Getting employees to download your intranet mobile app is step one. Getting them to open it every day is step two. Step three, then? Making sure your content is optimized for mobile.
When your workforce is primarily using the mobile app, your content strategy needs to match their habits. Many content creators make the mistake of treating the mobile app simply as a smaller version of the desktop intranet. They use long-form announcements and complex headlines.
Adopting a mobile-first approach ensures your content looks great on the smallest screen, which means it will also look professional and concise on desktop, for whoever reads it there.
The mobile-first approach
Move away from long walls of text and use a style that fits your audience's device, whether you're publishing a blog article, a multichannel post, or a timeline post.
| Feature |
❌ Desktop Style (Avoid) |
✅ Mobile-First Strategy (Recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | Long, complex sentences | Under 50 characters. Keep it punchy so push notifications aren't cut off. |
| Length | 500+ words | < 200 words. If you need more detail, link to a separate page or use a "TL;DR" (Too Long; Didn't Read) summary at the top. |
| Formatting | Long paragraphs (Wall of text) | Bullet points & bold text. High scannability is essential for small screens. |
| Documents | Attached PDFs | In-text. Paste the text directly into the body. PDFs are often difficult to view on mobile devices. |
| Media | Optional | Mandatory. Always use a teaser image or video to stop the scroll in the feed. |
| Structure | Conclusion | Context. Put the main news in the first sentence. |
Add important mobile announcements to digital signage to easily reach your employees, whether they're on factory floors, in retail break rooms, warehouses, or other locations.
Publishing checklist
Before you hit publish, check these 6 boxes to make sure your message works for your mobile audience.
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Is the title under 50 characters? The key message should be visible in a push notification |
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Is there a visual anchor? Never publish text-only announcements; use an image or video |
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Did you remove any attachments? Paste all essential text into the body instead, or link elsewhere |
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Is it scannable? Use bullet points for lists and bold text for dates/names |
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Is the "Lead" first? Don't bury the main announcement at the bottom |
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Is the announcement still long? Add a TL;DR at the top. |
Example: Announcement for desktop vs mobile
See how a long announcement can be tightened up to drive engagement on mobile.
| ❌ Desktop version (Hard to read on mobile) | ✅ Mobile version (Engaging & clear) |
|---|---|
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Headline: Important announcement: Upcoming holiday facility schedule and adjustments to payroll submission deadlines Body: Dear Team, As we approach the end of the year, the management team would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your hard work and dedication throughout the past twelve months. It has been a busy season, and we appreciate everyone's flexibility. We are writing to you today to inform you of the adjusted operating hours for the upcoming holiday period. In order to allow our staff to travel and spend time with their families, the facility will be closing early at 14:00 on December 24th. We will remain fully closed on December 25th and resume normal operations the following day. Additionally, due to the bank holidays, we need to expedite our payroll processing. Please ensure that all timesheets are submitted no later than 5:00 PM this Friday. This strict deadline is necessary to ensure that funds are deposited into your accounts by the 23rd. Please see the attached PDF for a more detailed breakdown of the schedule: Dec_Schedule_Final.pdf Thank you for your cooperation. Best regards, The Management Team |
Headline: 🎄 Holiday Hours & Early Pay Deadlines Body: Hi Team! As we approach the holidays, we want to ensure everyone has time with their families—and gets paid on time! Here are the updates for next week:
⚠️ Action Needed: Please submit your timesheets by Friday at 5 PM to ensure your payment is processed without delay. Thank you for all your hard work this season! — The HR Team |