No matter how virtuous one's actions may be, they can have little effect until they are widely known." Anonymous
Publicity is an intrinsic part of any organization. Without the proper publicity, the organization's goals - to raise money, to attract new members, or to provide a program or service - will not be met. Therefore, for your organization's promotion to bring results, careful thought and planning should be put into your campaign.
The most effective publicity allows the reader to grasp all the important facts of the program quickly. Accordingly, promotional materials should bear a clearly printed message that is designed to evoke a response from the viewer. They do not necessarily have to be extremely artistic, but your message should be clear and understandable to the reader.
Before beginning your publicity campaign, certain topics should be discussed.
- Budget: How much can you spend? Is this figure realistic? Are there any hidden costs? Always complete a budget in advance.
- Audience: Who do you want to reach, and what is the best way? Is there a pre-selected market available? Take into account age groups, audience's likes/dislikes, career fields, etc. Publicizing something for professors or non-students maybe an entirely different task than publicizing an event for students.
- Information: Make sure that your campaign materials contain all of the appropriate information (who, what, when, where, why). It is best to publicize the aspect of your program that people have heard of or to which they can relate.
- Resources: What are your resources? People, talent, materials, etc.
- Location: Where will your materials get the most attention? Choose high traffic areas and give thought to placing your advertisement in different/unusual places. Be creative!
- Schedule: How much time do you have? What deadlines must be met? The optimum time to begin advertising the event is 2-3 weeks before it is going to happen. Write up a calendar with deadlines to keep track. Be realistic.
Once you have thoroughly discussed the above topics, your publicity campaign should be ready to take off. All that is needed is the appropriate medium. Below is a list of various types of media that will help you formulate a successful publicity push.
TYPES OF MEDIA
I. Word of Mouth: Probably the best medium of all is word of mouth.
Once you have put together a publicity committee, it must sell your event to the public. If everyone talks up the event in classes, parties, and cafeterias, people will become interested. GET PEOPLE TALKING, AND INTEREST WILL SPREAD.
II. Newspaper:
A. Most newspapers have an "events column" and will advertise your event for free (e.g., the Orange County Register). For information about procedures and deadlines, contact the paper's editor. A listing of regional newspapers can be found in the yellow pages.
B. Press Releases:
A press release is rarely more than one page in length and is a proposed news article written by you, the source. Only essential information should be covered. Your press release may be edited before being printed (refer to sample press release).
Press release guidelines:
- Identification: If you don't have a letterhead, make sure your organization, address, and phone number are included in the upper left hand corner of the page.
- Disposition: This tells the editor when the release should be published. The time, day, date and year should appear in capital letters below the last line of identification. If you want the release published upon receipt, write "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE."
- Headline: A brief, one-line summary of the release that appears just above the body of the release.
- Copy/Body: Copy should be straight news style with an informational sentence in the first paragraph including:
Who, what, when, where, and why. Include telephone number at the end where someone can call for further information. The release should be double spaced, with the information arranged in order from the most to the least important.
III. Radio:
Public service announcements (PSA) are about programs and events in the community. A PSA cannot sell anything or promote a profit-making enterprise. It is an attention grabber; people usually remember what they hear. You can follow the same format as with a press release, but include the time it takes to read your PSA: it should be 10, 20, 30, or 60 seconds in length. It should be sent to the radio station at least two days in advance of the PSA being aired.
IV. Traditional Promotion:
A. Posters
B. Flyers
C. Banners
D. Showcase displays in campus buildings
V. Unconventional Publicity Ideas:
Buttons
Skits, stunts with costumes Logos
Curiosity teasers - sneak previews, clues to an event (e.g. "Josh is coming!")
Bumper stickers
T-Shirts (worn in advance of event)
Balloons
Sandwich boards (for people and pets!)
Table tents
Doorknob signs
Banners on cars/painted cars
Paper footprints/arrows leading people to the event (special approval only)
Body painting
Church bulletins
Paper hats
Leaflets passed out on Quad or while waiting in line
Chalk signs on sidewalks (special approval only)
Door to door
Academic Program competition
Half-time presentation
Phone-a-thon (call people from directory)
Announcements in eateries and classrooms
Pass out free tickets on campus
Placemats - given to food service
Announcements sent to faculty and relevant groups
Popcorn with flyers or balloons
