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Content & Communications Strategy Brainstorm

Bottom Pub Co-op — Stage 1: Gauging Interest Not a finished document. A brainstorm for steering committee discussion.

1. Content Ideas & Formats

Short-form social (Facebook, Instagram)

• “Did you know?” heritage posts — one fact per post about the Commercial Hotel’s history (Heritage Register listing, the Victorian-Georgian facade, what “pub with no beer” actually means). Sourced from the heritage briefing. No speculation, no purchase claims.
• Community voice quotes — short quotes from EOI respondents (with permission): “I’d love to see the pub open again because…” Human-scale, not campaign-scale.
• Explainer carousels — swipe-through slides: “What’s a co-op actually?” / “What does ‘expression of interest’ mean?” / “Why heritage listing matters.” Borrow language from the website briefings, distilled to 5-6 cards.
• Photo then/now — historical photos of the Commercial Hotel alongside current exterior. The repo has Dalcos Hotel 1919 images and 2020 facade shots. Side-by-side format is inherently shareable.
• Plain-language myth-busting — “Myth: You’d be buying shares. Fact: An EOI is just saying ‘keep me informed.’ No money changes hands.” Directly addresses confusion without triggering financial-offer language.
• Town map / “who’s nearby” graphic — anonymised dot map of EOI signups by postcode area. Shows breadth without exposing individuals. Update periodically as numbers grow.
• “Cygnet reads the room” — screenshot of community Facebook discussions (with permission) showing real concern about the pub’s future. Validates the idea that this isn’t top-down.

Long-form written

• Monthly update on bottom.pub — a short, honest post on the website. “What we’ve learned this month” format. Steering committee chooses 1-2 things to share. Keeps the site alive without overpromising.
• Briefing deep-dives repackaged — the existing briefings (heritage, legal, social finance, governance) are thorough but dense. Write 400-600 word “plain English” summaries of each, published as blog posts and shared on social. Link back to the full briefing for anyone who wants the detail.
• Letters to the editor / Huon Valley Courier — short opinion pieces. One per month max. Different steering committee members byline each time. Follows the public language sheet strictly.
• FAQ page expansion — the website has some FAQ content. Expand based on actual questions from community conversations, EOI submissions, and Facebook threads. Iterative — add new Qs as they come in.

Video & audio

• 3-minute “What’s the idea?” video — one person on camera (convenor or steering member) explaining Stage 1 in plain language. Shot on a phone at the pub exterior or at the Cygnet Town Hall. No production polish — authenticity is the production value.
• Heritage walkthrough — 2-minute video walking past the Commercial Hotel exterior. Narrate what’s heritage-listed and what that means. Overlay text for key points. Respectful of the private property it currently is.
• Community conversation recordings — short audio clips (2-5 min) from steering committee members or community figures, published as a mini-podcast or just shared as audio on social. “Why I registered my interest” format. No studio needed — voice memo quality.
• Instagram/Facebook Reels — 30-second clips from longer content. Quick facts, heritage photos with pan, quote overlays. Repurposing pipeline, not separate production.

Print & physical

• One-page flyer — A4, single-sided. “What’s being explored?” + QR code to bottom.pub + EOI link. Designed for the noticeboard at the Cygnet IGA, the post office, the op shop, the CWA hall. Updated quarterly.
• Pavement sign / sandwich board — outside community events (Cygnet Folk Festival, markets). “Curious about the pub’s future? bottom.pub” Nothing more. Maximum intrigue, minimum risk.
• Postcard — photo of the pub on the front, three bullet points on the back + QR code. Leave stacks at cafes, the library, the doctor’s surgery. Physical artefacts travel in a small town.

Events & face-to-face

• Kitchen-table conversations — not a town hall meeting (too early, too much pressure). Small hosted conversations in people’s homes. 8-10 people. One steering committee member, one printed sheet of facts, honest Q&A. Report themes back (anonymised) to the steering committee.
• Pop-up at existing events — don’t create new events; show up at existing ones. Cygnet Folk Festival stall. Market day table. Farm door sales day. Be present, answer questions, point to the EOI.
• “Pint of the future” hypothetical night — if/when a venue partner is willing, host a community night at another local pub. No formal presentation. Just a table with info sheets and someone wearing a “Ask me about the Bottom Pub” badge. The pub itself is the natural conversation starter.
• Steering committee office hours — advertised once a month at a local cafe. “X will be at [cafe] on [day] between [time] — come ask questions.” Low pressure, high trust.

