Ask Devin

As a marketing girlie turned internal comms girlie, I have so much to say about this. The biggest thing I’ve noticed is how jarring the difference can feel between external marketing and internal communications.

Just look at your own inbox. Think about the emails you get from your favorite brands — the ones that actually make you stop, read, and sometimes buy something you absolutely didn’t need. Yes, they’re visually engaging, but more importantly, they’re telling a consistent story. Whether the brand is about sustainability, fitness, or food, there’s a clear throughline across everything they send. Over time, that story tells you who they are, what they stand for, and why they’re worth choosing.

Internal comms often doesn’t work that way. We treat messages as one-and-done: here’s the update, here’s the information, moving on. Then we’re surprised when employees don’t rush to open the email or remember what was shared a week later.

For me, “thinking like a marketer” starts with zooming out and focusing on the bigger story. What are you actually trying to tell employees over time? Why does it matter? And how does it connect back to your company’s mission, vision, and culture? When internal comms is anchored in a clear narrative, individual messages stop feeling random and start reinforcing something larger.

One practical way to do this is by defining a few core storylines or themes you come back to again and again — things like growth, customer impact, innovation, or how you work together. Then, when you’re deciding what to communicate, you can ask yourself: which part of the story does this reinforce? If it doesn’t connect to one of those themes, it might need more context or a different home.

Another very “marketing” move that translates well internally is repetition. External brands don’t say something once and hope it sticks — they repeat it, reinforce it, and show it from different angles. Internal comms should work the same way. Repetition across channels isn’t noise; it’s how stories actually land.

And here’s my slightly spicy take: in some ways, you are trying to sell employees something. You’re asking them to stay, to care, and to show up every day invested in your goals — all while they’re juggling a million competing priorities. That’s not a bad thing. The difference is how you do it. Internal comms shouldn’t feel glossy or manipulative; it should feel honest, consistent, and human.

The biggest unlock is remembering that internal marketing is really about trust. You’re not convincing employees to buy a product. You’re helping them understand where the company is headed, how they fit into the story, and why their work matters. When you lead with clarity, consistency, and a little personality, you can borrow the best parts of marketing without ever sounding like a sales pitch.