Using the media

Framing is about the story you are trying to tell with your analysis.

For example, a report into the impact of spending on health could be framed as:

• a criticism of the government for not spending enough;
• an example of how gender budgeting could help the government improve its policy-making;
• as a piece of academic research;
• or a way of sharing the voices of women.

Framing work to fit in with the priorities of decision-makers can help them engage with the analysis. For example, during the late 1990s and 2000s WBG framed much of its work around women’s poverty and the government’s commitment to end child poverty. We argued that ending child poverty meant tackling women’s poverty: children were poor because their mothers were poor. We highlighted evidence that money paid directly to mothers was more likely to be spent on children than money paid to fathers. This helped persuade the government that tax credits aimed at supporting children in poorer families should be paid to the main carer, usually the mother.

The disadvantage of using a specific type of framing is that it can reduce complexity. For example, in the case described above, our framing might be seen to suggest that women’s poverty isn’t a problem in its own right. Tailoring the framing to decision-makers priorities also often means that their priorities go unchallenged.

Case studies, quotes and personal stories

Individual stories can have more impact than pages of statistics. Print and broadcast media are also more likely to run stories about reports if they can focus on one or two individual case studies. Personal stories can humanize the issue and highlight how a change of policy can have many, often unintended consequences. A good example of this is the story of a young woman who had to move schools when the local authority would no longer fund her bus pass:

Blogs can be a good way to communicate analysis to a wider audience. WBG hosts blogs on our own website (which we promote on social media) and also writes blogs for other websites.

Good blog posts are generally:

• Short – 500-800 words.
• Snappy – start with a strong opening to make the reader want more.
• Personalised – written from a point of view rather than a simple summary of research.
• Understand the reader – when blogging for another site it is always a good idea to read other blogs on the site to get a sense of style and what people engage with.
• End with a call to action – to follow on twitter, join the organisation, sign up to a campaign.

E-newsletters

E-newsletters allow WBG to engage directly with members and supporters. In our newsletters we share information about our own research and campaigns, or research and campaigns from sister organisations. We also ask members to help with research projects, advertise meetings and events, recruit staff or volunteers and raise funds.

There are lots of different, often free e-newsletters providers, for example MailChimp, GroupMail or Newsletter Creator.

When writing our newsletters, we always try to consider the following:

• Audience – who is the newsletter aimed at? Sometimes it is best to produce different newsletters for different groups so that people get information that is most relevant to them.
• Frequency – some organisations produce a longer newsletter every month, but sometimes more frequent and shorter newsletters can have a better response rate. Information overload will make people switch off, so it is best not to send too much too often.
• Subject line – a strong ‘headline’ means people are more likely to open a newsletter than something that simply says ‘newsletter’.
• Can it be read on a mobile? Many people access their emails on a smartphone rather than a computer, so it’s important to check the newsletter’s mobile version.
• Call to action – make it clear what you want people to do as a result of reading the newsletter.