Digital & web

• Email newsletter — monthly, plain text preferred. Short update + one thing to read + EOI link. No design budget needed. Tone: warm, honest, no hype. “Here’s what we know. Here’s what we don’t.”
• bottom.pub EOI counter — already exists on the site. Keep updating the number. Visible momentum builds credibility.
• Website “community questions” section — surfaced from real questions people are asking. Updated as patterns emerge. Shows responsiveness, not just broadcasting.

2. Rough Content Calendar — 6 Months

Month 1–2: Planting seeds

Goal: Make sure every person in Cygnet has heard the question at least once.

• Month 1, Week 1: Publish “What’s the idea?” video on social. Boost with $50–$100 Facebook ad targeted to Cygnet/Huonville postcode radius.
• Month 1, Week 2: Heritage “Did you know?” post series begins (1 per week for 4 weeks).
• Month 1, Week 3: Distribute flyers to noticeboards (IGA, post office, library, community hall, op shop, cafes).
• Month 1, Week 4: First kitchen-table conversation (friendliest audience first — people who’ve already signed the EOI).
• Month 2, Week 1: “What does EOI actually mean?” explainer carousel. Directly addresses the most common misunderstanding.
• Month 2, Week 2: First email newsletter. Short. “We’ve had X expressions of interest. Here’s what we’re learning.”
• Month 2, Week 3: Second kitchen-table conversation. Invite people who are curious but haven’t signed yet.
• Month 2, Week 4: Then/now photo post. Share the historical images from the repo.

Month 3–4: Building trust

Goal: Show the work is real, honest, and not overpromising.

• Month 3, Week 1: Publish first plain-English briefing summary (heritage — the most tangible, least abstract topic).
• Month 3, Week 2: Steering committee office hours at local cafe (first session).
• Month 3, Week 3: Myth-busting post series (3 posts: “Is this an investment?” / “Is the pub for sale?” / “What does ‘co-op’ mean?”). Draw directly from the public language sheet.
• Month 3, Week 4: Second newsletter. Include a “What we don’t know yet” section. Build credibility through honesty.
• Month 4, Week 1: Publish plain-English governance briefing summary. “What would one-member-one-vote actually look like?”
• Month 4, Week 2: EOI milestone post (whenever a round number hits). Anonymised postcode dot map.
• Month 4, Week 3: Pop-up presence at a local event (market day, community day, whatever’s on the Cygnet calendar).
• Month 4, Week 4: Third newsletter. Community voice quote from an EOI sign-up (with permission).

Month 5–6: Deepening the conversation

Goal: Move from “have you heard?” to “what questions should we be asking as a community?”

• Month 5, Week 1: Publish plain-English legal/licensing briefing summary. “What does ‘community interest’ mean in Tasmanian liquor law?”
• Month 5, Week 2: Second steering committee office hours.
• Month 5, Week 3: Community questions page on website — “Here are the things people are actually asking us.”
• Month 5, Week 4: Fourth newsletter. Theme: “What comes after Stage 1?” Honest about not knowing yet.
• Month 6, Week 1: Publish plain-English social finance briefing summary. “How do other community pubs actually fund themselves?”
• Month 6, Week 2: “Pint of the future” informal night (if venue partner available).
• Month 6, Week 3: 6-month reflection post. “What we’ve learned. What we still don’t know. What happens next.”
• Month 6, Week 4: Fifth newsletter. Pause point — steering committee evaluates whether Stage 1 has enough signal to continue.

3. Key Audiences & How to Reach Them

Primary: Cygnet residents (permanent)

• Who: People who live in Cygnet year-round. They’ve seen the pub closed, they know the building, they have opinions about what the town needs.
• Reach: Facebook community groups (Cygnet & Huon Valley Community Board, Cygnet Classifieds), flyers at IGA/post office/library, kitchen-table conversations, word of mouth.
• Tone: Direct, honest, no jargon. “This is what we’re exploring. What do you think?”
• Key message: Your interest is what determines whether this goes further. No money. No commitment. Just the question.

Primary: Cygnet residents (seasonal / weekender)

• Who: Hobart-based and interstate people with holiday houses or strong connections to Cygnet. Many are high-income, many care deeply about the town’s character.
• Reach: Facebook (shared by permanent residents into holiday-owner networks), bottom.pub website (they’ll find it if locals share it), email newsletter (they’ll sign up online).
• Tone: Respectful of their connection. “You’re part of this community too.”
• Key message: The EOI is open to anyone who cares about Cygnet’s future — you don’t have to be a permanent resident.

