Written Communication

Abstract

One of the most important messages in science communication is: Aim for the target group. And yes, in principle, different target groups should be “hit” with different products tailored specifically for the needs of that group, but in the real world resources are often sparse. For this reason, multiple layers of text, such as a summary, captions, main text and supporting addenda are recommended and make it possible to aim material at several target groups at once. Different consumers need material with differing levels of detail and terminology, but there is a balance between being too broad (“messy” and over-generalising) and too narrow (addressing too few). As an example, a well-written press release should be accessible and readable for the inexperienced journalist as well as look exciting enough to entice the battle-hardened “seen-it-all before” expert journalist. Supporting materials, factsheets, references, web links and all other background information play an important role when targeting different groups with the same product.