Low Cost Message Testing Guide

SECTION 2

Understanding testing

... a series of investigations that evaluate your assumptions on why something might or might not work

What is testing?

Testing is a series of investigations that evaluate your assumptions on why something might or might not work. In CSO messaging, testing measures your priority audience’s reaction and helps determine whether they will find your message understandable, believable, and appealing.

... to see if your

messaging and programming will perform as well as you think it will.

What should I test?

You should test to see if your messaging and programming will perform as well as you think it will. We’re often working quickly to create a message and get it out to our audience. Sometimes we think we have great campaign ideas that can meaningfully shift our audience’s minds and behaviors. But will they actually work? These messages often are based on what we as CSOs assume will work. And our assumptions can prove wrong. Testing helps us know if we are correct in assuming what will work and why. It allows us to learn more about the audiences and the messages we intend to communicate.

... elements that drive the most impact with your audience.

What could I test for?

Test the elements in your campaign that you think could drive the most impact with your audience. Test to understand how your audience responds to the most important elements of your communication campaigns. Some of these elements matter in how effectively you communicate: