Craft Messages That Compel Your
Target Population
A well-crafted message should consist of three key
elements: content, purpose and a call to action
(CTA). Frame the content of your message around
the goals and off-ramps of the patient journey; your
recruitment committee can establish these points.
The purpose of your message speaks to how you
are trying to change the perspective of your target
population (e.g., make them aware, recognize them).
The CTA prompts your audience to take next steps.
Content
Content focuses on the goals of potential
participants and anticipates the off-ramps in the
participant journey that may prevent them from
completing a clinical trial. There are a number of
nuances to consider within these categories. Frame
these as questions for each target population that
you are trying to engage.
+ + Motivations: Do they want to speed research or
find a cure, or is their behavior purely altruistic?
+ + Challenges: Do they have significant motor or
non-motor symptoms, transportation issues or
communication difficulties?
+ + Education level: Does language need to be
simplified? Should content focus more on the
science? Do terms need to be defined? Would
analogies be helpful?
+ + Cultural values: Do social norms support or
oppose clinical research participation? If norms
support research participation, what is the
underlying rationale?
Purpose
The purpose of your message is the change in
perspective you are prompting within your target
population. Are you trying to:
+ + Generate awareness of clinical research
participation opportunities at your institution
and/or ways that individuals can participate even
if they don’t meet the eligibility criteria for a
specific study?
+ + Educate potential volunteers about the
importance of clinical research participation and
the goals of your study?
+ + Engage them as supporters of clinical research
over the long term or as advocates to promote
clinical research among peers?
+ + Recognize them for their efforts and
participation in research to advance science?
Call to Action
The call to action is what you would like your target
population to do after they read your message. Some
examples might include:
+ + Participate in a specific trial at your institution
or one of the participating sites
+ + Visit a website to learn more about participation
in your trial
+ + Complete an online survey to share more about
their daily experience with Parkinson’s or to
let you know how satisfied they were with
participation in your trial
+ + Share information with peers about a
research opportunity or ways to get involved
with research
+ + Language subtleties: Are there certain terms
that should be included or avoided? Are
there language differences across age or
geographic location?
Chapter 3 — Building a Recruitment Strategy and Toolkit
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