22 June 2026
Senior Marketing Manager at Media Trust.
Article
Welcome to part two of the Campaign Creator series. Here, we'll explore storytelling and messaging.
In part one of our Campaign Creator series, you defined your campaign goal, audience and channels. Now it’s time to think about how you’ll bring your campaign to life.
People are surrounded by information every day. What they tend to remember isn’t always a statistic, a report or a list of facts, it’s a story that helps them understand why something matters.
This resource will help you identify the story behind your campaign, develop key messages and create a clear call to action. By the end, you’ll have the foundations of a campaign narrative that can be used consistently across your emails, social media, website and other campaign materials.
Whether you’re raising awareness, recruiting volunteers, increasing donations or promoting a service, stories help people connect with your cause.
A good campaign story helps your audience understand:
Stories can help turn an issue into something relatable, memorable and meaningful.
That’s important because most campaigns aren’t simply sharing information. They’re trying to encourage people to think, feel or do something differently.
When planning a campaign, it’s easy to focus on your organisation and the work you do.
Instead, start by thinking about the people behind the issue.
Ask yourself:
The answers often reveal the story at the heart of your campaign.
Beneficiary stories can be one of the most powerful tools in your campaign. They can help audiences understand an issue through a real person’s experience and create a stronger emotional connection.
However, stories should always be shared ethically and respectfully.
Consider:
Good storytelling should empower people rather than reduce them to a problem or challenge. So where possible, allow people to tell their stories in their own words.
A powerful campaign doesn’t rely on one person carrying the weight of an entire issue.
Instead, think about how an individual’s experience can help illustrate a wider challenge, opportunity or impact. You might combine personal experiences with wider evidence, insights or impact data to help audiences understand the bigger picture.
Sometimes it isn’t possible or appropriate for someone to tell their story directly.
In these situations, consider alternative perspectives that still help bring your impact to life. This might include stories from carers, family members, volunteers, supporters or staff members.
Alongside traditional case studies, you might use quotes, audio recordings, illustrations or anonymous stories where this better meets the needs of the people involved. Here’s some further tips on representing your beneficiaries when you can’t use their image.
People take action because they feel something.
That doesn’t mean every campaign needs to focus on sadness or urgency. Positive emotions such as hope, belonging, pride and community can be just as powerful.
Ask yourself:
Here’s an example from a fictional charity called ‘Community Connect’ which supports older people experiencing loneliness.
Community Connect wants potential volunteers to understand the issue of loneliness. But they also want them to feel hopeful.
Rather than focusing just on the problem, they highlight the positive impact of volunteering:
‘A weekly conversation can help someone feel connected, valued and less alone.’
This helps supporters see the difference they could make.
Once you’ve identified your campaign story, it’s time to turn it into clear messages.
Good campaign messages are:
A useful approach is to create one core message supported by a small number of key messages.
This is the main idea you want people to remember.
For our fictional Community Connect charity, that might be: ‘Nobody should feel forgotten in their own community.’
These reinforce your main message and provide additional context.
For example:
Try to avoid jargon, technical language and long explanations.
If someone only remembers one thing from your campaign, what would you want it to be?
Every campaign needs a clear call to action, as your audience should never be left wondering what you’d like them to do next.
Your call to action might be asking your audience to:
The most effective calls to action are clear, specific and easy to understand. For example, instead of:
‘Support our work’
Try:
The simpler and clearer your call to action, the easier it is for people to respond.
Before moving on, check that your story, messages and call to action work together.
Using our previous example, here’s a check of the story, messaging and calls to action.
Campaign story
Many older people experience loneliness and isolation within their communities.
Core message
Nobody should feel forgotten in their own community.
Supporting messages
Call to action
Apply to become a volunteer befriender today.
Together, these elements create a clear and consistent campaign narrative that can be used across multiple channels.
Community Connect can now start thinking about who might help bring this story to life. For example, they might approach a long-standing volunteer befriender who has already shared their experience through a case study recently.
They could then ask whether they would be happy to contribute to a social media post, short video or newsletter feature as part of the campaign.
Identifying potential storytellers early gives you time to have conversations, secure consent and plan your content. It can also help you make the most of stories and case studies you already have, rather than starting from scratch.
If your campaign story still feels a little rough around the edges, don’t worry.
At this stage, you’re not writing final copy or creating finished content. You’re simply identifying the story that sits behind your campaign and the messages you want people to remember.
Once you have a campaign story, three key messages and a clear call to action, creating content becomes much easier because you have a clear foundation to build from.
In part three of our Campaign Creator series, we’ll look at how to turn your messages into engaging campaign content that works across different channels and formats.
Want to receive our 5-day email series on campaign creation? You’ll get an email from us each day for 5 days, including expert tips, links and your free campaign creator workbook!
You’ll receive a practical email and accompanying resource each day, guiding you through every stage of planning, creating, launching and evaluating a charity campaign.
Sign up to the Campaign Creator SeriesYoung people are one of the most connected audiences online, but reaching them requires more than simply posting regularly. Young people are increasingly discovering charities through social media, often long before they visit a website,...
Posted 30 July 2026
Welcome to the final part of the Campaign Creator series! Today, we'll look at measuring success and learning from your campaign.
Posted 22 June 2026
Welcome to part four of the Campaign Creator series! Today, we're looking at launching your charity campaign.
Posted 22 June 2026
