How not to lose your comms person (again)

One day, my team was invited to a national TV station.
They asked me to wait at the front desk.
They all walked in… except me…

the only journalist!

I sat there… watching the lobby TV as my own films played on the screen.
Former colleagues in the media passed by as I watched my films play.
And then I realized: To my team, I wasn’t to be seen!
I was just the videographer.

That Was My Breaking Point

That was the day I knew I needed something different.
So I walked away.

But this didn’t come from that single experience…

I had worked in an environment where I was told to just find something to post.
The socials are too quiet.”

So I did…

Shot some video…
Edited for hours…
Made graphics
Took photos…
Did my research
Then I posted.

And it looked like we were doing something…
in fact, I was always extremely busy.
I repeated the process everyday…
but it felt hollow.

• No impactful message…

• No consistency...

• No impact…

Just stories with a high noise to signal ratio.

There are signs that your comms person is about to quit.
You just choose to ignore.

They’ve gone quiet.
They no longer ask questions.
They send exactly what’s asked… nothing more.
They stop pitching new ideas.
They miss deadlines they used to crush.
They keep their camera off during team calls.
Their edits feel rushed.
Their captions feel dry.
Their energy... isn’t the same.
You think they’re losing motivation.

But what’s really happening is this:

They’re losing belief that their work matters in your organization.
Because they’ve asked for clarity… and didn’t get it.
They’ve begged for access to program data… and got silence.
They’ve suggested systems… and were told “not now.”
They’ve created magic… only for it to sit in someone's inbox, unseen.

Here’s what you might’ve missed…

They’re burnt out from being everyone’s on-call content machine.
They’re tired of being excluded from strategic meetings.
They’re creatively starved… stuck translating stats without stories.
And they're starting to wonder if their best work belongs somewhere else.

If you want to keep your comms person,
actually keep them,
give them more than a job description.
Give them creative freedom.
Give them access to stories.
Give them a seat at the table.
Give them tools to work fast—and think clearly.

Give them purpose beyond posting.

Because the best comms people don’t just write tweets.
They translate your mission into movement.
They turn invisible work into unforgettable stories.
They build the trust that brings funders back.

But only if they’re supported like they matter.

Only if they’re treated like a core part of your growth
not an afterthought… not a luxury… not a “nice to have.”

Watch the signs.
Make the shift before they walk away.

How did you like this letter?
Leave me a reply and let me know.

Have a comms painpoint?
Suggest a topic you would like me to handle next.

I hope all of that was helpful.

Enjoy your week.

— Kipainoi.

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Find the need | Communicate like a pro
Read the last letter here. | Watch the Kipcast here. Last episode below.