There is a persistent myth within the heritage sector that good projects naturally attract attention.
They don’t.
Over the last few years I’ve worked on a growing number of National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported initiatives across South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and beyond. Some have involved nationally significant stories. Others have focused on deeply local histories at risk of being forgotten. But one pattern appears again and again:
Projects that treat communications as a bolt-on almost always struggle to reach their full potential.
Sometimes the heritage itself is outstanding. The research is meticulous. The volunteers are committed. The stories are emotional, powerful and genuinely important.
Yet public engagement remains limited. Events underperform. Media coverage never materialises. Digital reach stays small. Evaluation becomes difficult. And when the funding period ends, momentum disappears almost overnight.
The problem usually isn’t the heritage.
It’s the assumption that communications simply means “doing some publicity” towards the end of a project.
In reality, communications should shape a heritage project from the beginning.
The strongest projects understand that public engagement is not an optional extra added once the exhibitions, interviews or archive work are complete. It is part of the project itself. In many cases, it determines whether the wider public ever connects emotionally with the heritage being preserved.
That means thinking carefully about audience long before launch day:
Who are we trying to reach?
Why should they care?
What emotional connection are we creating?
How do we make heritage feel relevant to modern audiences rather than simply educational?
The projects that succeed are usually those that understand heritage is fundamentally about people, identity and belonging – not just information.
Communications also affects something else that is increasingly important in the funding environment: evidence of impact.
Funders now rightly expect organisations to demonstrate meaningful engagement, audience reach, inclusion and legacy. That becomes difficult if communications is treated as an afterthought or delegated to someone posting occasional updates on social media between other tasks.
Good communications strategy creates measurable outcomes:
media coverage,
attendance,
community participation,
volunteer engagement,
partnership development,
digital interaction,
legacy audiences and long-term visibility.
Most importantly, it helps projects travel beyond their immediate geography.
I’ve seen local stories resonate nationally when the right emotional narrative is identified and communicated properly. Equally, I’ve seen fascinating heritage projects remain virtually invisible because nobody stopped to consider how the story should be positioned publicly.
There is also a growing challenge around trust and attention.
Modern audiences are overwhelmed with content. Heritage organisations are no longer competing simply with other cultural projects. They are competing with every other demand on people’s time, attention and emotions.
That means heritage communications now requires clarity, confidence and strategy.
Simply documenting history is no longer enough.
Projects need compelling narratives, strong visual identity, consistent messaging and audience-focused storytelling that works across press, digital platforms, events and community engagement.
The irony is that communications is often viewed as an “extra cost” within heritage funding discussions when, in reality, it is one of the key things that determines whether a project succeeds publicly at all.
Some of the strongest heritage initiatives I’ve worked on have succeeded because communications was embedded from day one (click here to see some) – shaping partnerships, generating public anticipation, attracting media interest and helping communities feel genuine ownership over the stories being preserved.
When that happens, heritage projects stop feeling like temporary funded initiatives.
They become part of the cultural memory of a place.
And ultimately, that is what good heritage work should achieve. To find out more about heritage communications consultancy and public engagement strategy click here.