Internal Vs. External Company Messaging: 5 Key Differences You Can’t Ignore

Internal vs external company messaging: Do they have to be different in approach? How? This blog will tell you everything you must know. 

In today’s all-access, always-on📳 world, companies have much talking to do—to their teams and with everyone else. While on the surface level, it might seem like there aren't that many differences between how you’ve got to approach internal & external comms (after all, they're both comms, right), the reality is quite different. The ideal strategy for keeping your teammates in the loop and putting out the perfect brand message doesn’t exactly go hand in hand. 

So where’s the difference?

In this blog, we aim to breakdown and simplify this to the t. We will be breaking down the five significant differences between these two sides of company messaging. With these differences on top of your mind, you’ll be better equipped to strengthen both your internal culture and your external brand with style. So let’s get started, shall we? 

5 Key Differences You Can’t Ignore

Audience

Let’s begin with Captain Obvious. When it comes to internal vs. external company messaging, the first significant difference is the audience. 

Internal comms are all about talking with your employees and internal stakeholders. This communication type comprises all the messaging you send out internally to inform your teams about goals, key developments, changes, updates, successes, failures, or celebrations within the organization. And by employees, we don’t just mean your in-office folks but also the frontline and dispersed workforce. 

On the other hand, external communications cast a wider net and target everyone else who’s not employed in your organization. This form of communication focuses on presenting your brand to the world and engaging with all those who interact with your products or services. Think customers, investors, partners, media houses, or really just anyone in the general public!

Purpose

The next important distinction is around purpose. 

Internal comms' primary aim is to engage your people and build a work environment where productivity thrives. The idea is to ensure everyone is aligned with the company’s strategy and values. It’s really about fostering connection and collaboration, ensuring everyone feels part of something bigger(kind of like a family). Getting this on point is super important if you (quite honestly) don’t want to mess up in the broader sense of business efficiency and productivity. And it’s not just us claiming so, but the facts say this. Research suggests that 86% of employees cite ineffective internal communication as the leading cause of workplace failures. You don’t want to be one of them!

Conversely, external communication is focused on brand management and public relations. It’s about marketing your products or services, shaping customer perceptions, and managing stakeholder relationships. (Yeah, we mean pretty much everything your company spends money or effort on to look good when speaking with the outside world.) The goal is to create a positive image and drive engagement from outside the organization. As you can imagine, this is also super important to attract customers and investors and establish positive brand awareness.

Tone and Style

Now, tone and style are the point at which these two types of messaging genuinely take different turns. 

Internal communications require adopting a more informal and conversational tone. These communications primarily involve speaking employees’ language, creating a sense of community, and inviting feedback with the underlying idea of promoting openness and transparency. Thus, the tone plays an important part, and if it isn’t open enough, you could end up hurting employee morale. According to research, 33% of employees state that a lack of open, honest communication tone negatively impacts their employee morale. 

In contrast, external communications require you to be more formal and polished. After all, every message under this umbrella reflects the company’s brand image to external stakeholders and aims to resonate with a broader audience. Therefore, it is advisable to put on your creative hats and craft this stuff carefully according to your brand voice.

Channels and Frequency

Next comes the matter of channels and frequency. 

Internal communications use platforms like dedicated employee apps, intranets, internal newsletters, and emails to keep employees informed and engaged. (Not to forget all those meetings that could have been emails 😛) They are usually frequent since they’re about sharing regular updates with the team and fostering community among team members. Honestly, they could pretty much be several times a day as well, depending on need. In most cases, especially when talking to frontline workers, it would need to be real-time and asynchronous, totally depending on the needs. For example, emergency breakdowns could require internal comms, and regular updates as things move to fix that. On the other hand, sending out general updates could be asynchronous messages on your employee app, from time to time.

On the other hand, external communications leverage various channels such as social media, press releases, and marketing campaigns. These are designed to reach a wider audience, so the messaging frequency for these often varies based on the campaign or initiative (and, of course, your marketing budget with a capital B). Disclaimer: You don’t want to be spammy with either of these.

Feedback Loops

Last but not least, another essential distinction lies in the feedback loops. 

Internal communications often incorporate two-way feedback mechanisms (and honestly work best when they do!). When done right, they allow employees to voice their thoughts and contribute to the company’s direction. This enhances engagement and fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation. 

External communications, however, more often involve one-way messaging with limited direct feedback from the audience. While you may receive comments or questions through social media or customer service, external communication is really more about conveying information rather than facilitating active two-way dialogue.

Building solid connections inside out requires tieing internal and external comms together

Mastering the balance between internal and external messaging and getting each of them on point isn’t just a checkbox exercise - it’s the backbone of your company's communication, motivation, and connection. While internal messaging helps you align and energize your team, external messaging shapes how the rest of the world perceives your brand. Getting both streams right is super rewarding and helps you build trust, foster engagement, and ensure everyone - inside and out, understands who you are and where you’re going.

Do you want to supercharge your internal communication? Speakap has you covered. With tools specifically designed to engage employees, streamline workflows, and keep everyone(including your frontline workers) connected, Speakap is the social intranet that truly grows with your company. Use it to supercharge internal communications and drive efficiency in your external communications! We’d say don’t settle for scattered communication when you can create a space that aligns, informs, and inspires your team daily.