Every morning, I check my phone and see about 25 unread notifications. By lunch, that number could easily triple. Sound familiar? We're all drowning in a sea of pings, alerts, and badges that demand our attention.
Your employees face the same reality. The average person receives somewhere between 60-80 notifications per day, and some studies suggest heavy smartphone users might get well over 100.
When you try to reach workers with your message, you're competing with countless other apps, emails, texts, and social platforms — you're fighting against everything from pizza delivery updates to social media likes.
But here's what I've learned after years of helping companies break through this digital clutter: the loudest voice doesn't always win. The smartest one does. Here's how to rise above the noise that surrounds us all.
Lead with what matters to them
Employees ask one question when they see your message: "How does this affect me?" Answer that question in your first sentence, not your third paragraph.
Instead of: "Following extensive review and analysis, leadership has determined..."
Try: "Your health insurance costs will decrease by $50 monthly starting January 1."
Put the employee impact first. Save the background details for paragraph two.
Help your managers help you
Your managers are your secret weapon in the attention war. They have something you don't: daily face-to-face credibility with your team. Create a simple manager toolkit for every major announcement. Include key talking points, likely questions, and suggested conversation starters. When employees hear the same message from both official channels and their trusted manager, it sticks.
Timing is everything
Pay attention to when your audience engages most. Your analytics will tell you more than any generic "best time to post" article ever could. I've found Tuesday through Thursday work best for professional content. Weekends are terrible unless you're in entertainment or lifestyle.
Choose the right channel
Not every message needs to be an email. Match your method to your message and your audience's preferences. Urgent updates? Text message. Detailed information? Email. Community building? Social platforms. Don't force every message through the same channel.
With these approaches, you'll stop adding to the noise and start cutting through it.