Publicizing an Event (Zone 27 Public Image Team July 16, 2016 Zone 27 Leadership Institute In this presentation, we’ll discuss the various elements of publicizing your club event.

Agenda Build a Timeline Build Media Relationships Use Social Media Use Rotary Resources Specifically, we’ll introduce you to how and why to build a timeline, building relationships with the media, how to use social media to promote your event and how to use important Rotary resources.

Step 1: Build a Timeline Prioritize Schedule Stick to a plan Keep everyone on the same page The first step to publicizing an event is building a timeline. A timeline is an important tool to have because it can help you prioritize, schedule, stick to your plan and keep everyone on the same page.

Each timeline will be different according to your event The 6 Week Timeline May Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 Set up event social media pages 6 7 8 9 Update social media 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Do research on media targets 22 23 24 25 26 Come up with pitch 27 Practice pitch 28 Pitch event 29 Send pitch follow-up emails 30 31 This is an example of a six week timeline. Each timeline will differ depending on your event. Place markers where deadlines occur. For example, to place a newspaper story, you would need to pitch it approximately two weeks in advance. Keeping track of these dates will streamline your work flow and keep you prioritized and on schedule. Each timeline will be different according to your event

June The 6 Week Timeline 1 2 Update Social Media 3 Re-pitch 4 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 Update Social Media 3 Re-pitch 4 Contact social media influencers 5 6 Update social media 7 8 9 Use Rotaract/Interact members to publicize event 10 11 Utilize club members to get word out 12 13 14 Event! 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 This is the final two weeks of the six week timeline.

Step 2: Build Media Relationships Now that you’ve built your timeline, it’s time to build those media relationships that are vital to publicizing your event. Building relationships with the media before the event will help you be successful in getting media attention when it’s time to contact the media.   Building relationships with the media before your event can help your event succeed when when it’s time to contact the media

Identify the Right Media Channels Be realistic About your expectations for coverage Large markets can be tough to access Small market papers will usually take pre-written stories about events Be aware Of reporters’ information needs Of reporters’ interests Of reporters’ connection to Rotary It’s important you identify the right media channels. What’s important to a town of 1,000 might not be in cities like New York or L.A. Keep in mind the media channel that best gets your message across in the way you want it to be seen. Most small papers will accept a pre-written story and photo to publish. They don’t have the staff to handle these stories themselves. You need to be realistic with your expectations for coverage; you might not get the front page, above the fold. A strong community news angle will help with placement. You need to be aware of the reporter’s information needs. Broadcast journalists have very different information needs from newspaper reporters and radio reporters. For television, think about interesting visuals you can offer. You also have to be mindful of their interests. It does no good to pitch your event to the sports reporter unless it has a sports angle to it. Finally, you need to know whether or not the reporter you’re pitching to has any connections to Rotary. They might not be a member themselves, but they may have family or friends who are. Knowing this ahead of time increases your chances for success dramatically.

Making the Media List Find names, phone numbers, emails of contacts Search for media representatives who are Rotarians Find media outlets with topics related to Rotary interests After you’ve identified what media channel works best for the event, make list of names, numbers, titles, emails and notes for the media professionals you want to contact. Search for media representatives who are Rotarians or who have family or friends who are Rotarians. They will be more likely to cover your event. Find media outlets with topics related to Rotary interests. For example. if you are targeting a newspaper, find a reporter who covers community or local events. Knowing a journalist’s interests can help you relate and be more personable when you make the pitch. Look on Twitter, Facebook or blogs for the reporters’ personal information. During the pitch, refer to things that they have already written about. Finally, insert all the data you’ve collected into an Excel sheet for easy access. Use Twitter, Facebook and blogs to find journalist interests Insert information into Excel sheet or online database

Example: Media List This is an example of a basic media list. There are 9 key components: The media’s first and last name, the organization they work for, their title, what they specialize in or routinely cover, their phone number and email, Twitter handle and other notes that relate to the reporter.

2Weeks prior to the event Determine your message Prepare spokespeople with Rotary’s message What do you want reporters to know about your project and Rotary’s commitment to the event? Why are you doing this event; who will benefit? How many volunteers will participate? What elements make it interesting & newsworthy Determine who your spokesperson will be and help them prepare key messages as discussed in the presentation on Media Relations. Prepare a press kit. Press kits should include: Press release Fact sheets about your organization Fact sheet about the event Project details Contact information, including phone numbers of media contacts Prepare press kits

Prepare the Pitch Keep your pitch short, reporters don’t have much time Talk about the most valuable information at the beginning News releases alone won’t necessarily get the media’s attention. Pitching your story directly to a reporter is usually how you’re going to convince the media to publicize your event. Pitches should be kept short, usually 2 minutes or less because reporters don’t have much time. Put the important information at the beginning. Tell the reporter what is in it for them and why it will benefit them to publicize your event. Be creative! Use statistics, anecdotes or other creative ways to capture the reporter’s attention and make them want to keep listening. Tell the reporter what is in it for them, the benefit of publicizing your event

