may also doc any advertising and marketing automation instruments you propose to make use of, which is good in the event you’re juggling a number of techniques.

6. Company Communication Plan Template

Smartsheet comes by once more with a robust three-page company communication plan template, providing a roadmap for inside and exterior communication technique. You get 9 key sections, from the chief abstract and mission assertion to viewers segmentation and budgeting.

It additionally contains frameworks like SWOT and PESTLE evaluation to contextualize your comms inside your market or organizational dynamics. Whether or not you’re aligning inside groups or making ready exterior outreach, this template delivers strategic depth to your planning course of.

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What I Like

The included milestone chart helps you define duties, assign homeowners, and set due dates to maneuver every thing ahead. Mixed with outlined instruments, ways, and messaging parts, this extremely detailed planning template is a steal.

7. Disaster Communication Plan Template

This Excel-based guidelines from Prezly affords an actionable information to disaster communication, outlining what to do earlier than, throughout, and after an emergency. It may assist organizations ship quick and constant responses to surprising conditions, overlaying every thing from regulatory compliance to media outreach.

The template contains devoted tabs for every disaster part (pre-crisis, dwell disaster, and post-crisis), with checklists for messaging, DRI project, and distribution strategies like press releases, e mail, and social media.

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What I Like

I just like the tab particularly for monitoring social media feedback (a powder keg for a lot of fashionable comms crises). You can provide management visibility into viewers sentiment and present your responses in actual time. It’s an accessible format that may simply slot into any disaster playbook.

It’s an age of customized communication: BCG analysis exhibits that about 80% of customers globally count on personalization, however two-thirds reported they’d at the least one inaccurate or invasive customized expertise with a model. It’s essential know your particular viewers, or they might bear in mind you for the incorrect causes.

If you happen to assume you’ve reached your ultimate audience, I problem you to push one stage decrease. What insights do you discover? And the way does that inform your comms plan?

Make clear possession and escalation paths.

Don’t cease at one DRI, particularly in case your plan requires escalation paths. Your plan ought to outline what occurs at every step and who handles that step.

I’ve been in the midst of plans the place we forgot to outline an proprietor for reporting info to purchasers, and that led to undertaking delays, escalation to management, and sad critiques. Be sure that your plan exhibits clear possession and a series of command.

Preserve your plan easy and targeted.

Scope creep isn’t only for contracts and statements of labor. As extra stakeholders become involved in constructing your comms plan, you could must fend off further concepts, instructions, and desired outcomes.

A communication plan thrives when it’s targeted — the less phrases, the higher. Say what it’s good to say and do it with readability and precision.

Use AI (however don’t over-rely on it).

Generative AI could make plan building and execution a lot simpler. That’s true with prompt-focused LLM interfaces like ChatGPT and with AI brokers that may autonomously produce communication content material.

Nonetheless, AI’s assist doesn’t come with out potential prices. Analysis exhibits that overreliance on AI can have an effect on remembering what you wrote and probably weaken vital communication expertise.

I discover AI makes an excellent assistant for gathering examples of different communication plans and breaking down your targets, audiences, and measurements. However you need to construct your message your method earlier than calling in ChatGPT’s assist.

Guarantee your message displays your targets, voice, and the affect you need to make. AI can lengthen your message, however it’s good to get the core proper first.

Construct Communication Plans That Work and Final

Ultimately, I consider a robust communication plan ought to do one factor: ship the precise message to the precise individuals on the proper time. I’ve seen firsthand how a considerate plan turns the potential chaos of product launches and disaster responses into clear, profitable outcomes.

If there’s one factor I’ve discovered, it’s that communication planning doesn’t must overwhelm you, particularly once you begin with the precise construction. That’s why I assembled the methods and templates above. Use them to construct a targeted, actionable plan you possibly can be ok with placing into movement.

Editor’s notice: This publish was initially printed in September 2019 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.