7 ways to capture attention on your intranet

Your intranet is one of the most important digital channels in your organization. But let’s be honest: if employees don’t actively visit it, all the effort put into building and maintaining it goes to waste. For your intranet to be truly effective, it needs visibility, relevance and ease of use.

Below you’ll find 7 proven ways to capture (and keep) your colleagues’ attention – with extra tips and real-life examples.

1. Make It Personal and Relevant

People automatically ignore content that doesn’t feel meant for them. The more personal and relevant your intranet is, the more likely employees will stop scrolling and start engaging.

  • Tailor content to specific groups: company-wide news for all, but technical updates only for IT or production.

  • Use dashboards or profiles to highlight the tools and resources someone needs most.

  • Add a human touch: a welcome message for newcomers or a “Recommended for you” section with popular items.

Example: A traveling consultant immediately sees expense reports and project updates. A marketer gets campaign materials and brand guidelines on top. This makes the intranet feel less like an overwhelming sea of information and more like a personal assistant.

2. Choose the Right Timing

Even the best content can disappear if it’s posted at the wrong moment. Timing is everything.

  • Check usage stats to see when employees are most active and publish accordingly.

  • Create regular features: a “Monday Kickoff,” a “Friday Wrap-up” or a monthly digest.

  • Repeat content smartly: push the same message through the intranet, newsletter and Teams to hit multiple touchpoints.

Example: A company that posts a short “Week in Pictures” every Friday noticed employees started returning regularly to close out their week.

3. Keep It Easy and Accessible

The faster employees find what they’re looking for, the more likely they are to come back. An intranet should be intuitive, quick and accessible everywhere.

  • Make sure it’s mobile- and tablet-friendly. Many employees don’t sit at a desk all day.

  • Use clear navigation and logical categories – no one wants to click through five menus.

  • Continuously optimize your search function to deliver truly relevant results.

Pro tip: Ask colleagues outside of IT or Comms to test the intranet. Their feedback is often the most eye-opening.

4. Use Notifications (But Don’t Overdo It)

Notifications can give your message an extra push – but too many will drive people away.

  • Separate levels of importance: critical updates for everyone, targeted updates for certain groups.

  • Keep them short and actionable: a headline and a click-through is enough.

  • Give employees control by letting them choose which notifications they want.

Example: An HR team only sends approval notifications to managers instead of spamming the entire workforce. Result: fewer complaints and higher response rates.

5. Add a Playful Element

A little fun goes a long way. Gamification is a great way to boost engagement.

  • Organize quizzes, challenges or polls and reward participation with badges or points.

  • Spotlight colleagues: feature the most-read posts or a “Colleague of the Month.”

  • Turn knowledge sharing into a game: reward uploads or answered questions.

Example: A company ran a monthly quiz about company values. The winning department got a cake. Participation skyrocketed and awareness of the values increased dramatically.

6. Think Visual

Visuals grab attention much faster than text. The right image or video can make your message irresistible.

  • Add photos, short videos or infographics to your news posts.

  • Use real images of colleagues instead of generic stock photos.

  • Keep videos short (under 2 minutes) and authentic – spontaneous CEO updates often perform better than polished productions.

Pro tip: Small animations or micro-interactions can subtly draw attention without overwhelming the design.

7. Integrate and Promote

Your intranet shouldn’t be an island – it should be part of the daily workflow.

  • Connect it to tools employees already use, like Teams, Outlook or Slack.

  • Set it as the browser start page or add quick mobile shortcuts.

  • Promote it actively: use QR codes in the cafeteria, posters in the office or launch campaigns around new features.

Example: A company posted QR codes near coffee machines that linked directly to a popular intranet story about a new bike-to-work program. Within 24 hours, almost everyone had read it.

Bonus: Listen and Improve

Don’t guess what employees want – ask them and measure results.

  • Run quick polls or mini-surveys.

  • Track metrics: which pages get the most visits, which get ignored?

  • Set up an intranet ambassador group from different departments for ongoing feedback.

This way, your intranet grows and evolves with your organization.

In Short

Capturing attention on your intranet is all about relevance, simplicity and experience. Personalize content, post at the right times, make the platform easy to use and surprise users with visuals and playful touches. Combine that with smart notifications, seamless integration into daily work and continuous improvement – and your intranet becomes more than a tool. It becomes the digital heart of your workplace.

Curious how your organization can build an intranet that truly comes alive? Request a free demo and see for yourself.