Take advantage of virtually every communications channel to get the word out about your event or new community resource. Interpersonal communication that is supported by print materials is an effective strategy for promoting an event. Community channels, such as newsletters, also are effective.
Mass media—in particular, paid advertising and public service announcements—can be very useful for promoting events and new services. This form of communication reaches large audiences and can relay your message in just a few words. Planning a successful media event requires that you consider the media's needs at every step of your planning. You may need to consider how broadcast media will record your speakers or where interviews and photo-ops will occur.
Getting Started
- The media event checklist included in Tools of the Trade will help you identify steps for planning and holding a successful media event.
- Police officers on bikes in the Pine Bluff, AR, Weed and Seed community distribute fliers that announce events and meetings.
- The Downtown/Millyard Weed and Seed site in Manchester, NH, publishes its information in various newsletters, including the monthly parent-teacher elementary school newsletter, one of the Safe Haven newsletters, and the city newsletter. Each newsletter reaches a different audience, thereby spreading the information throughout the community.
- The Fort Wayne Weed and Seed site in Indiana placed advertisements that promoted reentry programs in Frost Illustrated and INK, weekly newspapers serving the African-American community. The ads also encouraged readers to visit one of the 23 churches in the area to find out how they could get involved in the local Weed and Seed initiative.
