Open your intranet homepage. What does it tell you about the people who work here?
You’ll probably find company news, important announcements and links to useful resources. But can you see how teams work together? How they share knowledge, support colleagues or make someone’s day a little easier?
Those stories deserve a place, too. They help people understand what your organization values by showing it in everyday work.
A regular team spotlight can bring those stories onto your intranet, and give readers something useful to take away.
The starting idea is simple: “Teams that embrace digital-first don’t just survive, they thrive.” A spotlight makes that idea tangible. It shows how people use the intranet to solve a familiar problem, build a connection or share something others can use.
It also gives the people behind that work some well-earned recognition.
Give the spotlight a clear purpose
Before adding another recurring feature to your content calendar, decide what you want it to encourage.
Perhaps you want more teams to share their expertise through the intranet, or maybe you’re trying to build connections across locations, encourage questions or help employees discover resources they’ve been missing.
Figure out the purpose you're working towards, then choose stories that support that purpose.
If knowledge sharing is the goal, feature a team whose intranet space has become a useful source of answers. If participation needs attention, spotlight a group that has found a welcoming way to invite ideas and respond to them.
Making the connection between your content and a purpose matters. Readers should come away understanding both what the team achieved and how the intranet helped.
Show the intranet doing something useful
Imagine a team that keeps hearing the same questions from colleagues. They create a clear intranet page with answers, designate someone to keep it updated and link to it from the places people already visit.
There’s a spotlight story there: the questions they heard, how they organized the answers and what feedback helped them improve the page.
Or, consider a team spread across several locations. They use their intranet space to introduce colleagues, share local updates and ask for input. A spotlight could show how those contributions help people understand work happening beyond their own location.
In each case, the intranet is central to the story. Readers can see a relevant use for it and visit the page or space themselves.
Keep the examples grounded. Ask the team what actually improved, and use their answer in your spotlight story. A specific observation is more useful than a broad claim about transformation.
Make recognition a route to discovery
A good spotlight should help readers find something they might otherwise have missed.
Link directly to the featured team’s space, helpful resource or discussion. Explain who it’s useful for and what they’ll find there, and then check that the intended audience can access it.
Then give readers one clear next step: explore the resource, ask a question, contribute an idea or try a similar approach in their own space.
This gives the story a life beyond the homepage. Someone arrives to read about a colleague and leaves knowing where to find an answer, or whom to ask.
It also makes recognition more specific. You’re celebrating the people who explain something clearly, welcome contributions and keep information useful. Those contributions deserve visibility alongside major project milestones.
Let the story demonstrate participation
The way you publish the spotlight can reinforce the habits you’re encouraging.
Include a short quote from the team and invite them to answer questions in the comments. Ask readers whether they’ve tackled a similar challenge, and make sure someone responds when they contribute.
Keep participation easy. One focused question is often a better starting point than a general “Tell us what you think.”
For example: “What’s one recurring question your team could answer through the intranet?”
Now the article has opened a conversation that could lead to the next useful page, or to the next spotlight.
Start small, then pay attention
Try one spotlight a month. Keep the format manageable: a familiar challenge, the team’s approach, the intranet’s role and something readers can explore or try.
Look beyond views when you review the response. Did people follow the link to the featured resource? Did anyone ask a useful question? Did another team want to adapt the idea? Use those signals to shape the next story.
Your intranet can help employees see what good teamwork looks like across the organization. A purposeful spotlight makes that visible, gives people credit and offers others a practical place to start.
Take another look at your homepage. Which team could help you tell their story first?