Promoting Your Projects

So you’ve decided to make a difference in your community, and you’ve come up with an awesome action plan.  Now you have to let others know about what you’re doing.  They need to hear your message so they can also get involved. 

Developing Your Message

• State your goal in a simple, clear sentence that can be easily communicated to reporters and others.
• Come up with three main points you want to focus on in all of your promotion efforts.
• Get together some supporting facts and statistics that will help others understand why your issue is important.  Provide local statistics if you have them.  Pick out a few personal stories to share.

Working with the Media

• Come up with an action plan for how you will use the media in your community, and stick to the plan.  Use the Media Worksheet and the Media Action Plan to help you get your message out.

• Remember to answer these questions:

-What is the problem you’re trying to solve?
-Who is your audience?
-What are the main points of your message?
-What do you want your audience to do?
-When and how do you plan to reach your audience?

• Find a hook – What is it about your project that is newsworthy?  Why would people want to know about it? 
  

• Create a sound bite – A sound bite is a short, catchy quote that usually lasts between 5-10 seconds.  Radio and TV reporters can use it in their reports to summarize your points. 
  

• Promote your good news – Focus on how your activity/event will help turn adversity into action that creates change. 
  
  
• Think about your delivery – Be creative and come up with ways that you can get to your audience. 
  
  
• Think about your efforts – How will you know if your message worked? 
  

Ways to Reach the Media

Media Advisories – These are used to let the media know about an upcoming news story.  Click here for a sample media advisory.

Press Releases – These are descriptions of your project that can be included in newspapers and magazines.  Click here for a sample press release.

Letters to the Editor – These may be written either in response to a tragedy or to comment on something in your community.  To see an example of a letter to the editor, click here.

Public Service Announcements (PSAs) – These are short messages that can either be read on the radio or shown on TV.  For a sample PSA, click here.

Press Conferences – These can be a great way to get to your audience.  Send a press release about two days before your event.  Select a place to have your event; put together a press kit with information about who will speak and their title, information about your organization, and statistics; have an agenda ready; have a press sign-in sheet to help you with following up; and practice your message.  Make sure to invite everyone who is involved with your project to the event to show support.

Interviews – Reporters want to tell the story, and you can help them do just that.  Contact local reporters to let them know who you are and what information you can share.  T

Don’t forget to use the media resources available from these NOYS programs: 

Under YOUR Influence
Speak Out and Make NOYS
National Youth Traffic Safety Month



Working Within the School

Don’t forget to include your school in promoting your project. 

• Provide information to the school newspaper.
• Create interesting announcements that include statistics and information about your event/activity.
• Present to school organizations to let them know what you’re doing and how they can help.
• Put up bulletin boards and posters.
• Ask for the support of administrators, teachers, and staff members.
• Give a presentation to the faculty and to the PTA.
• Produce a short, powerful video that you can post online for students to view.
• Create a Facebook page to promote your project, and share the page with your school.

Working Within the Community

People in your community will want to help you achieve your goals.  Let them know about your project!

• Ask for space in malls or other businesses to use to inform the public about your goals. 
• Provide information to the media.
• Use local cable access channels to broadcast videos about your efforts.
• Contact representatives from local groups, and ask for their support.
• Create a flyer or a brochure, and take it to local businesses and organizations.
• Ask local faith-based organizations and groups if they are willing to put an announcement about your efforts in their bulletin.
• Contact your local and state legislators for their support.