Quality over quantity: Why we need to rethink reporting in communications and have a paradigm shift to less push is more

As the first quarter of 2025 wraps and reporting begins, one myth refuses to die: that more content equals more success. If you are a communications professional, think about it: how many times have colleagues from across your organisation asked you for more posts, more emails, more “push.”

Sounds familiar? Behind the scenes, comms professionals are feeling the weight. When ticket sales for events stall, internal education programs don't get enough sign-ups, or product launches don't meet number expectations, fingers often point straight to the comms team. “Why didn’t this get more traction?” “Why didn’t we post more?” “Why didn’t we send another eDM?”

However, in 2025, in fact, even for a few years now, these are the wrong questions. It’s that we as comms professionals are being asked to apply outdated measurements and performance indicators to a landscape that’s already moved on and changed - dramatically. 

The engagement illusion: more doesn’t equal better

Let’s be clear: volume is not a strategy. In fact, the data tells a different story - one that should be a wake-up call across every organisation still clinging to the “more is better” mindset.

EDMs are a prime example. While it might feel intuitive that more emails mean more visibility, the opposite is true. Research shows that as the number of eEDMs or email newsletters increases, open and click-through rates decline. Flooding inboxes doesn’t drive engagement - it drives fatigue, unsubscribes, and diminishing returns, in particular, if the message is repetitive.

In health tech and healthcare in particular, quality beats quantity. Campaign Monitor puts average open rates around 23.7% for healthcare emails - strong by industry standards. But send too many, and that engagement quickly erodes.

“Posting more doesn’t mean performing better. It’s the right content, at the right time, in the right format that drives results.”

LinkedIn: built for meaningful interaction

The same principle applies to LinkedIn. While it’s tempting to post often to stay “top of mind,” the algorithm doesn’t reward that behaviour - in fact, it punishes it.

Experts say posting more than once daily can reduce reach by up to 25%. Why? Because LinkedIn’s algorithm, updated roughly every two months, prioritises relevance and conversation, not repetition.

In 2024 and 2025, the platform tests content within the first hour - especially for thoughtful comments and dwell time. That means if your audience scrolls past, or reacts with a quick emoji, your content may go nowhere.

Instead of chasing impressions, comms teams should be asking:

• Are people spending time on our content?
• Are we sparking meaningful dialogue?
• Are we reaching the right people?

Carousels: The quiet powerhouse

What’s working now? Carousels – and they’re outperforming everything else. One internal experiment showed a 61% increase in engagement within 24 hours of switching to carousels.

Buffer’s data backs this up: document posts receive 278% more engagement than videos, 303% more than images, and a staggering 596% more than plain text.

“Carousels are the new keynote. They let you tell a story, share data, and build authority - all in one swipe.”

What worked 12 months ago- or even two months ago - may not work today. The world of comms is evolving fast. Yet, many internal teams continue to apply old performance criteria that no longer reflect reality. If success is still being measured by the number of posts, or how many eEDMs were sent, we’ve got a serious misalignment.

What we need now is a paradigm shift - not just in our strategies, but in how other teams evaluate the role and performance of comms.

It’s time for a paradigm shift

That means letting go of:

• Outdated KPIs based on volume.
• One-size-fits-all campaigns.
• The assumption that more output equals more outcome.

And instead, embracing:

• Quality storytelling,
• Strategic posting,
• Clear audience alignment,
• Platform-specific tactics driven by real-time data.

“The world of comms is evolving faster than ever. Judging today’s performance by yesterday’s standards is not only unfair - it’s ineffective.”

Communication is strategy

Communications today is no longer just about broadcasting - it’s about building relationships, sparking conversations, and delivering value.

We’re not just content creators. We’re strategists, analysts, and brand stewards.

And success in this space takes more than just keeping up - it means staying ahead.

“If you want to be good at comms, you need to keep up. If you want to be great, you need to lead.”

Final Thought

In a world of noise, clarity wins. In a world of clutter, creativity cuts through. And in a world of algorithms, authenticity reigns.

Let’s stop measuring success by how loud we shout - and start measuring it by how deeply we connect.