Individuals in the target population must recognize that there is a problem before they will be willing to change behavior (Prochaska, 1995) or even listen to the experiences of a site that has successfully implemented the changes to be spread. Communication messages to build awareness about improvements should address the extent of the problem and the benefits of the changes (Attewell, 1992) for those in the target population.

An awareness campaign should identify individuals in the target population who are either interested in hearing more about the improvements or ready to actually try them in their own setting. An effective strategy for attracting potential adopters is to tailor the communication messages to the concerns, questions, problems, and interests of the target population. For example, data showing the gap between ideal and actual performance for the sites in the target population helps to focus attention on the actual opportunities for improvement among this group. Using examples and messengers from the successful site to "make the case" to the target population is another way to tailor the communication message since the potential adopters can see that someone "like them" has made the improvements and benefited from the results.

Appropriate methods or channels of communication for building awareness about the improvements in the target population include: general meetings, internal publications, messages on the website, email broadcasts, posters, and videos.