Who's Most Likely to Move to a City Like Yours?

It Depends on the Story You Tell.

By Monica Hershberger, Chief Strategy Officer, RoleCall

The summer intern programs are winding down, and we’re gearing up for school. Interns gathered – they laughed, they cried, they learned some new things. And we’re all crossing our fingers that they fell in love. Not with their desk mate, but the community– the people, the places, all of the possibilities.

Every community wants to attract young professionals, recent grads, and people hungry for something different—but the real question is: Why would they choose you? The answer lies in the story you're telling and how aligned that story is across your community.

When you ask, “What kinds of people are most likely to move here?” you’re really asking, “What part of our story will resonate most?” That answer isn't found in a demographic report. It's found in the feeling someone gets when they scroll through your local employer’s careers page, peek at your downtown district on Instagram, or hear a friend-of-a-friend say, “Actually, I really loved living there.”

Start With Vision, Not Assumptions

Often talent attraction strategies start with tactics before there’s a vision. But if you want to attract the kind of people who will thrive in your community, you first have to define what your community is. What’s your pace? What kind of life can someone build here, not just visit for? 

Young professionals and college grads are in the midst of shaping their identity! In making the leap to a new community they want to know, “If I move here, who will I become?” Your messaging has to reflect that aspiration, grounded in the truth of what makes your community a place where people can belong and build something meaningful. 

Honest Messaging Wins

Your community isn’t Instagram perfection, nor should it be. Honest, confident, community-powered messaging works best. That means not just highlighting your wins, but owning your quirks and showing how you’re solving problems (and perhaps where a young professional could lend their expertise?!). 

Tell stories that reflect the ambition and values of the people you want to attract. List your assets, but then pair them with that touchy feely, soulful part of experiencing the park or coffee shop or community center.

And make it consistent! When your employers, local leaders, nonprofits, and social media accounts are all aligning, you gain trust. Especially if community members themselves are engaging and sharing the same vibes. 

Unite your Community around Messaging

At RoleCall, we help communities turn vision into reality by building talent attraction strategies that unify messaging, amplify your assets, and activate the people who already live there. Because the magic happens when your whole ecosystem is part of the conversation—from board members to bartenders.

Your community already has what people are looking for. But when everyone tells the story differently, opportunities slip through the cracks.

Marketing your place to a visitor isn’t quite the same as marketing it to a potential mover. That’s why RoleCall builds strategies that invite the right people to be your new residents—and turn new residents into fully invested locals.

But what is a Talent Attraction Strategy?

• Community Discovery Sessions
  We listen to everyone—board members to bartenders—to understand your unique story
  
  
• Unified Messaging Framework
  Consistent voice and key messages that every stakeholder can confidently use
  
  
• DIY Action Toolkit
  Low-barrier, high-reward strategies you can launch immediately with existing resources
  
  
• Content Creation Formula
  We help you align your community assets with messaging to create endless content ideas that invite talent to town
  
  

Ready to attract the right people with the right story? Let’s build your vision together! Reach out and we can help.

RoleCall was founded to revolutionize talent attraction. Our programs and strategies work as an extension of your team to transform your talent attraction efforts into trackable, provable, personalized results. Click here to learn more.