Side by Side offers a lesson in attracting readers
The intranet serving the schools in New South Wales, Australia, uses wordplay that illuminates—rather than obscuring—stories’ content.
Providing information and news to a staff of 2,300 government schools, NSW’s (New South Wales) intranet Side by Side certainly doesn’t lack an audience. And though providing striking content that speaks to its employees is the key to any successful intranet, it’s also, sadly, where most organizations’ attempts at internal communications fall flat.
Not Side by Side.
Delivering articles, podcasts, and videos on areas ranging from changes in legislation and education policy, curriculum developments and innovation, new programs, staff achievements, educational research, all the way to NSW’s own success stories, the content clearly is produced by an editorial team that knows how to write and knows its audience.
That’s why Side by Side wins top honors for Headline and Blurbs for an Intranet in Ragan’s Employee Communications Awards for 2011.
In “Pedaling a safety message,” Wendy Robinson highlighted Ride2School Day at Bourke Street Public School, an initiative focused on teaching students safe practices to follow when riding their bikes to and from school, something the school’s principal, Peter Johnston, said was not just good for its students’ health, but also “the health of the environment.”
Similar headlines and content make it no wonder Side by Side bolsters a 93 percent staff satisfaction approval rating, making it a clearly valued communications channel for NSW. Its deftly turned headlines and blurbs augmented a wealth of content.
“Tickled pink” draws the reader to a story about one public school’s extensive efforts to help raise money for breast cancer research. Another headline, “Small schools take to big stage,” cast the spotlight on a story detailing how a group of small local schools worked together to deliver one big student talent show.
Whereas any intranet can post a story or a link of general public interest, tailoring it to company’s core workings is a practice that takes diligent time and effort; Side by Side certainly makes the most of those efforts.
To view the winning work please click here.
View More Employee Communications Awards 2011 Winners.
Visit Ragan.com/Awards to learn more about awards opportunities.
