The Toolkit / Marketing / The Newsroom
Marketing · Tool 09 of 16
The Newsroom
Say it in their words.
Find the one line that says what the new thing does for its people, in their own words, and that they repeat back without being asked.
The board
Ten sections on one page
Print it, fill it in, and score each section from 1 to 5. Your score is out of 50.
How to use it
The ten sections of the Newsroom
What to do in each section, and what a 1, a 3 and a 5 look like. Score yourself honestly; the low scores tell you where to work next.
- 1
Ready to launch
What's launching, and who said go.
Name what the Launchpad made ready, and who said go.
- 1Started
- Something not yet ready.
- 3Good
- A version marked ready.
- 5Excellent
- A version marked ready on real, repeated use, with who said go and the date.
- 2
The hero
Who it's for.
Name the hero from the Storyboard this message speaks to.
- 1Started
- Everyone.
- 3Good
- A hero from the Storyboard.
- 5Excellent
- One hero from the Storyboard, with their world and their pain beside you.
- 3
Their words
What people actually said.
Gather what people said in every tool so far, word for word.
- 1Started
- Our own words.
- 3Good
- A handful of real quotes.
- 5Excellent
- Many real quotes from the Compass, Storyboard, Simulator and Launchpad, each with its source.
- 4
What happens to them
The change in their life.
Write what changes for them, and when they notice. Not what the thing is.
- 1Started
- A feature list.
- 3Good
- A clear change.
- 5Excellent
- A specific change they would notice, in their words.
- 5
How we help
Why they can trust us.
Write why they can trust us to help: what we understand about them, and what we've done.
- 1Started
- A boast.
- 3Good
- A clear reason to trust us.
- 5Excellent
- A reason to trust us that shows we understand them, backed by what real people did.
- 6
The plan
Two or three simple steps.
Write the two or three steps they'd take with us.
- 1Started
- Many steps, or none.
- 3Good
- Clear steps.
- 5Excellent
- Two or three steps so simple anyone could follow them.
- 7
The next step
The one thing we ask.
Write the one thing we ask them to do next.
- 1Started
- Several asks.
- 3Good
- One clear ask.
- 5Excellent
- One small, easy ask that follows naturally from the gift.
- 8
What it doesn't say
Claims we won't make.
Write the claims you will not make, so nobody adds them later.
- 1Started
- Left open.
- 3Good
- A few limits.
- 5Excellent
- Clear limits, so the message never promises more than we'll deliver.
- 9
The message
One line, one breath.
Write the message in one breath, in their words.
- 1Started
- A slogan in our voice.
- 3Good
- One clear line.
- 5Excellent
- One line a hero would say to a friend, that people repeat unprompted.
- 10
Repeated back
Who said it back unprompted.
Read it to the people it's for, and count who says it back without being asked.
- 1Started
- Read only to the team.
- 3Good
- Read to real people.
- 5Excellent
- Read to many real people, with how many repeated it and what they changed.
How it works
- Made inStep 09 · MessagesSay what the new thing does for its people, in their own words, in one breath.
- What it's forFind the one line that says what the new thing does for its people, in their own words, and that they repeat back without being asked.
- It feedsThe GiftboxGive before you ask.
