Our 2024 Comms Reset: What Worked, What Changed, What’s Next

In late 2024, we embarked on a new chapter for our charity’s communications. After conducting an external comms review, it became clear that we needed to adapt our strategy to address team resource challenges, declining engagement, and our shift toward impact and policy-focused work. The result? A fresh, purpose-driven approach that’s already delivering meaningful results.

Here’s how we reimagined our communications, what we’ve achieved, and where we’re heading next…

The Key Changes We Made

To align with our goals and resources, we made some bold decisions:

• Goodbye, X (formerly Twitter): We chose to leave the platform as it no longer aligned with our values, and engagement had significantly declined.
• Prioritising Instagram and LinkedIn as Our Main Social Channels: We focused on Instagram for storytelling and impact-driven content, while using LinkedIn to influence, build partnerships, and showcase our impact.
• Refreshing Our Newsletter to Engage Key Stakeholders: We revamped our newsletter to better engage MPs, local councillors, and partner organisations, helping us reconnect with some of our former Twitter/X audience and reach new supporters.
• Exploring Bluesky as a New Platform: We started using Bluesky, spending more time listening than posting as we explore how to use it effectively and add value to conversations around community issues.

A Fresh Boost of Creativity

In October 2024, we welcomed our new Communications Officer, Justyna, who brought creativity and content expertise to our team. Together, we implemented a strategy that puts storytelling and community-building at the heart of everything we do. Here’s what we achieved in just three months…

Instagram: Building a Community Through Stories

From October to December 2024, we redefined our Instagram approach by focusing on storytelling and impact-driven content, using tools like video, polls, and trending formats to connect with our audience.

Results (Oct–Dec 2024):

• 📈 +95 followers (now 2,016)
• ❤️ +14% engagement (275)
• 👀 +85% impressions (9,274)

Our top-performing posts featured video storytelling and behind-the-scenes moments, which performed well and resonated with our Instagram community.

LinkedIn: Driving Thought Leadership and Collaboration

On LinkedIn, we focused on partnerships, policy discussions, and highlighting the impact of our work. Authentic, behind-the-scenes content and contributions to Greater Manchester policy debates generated strong engagement during October to December 2024.

Results (Oct–Dec 2024):

• 📈 +29 followers (now 477)
• 💬 +40% engagement (333)
• 👀 +43% impressions (4,344)

By positioning our charity as both a collaborator and thought leader, we’ve connected with the right people and organisations.

What’s Next for 2025?

Building on the insights we’ve gained, we’ll continue refining our content to focus on what performs well with our different audiences. We’ll strengthen our presence on Bluesky, fostering discussions that align with our mission and engaging with Greater Manchester audiences in new and meaningful ways.

We’ll also continue to grow our newsletter audience, using it to amplify our policy and advocacy work and deepen connections with our community.