Five communications lessons business leaders can learn from Andy Burnham’s first month as Prime Minister

Political campaigns have long acted as the testing ground for new communications tactics before they make their way into corporate communications. Data-driven campaigning, rapid rebuttal and use of highly targeted social media all found mainstream acceptance in politics before becoming common practice in business.

Now, a month into his premiership, Andy Burnham has once again demonstrated how political communications continues to evolve – and why business leaders should be paying attention.

Burnham’s early communications approach has been noted for its accessibility and willingness to engage audiences on the platforms where they already spend their time. Rather than relying solely on Westminster lobby briefings and traditional broadcast interviews, his team has embraced a genuinely social-first approach, combining short-form video, creator partnerships, community platforms such as Reddit and direct-to-camera content that feels more conversational than scripted.

More importantly, much of his communication has centred on making policy feel relevant to everyday life. For business leaders and communications professionals, particularly those with public facing brands or projects, there are some valuable lessons.

1. Authenticity can’t be stage-managed – it carries risk that many businesses can’t face

For years, businesses have talked about authentic leadership. Far fewer have managed to demonstrate it consistently.

Burnham’s communications have largely avoided the polished, over-rehearsed style that often characterises political leadership. Instead, he appears comfortable speaking directly to audiences, maintaining a recognisable (and sometimes too casual) personal style.

This matters because audiences increasingly judge leaders on whether they appear genuine rather than whether every message has been perfectly polished. Employees, customers and communities want to hear from leaders who sound like people, not slick PR departments.

That doesn’t mean abandoning preparation or shying away from complex issues. It means communicating with enough personality that audiences feel they are hearing from the individual rather than reading approved messaging.

2. Go where your audience is, not where you want them to be

Many communications strategies prioritise traditional media coverage before considering social channels. Often this comes from expectations from business leaders that company news should be covered in well-respected broadsheets such as the FT or The Times.

Burnham’s team have demonstrated a clear willingness to prioritise platforms such as TikTok, Reddit and short-form video alongside influencer collaborations that help explain policies to audiences who may never read a newspaper or watch a TV news bulletin.

For businesses, this represents an important reminder. Your audience isn’t waiting for your press release. They’re consuming information through creators, social feeds, podcasts, niche online communities and increasingly through large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT.

The question is not “How do we drive people to our content?” It’s, “How do we take our content to where people already are?”

That requires producing content tailored for each platform. That could be a partnership with a local influencer learning about a new solar farm during a filmed site visit. It could be unscripted, vertical video from a CEO talking about what a recent acquisition will mean for customers in human and relatable terms. Or it could be ensuring your company is accurately portrayed in LLM summaries – by maintaining relevance through high-quality and specialist earned coverage.

Corporate communications and public affairs professionals often mutter that the tactics consumer PR deploys – from influencer partnerships to experiential stunts – don’t apply to their audiences. But that is short-sighted. Even policymakers, regulators and investors are human; they consume information through TikTok and ChatGPT like the rest of us.

This is an opportunity for corporate communications teams (and their senior internal stakeholders) to be braver and more creative about the platforms and channels they use.

3. Translate complexity into everyday language

Businesses – navigating legal, regulatory and technical complexity – often fall into the trap of prioritising language that satisfies internal stakeholders but for external audiences is, at best, hard to understand, and at worst, completely meaningless.

One of the defining characteristics of Burnham’s early communications has been framing policies around everyday experiences rather than Westminster jargon. His communications have sought to answer the main question consumers care about: “What does this actually mean for me?”

Corporate communicators should challenge themselves to adopt the same discipline. Whether talking about a new data center development, significant investment in R&D or the acquisition of a company, communicators need to distil what the changes mean to the affected audience, what they improve (or makes temporarily worse) and why it matters.

The simpler the language, the wider the understanding and, often, the higher levels of trust.

4. Communicate continuously, not just at key moments

Many organisations only reach for communications around a key event. A major investment announcement, a quarterly results announcement or the completion of a project.

Andy Burnham’s communications approach treats communication as an ongoing conversation. Although only a month in, Burnham’s team have demonstrated the impact of a rhythm of regular engagement across multiple channels rather than relying on landmark announcements or policy updates.

That consistency helps build familiarity and trust. Regular news, behind-the-scenes insights, short videos and informal reflections (either written or to camera) all help create a stronger relationship with external audiences – laying the groundwork for more challenging news, which will inevitably come.

5. Build a bench of strong leaders who can leverage their expertise

Successful politicians can often become overly associated with their political party – putting the success of the party in the hands of the success of the individual.

Burnham’s communications approach is being cascaded throughout his Cabinet, with Chancellor John Healey deploying a similar playbook, from demonstrating his authenticity to adopting a social-first strategy.

This is an important lesson for ambitious CEOs and senior leaders who enjoy the spotlight. While it can be tempting to rely on the business’ most senior person to front all external activity, it is important to build a bench of leaders who can deputise or provide specialist expertise on certain topics – from LinkedIn blogs to media interviews.

By ensuring consistency in the approach and messaging, not only does this group of senior communicators ease the burden on a CEO’s diary, but they build a level of reputational resilience for the brand during more challenging times.

Hamish Docherty, Director