Take a vital first step in creating or refreshing your audience strategy
Get the first of three digital Playbooks designed to help you create a 360 degree, whole organisation, audience strategy.
The Playbooks turn insight from many years of consultancy within the arts into
frameworks, tools, and processes that you can apply yourself to drive real results.
Use the step-by-step Audience Ambition Playbook to guide you and your colleagues through the process of creating your shared audience ambition
Before you set out on a journey to grow audiences, relationships, and income,
let’s define what success will look like:
Develop a shared language about audiences across your organisation
Move from competing to collaborative audience goals
Identify priorities, planning best use of your limited time and resources
Drive real results in line with your shared ambition
How might you use the Playbook?
Option one: use with your team / organisation
Use the Playbook as a structure for your next away day – with staff, the senior leadership team, or your board
Included in the Playbook is every discussion and exercise from my popular away day.
Play the videos on a large screen and pause to explore the exercises as a team – it’s like having me there in the room to run the day for you, but at a fraction of the cost!
Thanks so much for what was an exceptionally enjoyable and appropriately structured day which I hope will stay with us and inform our approaches to how we plan in numerous ways.
Cathy Moore, Artistic Director, Cambridge Literary Festival
[Quote following an away day led by Julie including many of the exercises within this Playbook.]
Option two: work through the Playbook by yourself
Use the tools by yourself to help you think deeply about your strategic direction
Take yourself off to a quiet space, or to your favourite cafe with your laptop and headphones, and work through the prompts shared throughout the Playbook.
Option three: Work through it gradually over a series of team meetings
Use the Playbook over time with colleagues
Explore one module per team meeting over the next few meetings to help inspire your thinking and shape your team ambition.
And / or break silo working by using the Playbook in senior leadership team meetings.
Inside this Playbook you’ll find:
A suite of videos guiding you through the process – full of discussions, prompts, and exercises to explore
And a step-by-step pdf framework to help you develop your shared ambition
Supporting the Playbook:
You will also get access to a collaborative digital whiteboard to capture and explore ideas across the team as you progress through the Playbook.
Five modules guide you through the process of creating your shared audience ambition:
Module one: who do we exist for?
Reflect on the past year, build on your success, and highlight areas for growth.
Two short videos, plus pdf template, and / or digital whiteboard.
Allow approx. 1 hour to include a few minutes for the videos plus lots of discussion guided by the prompts. Discussion time may vary depending on the size of your team.
Module two: why does our work matter to people?
Explore audience motivations and values. What matters to your current and potential audiences?
This module shares insights from a tool called Culture Segments created by Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (with thanks to MHM for letting me share these insights within the Playbook).
Helping to create a shared language about audiences across your team / organisation.
Twelve short videos, plus a simple pdf template (and / or digital whiteboard) to aid your discussion and capture your ideas.
Allow approx. 30 mins for the videos and 30 mins for the discussion exercise.
[Note – the discussion exercise within this module will work with other psychographic based segmentation tools. If you already have an approach embedded within your organisation obviously feel free to use that instead during your discussions].
Module three: setting our audience priorities
A simple framework to aid discussion about your priorities for audiences in line with your artistic vision and purpose. Explore your aspirations for meaningfully engaging people.
One quick video, plus a pdf template (and / or digital whiteboard) to capture your ideas.
Allow approx. 30 mins for the very short video and lots of discussion following the prompts.
Module four: exploring our shared ambition
A guided discussion and exercise designed to explore what success might look like for you and for your audience in three – five year time.
This module pulls together ideas from the earlier discussions and has proven to be a real energiser for teams. What might success look like to you?
Two videos (10 mins in total), plus a pdf template (and / or digital whiteboard) to capture your ideas.
Allow approx. 45 mins for this module to include 10 mins for the videos and two discussion exercises responding to the prompts.
Module five: documenting our shared audience ambition
A one slide framework (and a couple of optional creative approaches) to help you document your shared audience ambition.
Use this at the start of your audience strategy, integrate it within your business plan, or use as a living reminder for you and your team.