Secondary: Huon Valley wider community

• Who: People in Huonville, Franklin, Geeveston, Dover — neighbouring towns with their own pub stories and community identity. Potential allies and amplifiers.
• Reach: Huon Valley Courier (letters, news tips), Huon Valley Facebook groups, cross-sharing by Huon Valley community organisations.
• Tone: “We’re exploring this in Cygnet. Other communities have done similar things. Here’s what we’re learning.”
• Key message: This is a Cygnet exploration, not a Huon Valley campaign. But the lessons will be shared.

Secondary: Tasmanian co-op / community ownership network

• Who: People who’ve done this before — other community-owned pubs, co-op practitioners, social enterprise networks in Tasmania and nationally.
• Who specifically: The Star Store in Beechworth, the Royal Victorian Hotel in Heyfield, community-owned pub practitioners in other states. Cooperatives and mutuals networks (BCCM).
• Reach: Direct outreach by steering committee. LinkedIn (for the professional network). Email introduction.
• Tone: “We’re learning. What did you wish you’d known at Stage 1?”
• Key message: We’re not asking for endorsement. We’re asking for honesty about what this takes.

Tertiary: State and local media

• Who: Huon Valley Courier, Mercury, ABC Tasmania, Tasmanian Times, local radio (Huon FM).
• Reach: Proactive but controlled. Steering committee convenor is the single media contact. The public language sheet governs every quote.
• Tone: Factual, stage-appropriate. “Exploring whether community ownership is worth pursuing.” Not “campaigning to buy the pub.”
• Key message: This is a community exploring an option, not a campaign with a predetermined outcome.

Tertiary: Local and state politicians

• Who: Huon Valley Council councillors, state MP for Franklin, federal MP for Franklin.
• Reach: Briefing note (1 page) delivered by steering committee. Not a media strategy — a relationship strategy.
• Tone: “We want you to know this is being explored responsibly. We’re not asking for support yet — we’re informing you.”
• Key message: This project follows proper process. We’re doing the homework before making claims.

4. Simple Communications Strategy

Principles

1. Stage discipline. Everything we publish must pass the release checklist. If it implies the pub is for sale, that we’re buying it, or that returns are guaranteed, it doesn’t go out.
2. Warm, humble, concrete. The release checklist tone rules. No heroic overpromising. No spreadsheet astrology.
3. Honesty about uncertainty. “We don’t know yet” is the most credible sentence we can say. Use it often.
4. One voice. The steering committee convenor is the single point of contact for media. Steering committee members follow the public language sheet for any conversation. If in doubt, don’t say it.
5. Community first, broadcast second. Kitchen-table conversations before Facebook posts. Listening before announcing. The website and social media are amplifiers for real conversations, not substitutes for them.

Channels (ranked by trust, not reach)

Content pipeline

Real conversation or question
  → Answer it honestly (one voice, public language sheet)
  → Turn the answer into content (FAQ entry, social post, newsletter item, briefing update)
  → Publish and point back to bottom.pub
  → Learn from what people ask next

This is a loop, not a funnel. We don’t “convert” people. We make it easy for curiosity to become an informed EOI, and we make sure the information is honest enough that people can make their own decision.

What we don’t do

• Don’t create urgency that doesn’t exist. There’s no deadline on Stage 1. The property situation is what it is. We don’t manufacture FOMO.
• Don’t promise outcomes. “Could the community explore buying the pub?” — not “The community is buying the pub.”
• Don’t use financial language. No “investment,” “returns,” “dividends,” “pledges.” The public language sheet is the rule.
• Don’t go viral. Viral reach pulls in people who don’t have context. We want depth in Cygnet, not breadth on the internet.
• Don’t let one person become the story. This is a community exploration, not a personal project. Share the bylines, share the voices.

Success measures (Stage 1)

Not followers. Not impressions. The things that actually matter:

• EOI count trend — is it growing? Are we getting sign-ups from the Cygnet postcode consistently, or is it a burst and flatline?
• Community question quality — are the questions getting more specific and informed? (“What about heritage compliance?” beats “When’s it opening?”)
• Kitchen-table attendance and diversity — are we hearing from people who aren’t already in our network? Are age groups, backgrounds, and neighbourhoods represented?
• Media accuracy — when the Courier or ABC covers us, do they get the stage right? Or do we have to correct financial language we never used?
• Steering committee confidence — does the committee have a clearer picture of whether this is worth pursuing? That’s the actual purpose of Stage 1.

This brainstorm is for steering committee discussion. It is not a published document. It does not represent a decision to pursue any of these ideas. It is a starting point for conversation.