Words That Work

Rather than running a traditional issue campaign, Beekeeper built a communications infrastructure the whole sector could use. We conducted public opinion research with intentional oversamples of Black and African American communities, Spanish-speaking communities, and rural residents to ensure the messaging reflected a broad range of lived experiences. We tested language to identify what resonates across partisan lines — finding that frames like “accountability” and “keeping tabs on local government” outperformed abstract concepts. From there, we developed a full messaging architecture: audience-specific talking points, scripts, and plain-language toolkits released as free, open-access resources, including Spanish-language materials developed from research rather than translation. We extended the work through network training and webinars to help organizations put the messaging into practice.