Your main message is the most important information to communicate to your audience. It's the whole reason you developed a communications plan, gave an interview, or wrote a news release in the first place. Here are some tips on how to make your main message effective:

Keep it clear

It's vital that you're clear on exactly what your message is, and why it's urgent to get it across to the public. To identify your core argument, ask yourself: "What do I care most about?" Also ask: "Why should the audience care?"

Keep it simple

Your main message can have several points to it, though it's best to have no more than three. The more points you try to cram in, the harder it will be for your audience to identify them, and the weaker their effect will be. You want each part of your message to be easily identifiable in your news releases, Web sites, etc.

Keep repeating it

Weaving your message into everything you do takes practice.  In the world of public relations, this is known as spin. (Those who specialize in it are called "spin doctors.") The key is consistency. Decide on two or three main points, and use them - either word-for-word or paraphrased - in all the answers you give, all the news releases you write, all the emails you send. If you can, use facts and figures: these are indisputable, and give credibility to your spin. (To show how sticking to your main message can make a difference in how a story is reported, see A Case Study.)