Two videos (approx. 10 mins in total), plus a pdf template (and / or digital whiteboard) to document your shared audience ambition.
Allow up to 1 hour to include the videos and discussion exercises.
Plus agree who will take the ideas away and refine them to refer back to as your shared ambition.
Price: £150 + VAT · 12 months’ access. For you, your team, or your whole organisation.
This isn’t a book or a training programme.
It’s a process, tried and tested with dozens of arts and cultural organisations through consultancy work, now available for you to use by yourself (or with your team) to help you make real progress.
‘It was very encouraging to get colleagues thinking and talking about audiences, and to have a shared language around which to have discussions.’
Sara Adderson, Deputy Director, Ely Museum
[Quote following a bespoke staff workshop led by Julie exploring exercises within this Playbook.]
Who is this for?
This Playbook is designed for:
- Staff working across departments looking to align audience goals, vision, and aspirations.
- Senior leaders starting or refreshing an audience strategy.
- CEOs / Executive Directors to use as they guide the organisation (and / or board) through the process of shaping a shared, whole organisation, audience ambition and strategic direction.
Finding time to be strategic can be challenging.
- Everyone is so busy working on an ever growing action plan for the next event, next exhibition, or next project.
- Teams are working flat out, but often heading in different directions.
- Good ideas are being generated, but each one just adds more things to your to-do list.
Creating a shared, exciting Audience Ambition is a vital first step in getting staff all on the same page. Use the Playbook to bring your team together and / or as the start of creating a 360 (whole organisation) audience strategy.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my whole team / organisation to use this, or can I start by myself?
Either works. You might begin by exploring the Playbook alone, then go through the modules with your team or senior leadership once you’ve got a feel for the process. Or you might dive straight in as a team from day one. There’s no right or wrong way.
How long does it take to work through?
Most modules take 30–60 minutes including discussion, so the full process can be completed in a single away day, or spread across five team meetings, coffee breaks, or however suits your diary. Time estimates are noted for each module within the Playbook, but please note these will vary depending upon the size of your team.
Do I need any particular software or technical skills?
No. You’ll need internet access to watch short videos and either print the PDF templates, or copy the headings onto paper, or use the digital whiteboard that’s included with the Playbook to capture your ideas.
What’s the digital whiteboard, and do I have to use it?
It’s a ready-made online space with templates from the Playbook, so that you can capture and develop your ideas together if you’re working as a team – particularly useful if your team isn’t all in one room. This will automatically save so that you can come back to it later. No prior experience with this is required, the Playbook will guide you through it. If you’d rather work with the PDFs, or with flip charts and post-it notes, or on paper in your favourite notebook, that’s completely fine too!
How long do I have access for?
12 months from purchase, including any updates made to the Playbook during that time.
Is this suitable for organisations of any size?
Yes. The process has been tested with organisations ranging from small touring companies to larger theatres, museums, galleries and festivals. The framework adapts to your context.
Who can buy the Playbook?
The Audience Ambition Playbook is available to arts and cultural organisations across the UK, Europe, and beyond. If you have a company credit card and company tax or VAT number, you can purchase instantly via the secure checkout. If you’re based in the UK and don’t have a VAT number or need to request an invoice before payment, use the pre-order form instead and an invoice will be sent to you.
Shape a shared, exciting ambition for audience growth that energises and inspires you and your colleagues
Price: £150 + VAT · 12 months’ access. For you, your team, or your whole organisation.
If you have a company credit / debit card and want instant access:
Instant access to the Playbook upon payment.
Available internationally to those working in organisations – you’ll need a company name, credit card, and company VAT / tax number at checkout.
If you don’t work for a company or need to request an invoice before payment:
Access to the Playbook will follow once payment has been received.
Please note, this option is only available to those based in the UK.
Not ready to start shaping your Audience Ambition yet?
The Audience Ambition Playbook is the first of three Playbooks designed to help you create a 360 degree, whole organisation, audience strategy.
If you’re not ready to dive into them just yet, you might want to experience my free, bite-sized version of the whole process, please join us for the next free online masterclass to create your One Page Audience Strategy.
