A step-by-step comms playbook to plan, send, and measure Mental Health Awareness Month messages.
You want to support employee mental health. But Mental Health Awareness Month comms can turn into a one-off poster, a single email, then silence.
If you’re an HR or People leader, this guide gives you a practical Mental Health Awareness Month communications plan you can run in 30 days, without overloading managers, creating legal risk, or guessing what’s working. You’ll set goals, tailor messages, build a week-by-week calendar, bring managers along, and track results with a simple listening loop. When it works, this plan builds trust and improves reach because you’re sending the right message to the right people at the right time, not blasting everyone with the same content.
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1) Set outcomes and guardrails before you write a single message
Your Mental Health Awareness Month communications plan needs a clear definition of success that’s measurable and safe. Pick 2–3 outcomes, then align with Legal/Compliance on what you can promise, how you’ll handle disclosures, and which resources you’ll point people to (EAP, crisis lines, benefits, accommodations, manager pathways).
Concrete example: Define success as: (1) 70% of employees reached (opened/read) across the month, (2) 15% click-through to resources, and (3) 60% of people managers download the toolkit. Add a guardrail: “Comms will not ask employees to share personal diagnoses; all help-seeking CTAs route to confidential resources.”
2) Segment your audience so your message matches their reality
One-size-fits-all mental health messaging misses the people who may need it most (frontline employees without email, new managers, or remote workers in different time zones). Segments let you adjust tone, channel, and CTA while keeping the core message consistent.
Concrete example: Create 4 segments: (1) all employees (baseline info + resources), (2) people managers (recognize signs, respond, route), (3) frontline/non-desk (QR-code posters + SMS), and (4) new hires (where to find support, how benefits work). Your “all employees” message can be a 200–300 word email; your frontline version becomes a 60-word SMS plus a breakroom poster with a QR code.
3) Build a 4-week content calendar with repeatable weekly themes
A strong Mental Health Awareness Month communications plan repeats the same 3–4 resources in different formats, across different channels, with different angles. That’s how you build recall without spamming people.
Concrete example calendar (4 themes):
- Week 1: Understand — “What mental health is (and isn’t) at work” + where to find support.
- Week 2: Equip — practical tools (boundaries, workload conversations, focus time, PTO planning).
- Week 3: Normalize — leadership message + employee stories (opt-in, edited, non-medical).
- Week 4: Reinforce — recap resources + manager reminders + pulse survey and “what we’re doing next.”
Channel mix example: Monday email (all employees), Wednesday Teams/Slack post (reminder + link), Friday manager nudge (toolkit snippet). For frontline teams, match the cadence with SMS and posters refreshed weekly.
4) Write messages that are specific, human, and action-oriented
Employees don’t need inspirational slogans. They need clear options: what support exists, how to use it, and what “good” looks like day to day. Each message should have one primary CTA plus one backup option for private access.
Concrete example (email snippet): “This month, we’re sharing support you can use in under 5 minutes: (1) EAP counseling (confidential), (2) mental health benefits guide, (3) ‘talk to your manager’ conversation starter. Primary CTA: View the 1-page resource hub. Private option: If you’d rather not click a link, call the EAP directly at [phone number].”
Concrete example (Teams/Slack post): “Quick reminder: if you’re feeling stretched, you’re not alone. Here are 3 options: resource hub, EAP, or PTO planning guide. Link: [URL].”
5) Activate managers with a toolkit that reduces ambiguity
Managers often want to help but don’t know what to say, and they worry about saying the wrong thing. Your Mental Health Awareness Month communications plan should include a manager kit that focuses on observable behaviors, boundaries, and how to connect people to professional help.
Concrete example toolkit (1 page):
- What to watch for: missed deadlines, withdrawal, sudden schedule changes, conflict spikes.
- What to say (script): “I’ve noticed [behavior]. How are you doing? What would help this week?”
- What not to do: diagnose, demand personal details, promise confidentiality beyond policy.
- Where to route: EAP, HR, accommodations process, urgent/crisis resources.
Concrete example activation: Send managers a 5-minute copy/paste message they can post in team channels: “Reminder: if you need support, here’s the resource hub + EAP number. If workload is the issue, let’s talk in 1:1.”
6) Measure and adjust with a lightweight listening loop
If you don’t measure, you’ll run the same play next year without knowing what helped. Track two layers: (1) comms engagement (reach, read rate, clicks), and (2) sentiment and resource awareness via short pulses. Keep surveys optional and anonymous.
Concrete example measurement plan:
- Week 2 pulse (3 questions): “I know where to find mental health resources” (agree/disagree), “I feel comfortable asking for support,” and “What would help most right now?”
- Week 4 pulse (3 questions): same first two questions + “Which resources did you use or share?” (multi-select).
- Comms metrics: open/read rate by segment, click-through rate to resource hub, manager toolkit downloads.
Concrete example action: If frontline click-through is low, change the approach: add a QR code to posters and move the CTA earlier in the SMS. If manager toolkit downloads lag, add a calendar reminder and re-send with a two-sentence summary and a direct link.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Making it all awareness, no access: If your messages don’t include a clear CTA (hub, EAP number, benefits guide), employees won’t know what to do next.
- Over-sharing personal stories without protection: Only use opt-in stories, edit for safety, and avoid medical details that pressure others to disclose.
- Asking managers to handle mental health alone: Managers need scripts and routing pathways, not a vague directive to “check in more.”
- Ignoring non-desk employees: If your plan relies on email only, you’ll miss a big part of your workforce.
- Skipping measurement: Without pulse checks and engagement data, you can’t prove impact or improve next month.
Conclusion: run a plan, not a campaign
A Mental Health Awareness Month communications plan works when you keep it structured: outcomes and guardrails, segmented messaging, a 4-week cadence, manager support, and a simple listening loop. You’re not trying to “fix” mental health in 30 days. You’re making support easier to find, easier to talk about, and easier to use.
Next step: Draft your 4-week calendar today and assign owners for each send (HR, Comms, Benefits, and a leadership sponsor). Then build one resource hub link you’ll reuse in every message.
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