Why Internal Comms Can’t Save Your Learning Campaign

OK, let’s get one thing straight before we begin: Internal comms aren’t the enemy when it comes to learning campaigns. But they aren’t your fairy godmother either.

One of the biggest myths in L&D is that our job is to focus on the learning part, and then we can chuck it over the fence to internal comms and they’ll make people engage. But the truth is, there’s no magical internal comms wand to wave that will transform your flat, one-off message into a campaign that lands. To get real learner engagement, you as the L&D professional, need to be clear on the hook, the ‘what’s in it for me’ and quite simply why your employees should give a hoot. If you’re not, even internal comms will struggle to market it. Sure, they might be able to make your flat message louder. But we all know louder noise is still just noise.

THE MYTH OF COMMS-AS-A-SAVIOUR

Here’s how communications in L&D usually play out:

You launch your initiative

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You send one, all-staff email

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Engagement flatlines *pretends to be shocked*

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Cue panic: “Quick, ask Internal Comms to include it in their calendar!”

But truthfully, can we even call that “comms”? Let alone a campaign? It's essentially a wish and a prayer, and that will get us nowhere.

To get real impact with your learning initiatives, you need an actual learning campaign. Meaning you need a clear strategy, hook and channel plan that will get your learners wanting to learn. Done right, a learning campaign will reach your audience where they’re already hanging out, build anticipation and keep the buzz going long after launch. And the truth is, internal comms can amplify that — but they can’t build it for you.

L&D NEED TO PUT IN THE CAMPAIGN WORK

If you want your learning to cut through, you have to do the heavy lifting when it comes to your learning campaigns. That means:

1. Define the WIIFM (What's in it for me?)
Learners don’t care about “strategic alignment” or “compliance deadlines”. They care about themselves — their time, their growth, their workload. Every campaign needs a clear answer to: why should I bother? Nail this first, or the rest doesn’t matter.

2. Build a strategy, not a schedule
A campaign isn’t a calendar of emails. It’s a clear story arc. Teasers, launches, reminders, nudges, celebration. Multiple touchpoints across multiple channels that connect to your learner personas. Without a strategy, you’re not campaigning. You’re broadcasting and adding to the noise your audience is already hearing.

3. Set benchmarks and goals
Clicks and completions aren’t impact. Decide upfront what success looks like. Is it awareness? Performance? Behaviour change? Then benchmark against it. Otherwise you’ll end up celebrating vanity metrics, like clicks and impressions, and wondering why your learner engagement is flatlining in a matter of weeks.

WHY CAN’T INTERNAL COMMS CREATE LEARNING CAMPAIGNS?

Internal comms have a broad role across the organisation, and one that’s often overlooked. Rather than just ‘sending out messages’ — as many assume they do — internal communication (IC) is actually a continuous process within an organisation that keeps employees informed and connected using verbal, written, and digital channels. Ultimately, it’s their job to communicate with employees to ensure they understand the business strategy and their role in delivering it.

So, yes, learning is part of that. But it’s not ALL of that. And promoting learning is certainly not the most important aspect of their role.

Simply put, it’s time to stop outsourcing engagement responsibility. It’s not for the IC team to work out the WIIFM for learning that you’ve created, or what success looks like. You’re the custodian of learning — and you must identify that.

TIPS FOR THE DREAM INTERNAL COMMS 🤝 L&D RELATIONSHIP

Like I said at the top of this blog, the internal comms team isn’t your enemy. They’re your ally. But only if you stop treating them like a dumping ground and start treating them like a partner. Here’s how:

1. Bring them in early
   Internal comms are an organised bunch. They have calendars that span months, and if you run to them 2 days before launch asking for their help… the answer is likely to be no bueno. Get them involved in your development process up front. Think about how you’re going to devise your learning campaign — and how you can consider their plans and priorities to complement it.
   
   

2. Respect their expertise
   Comms know how to cut through workplace noise, it’s their bread and butter. So don’t tell them what they have to do, or what you’re going to do. Treat meetings as an open conversation. If you have feedback, or a preference, make that clear but constructive. Remember, we’re all working towards the same goal.
   
   

3. Play to each other’s strengths
   Yes, L&D owns the campaign strategy, personas, and learning value. But the truth is, Comms probably owns the channels, timing, and your tone-of-voice too. So don’t fight against it. Find out where the line is, and play by the rules. Remember, we’re building a partnership here!
   
   

4. Share the data
   Comms care about outcomes too. If you’re tracking clicks, completions, and behaviour change, let them see the impact of your marketing. It’ll make them more invested and trusting next time.
   
   

5. Co-create, don’t delegate
   This is a partnership, not a pass-off. Sit down together. Map the journey. Agree the hooks. Build campaigns side by side, not in silos. Some of the tasks might have to be completed by the IC team (for example, newsletter contributions or company-wide emails), but other aspects you might be able to do alone. But make sure you plan this up-front, so everyone is on the same page!

When comms and L&D pull in the same direction, you don’t just get louder campaigns. You get smarter ones. The kind that employees actually notice — and act on.

BUILD A LEARNING CAMPAIGN THAT ACTUALLY WORKS

The truth is, if your learning campaign is working, internal comms will be your biggest fan. And that’s where we all want to be right?

So it’s time to sit up and accept that campaign success sits with us, the L&D team. It depends on how well we know our audience, how good the learning is, how well you’ve defined the WIIFM, and how you’ve defined your goals. Internal comms?

They’re just supportive friends along the way.

So stop asking comms to rescue broken campaigns. Start building campaigns strong enough to stand on their own — multi-channel, human-first and strategically planned.

Need help getting started? That’s exactly why we built our 100 Internal Marketing Hacks for L&D guide. Smart, scrappy, practical tips to design campaigns that don’t just get seen — they get acted on.