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Great content for the intranet: 7 recommendations

As far as technology is concerned, your intranet works perfectly. But what is the point, if there are only a few new articles and the exciting content is published elsewhere? Seven recommendations for companies that want to make their intranet the No. 1 information platform for their employees – even without a large communications department.

1. Use what is already there

Recycling thrives on participation. This also applies to good content. It is therefore worthwhile to first review what is already there, for example press releases, technical articles, social media posts, articles in the email newsletter or in the printed employee magazine. This content can be prepared as an intranet message with little effort. There are two points to keep in mind: First, you should check whether the texts are actually interesting and relevant for your internal target groups. Secondly, the texts must be adapted to the internal target group – i.e. simply “we” instead of “the XYZ company”. You can also split up long articles, publish a summary on the intranet or briefly refer to detailed texts in the staff magazine.

2. Build an internal editorial network

More content is hiding everywhere in your company. But where? Build an editorial network and implement standardised processes to get good content. The first step is to identify the right informants. You will usually find them in HR, Marketing, Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) as well as Project Management. Then you bring your topic providers together in a quarterly editorial conference. There you develop an internal editorial plan together.

3. Finding topics by walking around

Also motivate all other employees to provide topics and make it as easy as possible for them to contact the editorial team. For example, you can regularly make a tour through the company or ask at the end of meetings what topics are currently of interest.

4. Top down: involve the management

Where do you find the most exciting topics? Exactly: at management level. Organise a regular meeting with top management. Present your editorial plan and ask them which topics they think will be important in the coming weeks. Ideally, this will create a relationship of trust so that the communication of critical topics can be prepared together.

5. Share interesting external content

Regardless of the internal topics, it is worth taking a look outside. Industry topics, trend reports or studies from external sources can be of interest to your employees. Attention: Please always pay attention to copyright! External content should only be copied with permission. If necessary, a short introduction and a link to the external source will suffice.

6. Develop categories and series

Some topics are not suitable as news but are still interesting and relevant for the staff. Here, categories and series help readers to classify the content. Portraits of individual employees or teams, “Three questions for …”, the presentation of important projects or a video blog by the management are just a few examples. There are no limits to creativity.

7. Don’t forget the entertainment

Our intranet is competing with a flood of privately used electronic media – websites, apps, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc. We need to make our business topics attractive so that they are read. Good pictures are mandatory, and fun should not be forbidden even in the company. Entertaining content promotes team cohesion and motivation as well as the company’s image. That’s also in your interest, isn’t it? A photo campaign might be worth a try. Otherwise, occasions such as Easter or Christmas offer opportunities for interaction. Various ideas can be found under the keyword gamification.

With these seven tips, you can easily generate interesting content. But what if there are too many topics and you don’t have enough time to write them well? For example, use external copywriters or get advice on how best to organise your content.