The complex and interrelated challenges that place-based initiatives such as Promise Neighborhoods address require that many stakeholders be involved, informed, and inspired to act. Stakeholders must understand and buy into the initiative’s priority challenges, responsive strategies, and overall goals. This engagement is vital to effective implementation, including evaluating what works, deciding what to sustain, and investing in the most potent strategies. Effective messaging is necessary for creating a common understanding and mobilizing necessary action from the community. This guide is designed for project teams working on place-based initiatives as a resource for establishing a communications strategy and developing compelling stories about their work. It offers a useful framework for stakeholder engagement and an application of this framework to the Promise Neighborhoods context. The guide also includes a resource list with tools and references that readers can access to support the actions recommended throughout the guide.