Civil society organisations can spend months producing rigorous policy work, only to struggle when it comes to getting decision-makers to notice it. Good evidence does not automatically create political attention. Rowan Emslie looks at why policy communications needs to become a core capability for CSOS, and what it takes to turn expertise into influence. How can organisations make complex work relevant, timely and useful to the people shaping policy without sacrificing the substance that made it valuable in the first place?