Target an audience and fit the message to them
Pick the specific group of people you want to reach (your audience) and shape the health message so it actually lands with them.
- Defining the public health problem first: You cannot pick the right audience until you know exactly which problem and which behavior you are trying to change.
- Knowing the goal of a message: Targeting depends on what you want the audience to do (know, feel, or act), so the goal has to be clear before you choose who to reach.
Prerequisites are inferred: pending teacher review.
Re-learn the skill with worked practice and clear examples.
Message fit means matching your words, examples, reading level, and channel to the audience you named.
A team made one wordy, college-level brochure about handwashing for kindergarten students. The message did not work. What is the BEST fix to improve message fit?
Reviewed- A.Make the brochure even longer with more facts
- B.Replace it with a simple poster using big pictures and a few short words
- C.Mail the same brochure to more addresses
- D.Add medical terms so it sounds more official
Show the worked solution ▾
Answer: B. Replace it with a simple poster using big pictures and a few short words
- Step 1: Name the audience: The audience is kindergarten students, who cannot read college-level text.
- Step 2: Match the message to them: Fitting the message means simple words, pictures, and a channel young children can use, like a poster.
Why it's right: A simple poster with big pictures matches the reading level and attention of kindergarten students, which is what message fit means.
- A: More facts and length make it harder for young children, not easier.
- C: Sending the same unfit message wider does not fix the fit.
- D: Medical terms make the reading level worse for kindergartners.
Aligned to BI 5.1: message fit · reading level ~grade 9
- A vaping-prevention team picks short social-media videos for teens instead of a printed pamphlet, because that is the channel teens actually use.
Fill these in as you work through the lesson.
- Audience (the specific group you are trying to reach):
- Message fit (how well the words and examples match the group):
- Channel (the place the message is delivered, like a poster or a video):
- General public (everyone, with no focus):
A strong health campaign first names a specific , then shapes the words and the so the message fits how that group lives.
- Name one way a flyer for elementary students should differ from a flyer for their grandparents about the same illness.
- Why does saying 'this is for everyone' usually make a message weaker?
- A campaign about vaping is failing with teens. List one thing about the message you would check first.
You must warn a neighborhood about lead in old paint. The people most at risk are families with toddlers. Describe the audience you would target and two ways you would shape the message (words, examples, or channel) to fit that group.