SAMS Framework: How to Analyze and Give Feedback
🎯 Lesson Goal
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Explain what SAMS stands for
- Use SAMS to analyze any advert/clip/post
- Give respectful, helpful feedback to peers using a simple structure
1) What is SAMS?
SAMS is a simple framework to help you understand media and give useful feedback.
It stands for:
S — Story
What happens? What is being shown or said?
What’s the beginning, middle, and end (even if it’s short)?
A — Audience
Who is this meant for?
What age group, community, or group of people is it trying to reach?
M — Message
What is the main idea?
What does it want you to believe, feel, or do?
S — Style
How is it made?
Look at visuals, tone, music, language, pacing, colors, camera shots, editing, and mood.
Simple idea:
SAMS helps you see not just what media says, but how it works.
2) Why SAMS matters in this course
You will use SAMS to:
- Analyze media (ads, posts, videos, news) with a critical eye
- Improve your own creative work (photo, audio, video)
- Give peer feedback that is clear, respectful, and helpful
- Build a strong feedback culture in our community
SAMS is especially useful because it avoids insults like “It’s bad.”
Instead, it helps you say exactly what works and what can improve.
3) SAMS in Action (Worked Example)
Let’s imagine a short advert/post:
A 30-second video shows a student struggling with homework, then using an online learning app, then smiling as they improve. Bright music plays. The final text says: “Download EduSmart — Learn Faster!”
S — Story
A learner struggles → finds a solution (the app) → succeeds and feels confident.
A — Audience
Students and parents, especially those who want better academic performance.
M — Message
“This app will help you improve quickly. Download it.”
It also suggests: “If you don’t use this, you may remain behind.”
S — Style
Bright colors, fast edits, positive music, clear before/after contrast, short text on screen, happy ending.
✅ Conclusion: The advert uses a simple “problem → solution → success” story and emotional style to persuade people to download the app.
4) How to write SAMS feedback to a peer (Copy/Paste Format)
When you comment on someone’s work, use this structure:
SAMS Feedback
- Story: What I understood is…
- Audience: I think this is meant for… because…
- Message: The main message I received is…
- Style: The style feels… (tone/visuals/pacing/sound)
- Strength: One thing that worked well is…
- Suggestion: One improvement I suggest is…
- Question: One question I have is…
✅ Keep feedback kind, specific, and actionable.
5) Quick Practice (10 minutes)
Choose ONE piece of media right now (any of these):
- A WhatsApp forward
- A TikTok/Instagram video
- A YouTube short
- A poster/advert
- A news headline/post
Our Give Feedback to this Video
Now write a short SAMS analysis:
S — Story
What is happening? (2–3 lines)
A — Audience
Who is it for? (1–2 lines)
M — Message
What does it want you to believe/feel/do? (1–2 lines)
S — Style
What creative choices do you notice? (2–3 lines)
Optional extra:
Do you notice any bias or missing information?
6) Common mistakes to avoid with SAMS
- Mixing Audience and Message:
Audience = who it targets, Message = what it wants them to take away. - Judging without evidence:
Instead of “This is boring,” say “The pacing is slow and the hook comes late.” - Only criticizing:
Always include at least one strength and one improvement suggestion.
✅ Key Takeaways
- SAMS = Story, Audience, Message, Style
- SAMS helps you analyze media and improve your own work
- Good feedback is respectful + specific + actionable
What’s Next
Next lesson: Safe & Ethical Storytelling (Consent, Privacy, Respect)
You’ll learn how to create stories that protect people, avoid harm, and still remain powerful.