From FYI to FOMO: The New Way to Get Employees to Engage with your Internal Communication
- Vivien
- Oct 22, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 11, 2025
Let's face it - most internal communications feel like the company equivalent of being cc’d on a cold email.
Built for compliance, not curiosity.
They inform — but rarely ignite action.
Those Announcements, training invites, policy updates that took your team weeks… messages that are the heartbeat of culture, engagement, and performance, all sent into the void of unopened inboxes and unread intranet posts.
It's not easy watching your employees scroll past.
But employees aren’t ignoring your internal comms because they don't care.
They ignore them because nothing signals why it matters to them right now.
There’s no urgency
No energy
No “I need to be part of this.”
Just another polite FYI floating through Slack.
If you want to design internal messaging that makes people opt in rather than tune out, add some FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) into the mix.
FOMO isn’t just a marketing trick.
It’s an emotional shortcut for attention.
It works because it taps into three deeply human needs:
Urgency: “This is happening now.”
Exclusivity: “Others are already in on it.”
Belonging: “I don’t want to be left out.”
And turns your update from “I’ll get to it later” into “Wait—what’s happening?”
“You’ll want to see this before tomorrow’s meeting.”
works 100xs better than “Please read this month's update from HR.”
5 Ways to Use FOMO to Make Your Internal Communication Unmissable
1. Start with a “Why Now?” hook (Time pressure)
Employees are busy.
They're not reading your content behind their desk, sipping tea.
They're reading your content on the factory floor, waiting for their lunch order, watching their kids play the donkey in the school nativity.
People ignore content if they think it’ll still be there tomorrow.
A “don’t miss this” tone cuts through the noise better than a polite invite.
Add time sensitivity when you want to boost sign-ups and attendance
"The first 20 people get priority access to…"
"Last few seats left for Friday’s innovation workshop!"
"Get your name on the list before it closes.”
"before Friday,” “first 50 teams,” “this week only.”
Where to use:
Training sessions or skill-up programs
Town halls or leadership Q&As
Company-wide challenges or innovation sprints
2. Turn invites into moments (Exclusivity)
When everyone’s stretched thin, a new initiative or training session can sound like more hard work, unless it feels like the place to be.
Your goal isn’t just to inform.
It’s to turn passive updates into can’t-miss moments, because people want to be part of it when you make a project feel desirable.
So instead of “Reminder: register for Friday’s workshop.”
Try:
"You’ll hear this update here first before it’s announced company-wide."
“You’ll want your name on this project—see what our next big internal success story looks like.”
“Almost every department has registered for Friday’s Strategy Session—will yours be the one missing?”
“Early access,” “VIP sneak peek,” “Pilot group only.”
“80% of teams have already switched to the new platform — don’t be the last to migrate.”
Where to use:
Cross-functional projects
Culture or innovation initiatives
CSR or volunteer drives
Example:
Make internal projects feel like movements to get people talking. (Social proof)
People join movements, not mandates.
Change only works when people believe it’s something they'd be proud to be part of.
Frame your internal initiatives and training as Progression rather than another thing to add to their calendar.
“Be part of the pilot that’s shaping how we’ll work next year.”
“You’ll want your name on this project — it’s going to be a game changer.”
“80% of teams are saying great things about using the new workflow—don’t be the last to switch.”
“Everyone’s talking about…” or “Teams across APAC are joining in.”
Where to use:
Digital transformation rollouts
New tool or process launches
Policy or culture updates
Change initiatives
Make Recognition Contagious
Recognition works best when it motivates through aspiration instead of instruction.
This isn’t just about applause.
It’s about social proof.
Publicly celebrating others creates a “wait, I want that too” effect.
That subtle sense of “people I respect are already doing this” drives engagement far better than another reminder.
“Team X just hit 98% engagement — can your team top it?”
“Our Customer Service Team just earned their Collaboration Gold Badge — who’s next?”
Every shout-out becomes a soft nudge that says, “This could be you.”
and spread a culture of positivity.
Where to use:
Recognition programs
Employee spotlights
Peer-nominated awards
Internal Newsletters
Drive Engagement in Storytelling and Content
FOMO turns your updates from “nice to know” into “need to see.”
It makes internal stories feel like you’re tuning into something unfolding right now, not reading leftovers from last week.
“You’ll hear the full story on Friday’s drop — don’t let someone else fill you in on Monday.”
“We’re revealing the project that changed how three teams work — streaming tomorrow.”
"how our suppliers in India pulled off the impossible using 58% less water (and what they learned doing it)"
Where to use:
Internal newsletters
Video updates
Employee podcasts or intranet stories
Creating FOMO-driven internal communication is about making employees feel like they’ll miss something exciting, valuable, or career-boosting if they don’t engage.
It nudges your employees to read more or sign up by showing that:
Something valuable is happening
Time or access is limited
Their peers are already involved
Their participation matters
So here's my quick FOMO Formula for Any Message that needs to inspire action.
FOMO = (Relevance × Urgency) + Social Proof + Easy Next Step
Example:
“Join our new mentoring circle to see how you can fast-track your development with people who’ve been there (Relevance) x sign up before Friday, only 60 spots left (Urgency) + 40 attendees from Sales have already joined (Social Proof) + Add your name before the next round closes. (Next Step).”
If your messaging is getting stuck, I can help you build one that creates movement.
🎯 Hi, I'm Vivien,
I work with Heads of Communications, CMOs, and B2B internal and external comms teams who desperately need messaging that:
Sticks
Travels accurately
Gets repeated and remembered
Ticks internal alignment
Creates momentum in buying committees
And moves decisions forward
