stop infodumping your budget news

It's budget season. And whether you're in government, opposition, or an interested stakeholder creating content from the sidelines, your audience has exactly one question.

It's easy to assume they will. We're talking millions and billions of dollars being spent on essential services and the infrastructure that keeps our community running. Of course people care.

Except… they don't. Not until you tell them why they should.

make those zeros heroes.

Big numbers don't move people. Small, specific outcomes do.

Whether it’s $20 off your rego, a safer, smoother commute thanks to that intersection upgrade. Fewer (or more) people competing to buy that house. More control over your childcare subsidy.

That's the work. Taking a $4.2 million line item and turning it into something people read at 8pm on the couch and go, “oh, that's good!”

If your content stops at the dollar figure, you've left the job half done.

create brighter budget content.

I've been watching a lot of budget content from Victoria this week. Some solid posts, but a lot of content makes the same mistakes. 

Here's what to watch out for.

• Skip the jargon.
  Don't assume people know what a surplus is. Or forward estimates. Or a deficit. Half your audience hear those words and tune out. If you wouldn't say it at a barbecue, don't say it on the gram.

• Don't infodump.
  I’ve seen a few Here's what we're delivering in 30 seconds reels. They offer lots of headlines initiatives, breathless delivery, and no detail. The rushed pace turns into background noise and your audience scrolls on remembering nothing. 
  
  If you've got a lot of good news to share (or a lot of bad news to call out), a carousel beats a rushed reel every time. Let people slow down and actually digest those key messages.

• Visualise the numbers.
  Charts, infographics, simple contrasts. How can you turn numbers and spreadsheets into something they can see and understand? 
  People remember what they can see.

• Apply the caption test.
  If you can't explain the benefit, or the problem, in 80 words with a strong hook, your message isn't ready. It's too complicated. Keep working on it.

• Show your work.
  Your key message should be simple, but back the grab up with the why, not just the what. We chose X because Y will beat We're proud to announce X every single time. People want to know how the decision was made, not just what was announced.

don’t be one and done.

Here's the mistake I see most often. The budget drops. Everyone goes hard for the sitting week. Then silence.

The impact of the budget doesn't last a week. It lasts years. So don’t drop it too quickly.

• Map out four to six weeks of content.
  Pick a different win (or loss) to focus on in one or two pieces of content each week. Go deep on one item at a time. Make it a series of reels and connect your content together.

• Find a face for the policy.
  The best voice to speak about the impact of the budget? The person whose life changes because of it.

  Find them. The small business owner who'll benefit from the tax change. The nurse working at the hospital getting the upgrade. The parent who can’t get a childcare spot. The community group that lost their funding.

  Let them tell the story in their own words. Your job is to listen, give them the microphone, and get out of the way.

one quick win for this week.

Pick one thing you know will be in this budget. Just one. Maybe it's something you announced. Maybe it's something you're hammering the government over.

Now write the caption. 80 words. Strong hook. No jargon. Tell me why I should care before I scroll past.

If you can't do it, the message isn't ready. 

want help crafting your budget content?

If creating four to six weeks of budget content sounds crazy and you're not sure where to start, I can help.

I run social media training sessions for politicians, staffers and industry teams who are doing this work themselves. I can also help you film and create content.

Let's chat about your content plan →