Ways to Contact the Media Write an eye-catching subject line Embed a news release in the body of the email Phone calls give opportunity for immediate response Keep phone pitches under two minutes Here are three main ways that you can contact the ,edoa: The first is by email. Develop a clear but creative subject line; reporters get hundreds of emails a day so make yours stand out. Keep your pitch in the first scroll of the email, don’t make them hunt for it. If you are attaching a press release, copy it into the body of the email and keep it to one scroll of the screen. The second way is by phone. Phone calls give the opportunity for the reporter to tell you immediately if they want to cover your event or not. Keep phone pitches under 2 minutes so you don’t waste their time. Sometimes reporters might be on deadline. Email them asking when the slowest part of their day is or when it would be a good time to call generally. They will usually thank you for keeping their needs in mind! The third way is through social media. Follow reporters on Twitter. Tweet back. Tune-in to their blogs or Facebook page and make comments. Knowing their interests will give your pitch credibility. Keep Rotary on the fronts of theirs minds. Build relationships with reporters before you need them Be active and engaging with reporters on social media

Free Promotional Media Use promotional media to your advantage. Outdoor advertising such as: Transit, billboards, PSA’s

Sometimes nonconventional tactics get the most attention. Pre-Event Hype Sometimes nonconventional tactics get the most attention. Guerilla marketing can create buzz and excitement in the community for your event before it happens Creating a pre-event can generate excitement and publicity for your event. Be creative! Sometimes non conventional tactics get the most attention. Guerrilla marketing such as flash mobs or other non-traditional tactics can create buzz and excitement in the community for the event before it even happens. Do something unique to your event. Ask Rotaract to help.

Pre-Event Hype Guerrilla events provide high exposure and “buzz” about your event before it happens Rotarians have had great success creating buzz about “End Polio Now” through flash mobs (click on URL on slide). The surprise event gained a lot of exposure to the public and picked up the media’s interest just because it was something you don’t see everyday. It left people talking and wanting to know more what End Polio Now was. http://youtu.be/c8Mrw1Lr5fI

1 week prior to the event Distribute media advisories and post on website Utilize Rotary Club members as resources One week prior to the event you should prepare media for your event: Place an advisory on your website Make follow-up phone calls to reporters Distribute tailored media advisories to local print, online and broadcast media Encourage fellow Rotarians to talk about and promote the event on social media—leveraging their wide-ranging networks to reach a much broader audience. Leverage event on social media

On the day of the event Distribute “day-of” news release & post to website Connect reporters with volunteers Distribute your “day-of” news release and other support material (media kit, etc.) to the media. Connect reporters with volunteers and beneficiaries: Find someone who is willing to be interviewed, can talk about your event in depth and can provide concise information Steer reporters toward designated spokespeople Cooperate with the media and appreciating their presence. Share “live” pictures and reports on social media as the event unfolds to keep the public engaged. Share “live” pictures and reports on social media

After the event Send media outlets results from event Assemble clippings After the event send media outlets results from the events, i.e. money raised, number of persons attended, memorable moments, etc. Assemble newspaper clippings to keep for your records of who covered the event and send thank you notes to the media who covered the event. It makes Rotary look good and it’s always nice to have an ally if you ever need one. Suggest follow-up stories reporters can do. Send “Thank you” notes to media

Step 3: Social Media Social media is a highly effective way for Rotarians to engage with outside influencers who can spread your message and help publicize your event to more targeted audiences. Use highly connected Rotarians to connect with outside influencers who can spread your message to larger and more targeted audiences

Tapping into Networks: Twitter Great for reaching outside influencers Jump boundaries of Rotary by giving your event a hashtag Early on, decide on a Twitter hashtag for your event and spread that hashtag to every Rotarian connected to social media. Encourage members to tweet about the event using that hashtag. Following the hasttag let you engage with followers An effective hashtag can create awareness of your event

Tapping into Networks: Facebook Updates are easily seen by your network Great for engaging and sharing event photos, video and links Facebook is a great way to engage with others on social media. When Rotary members make Facebook posts on their personal accounts, their messages can go to a large number of non-Rotarians who need to know about the event. Each time a Rotarian posts on the event, their posts will be broadcast to all of their friends. Facebook lets your network easily see your updates and is a great space for engaging and sharing event photos, videos and links. Creating a Facebook page for the event or publicizing the event on a club’s Facebook page can also create public awareness.

Tapping into Networks: Instagram Great for posting photos of your event Keep followers updated and engaged before, during and after the event Instagram is a picture sharing site where members and clubs can share photos of events. Like with Twitter, you can create a hashtag for the event that will aggregate all of the photos that people post. Alert attendees that they can see photos of the event on Instagram using a particular hashtag. Perhaps they will find a photo of themselves and their friends. Create buzz with a hashtag to engage followers

Tapping into Networks: Rotaract & Interact Reach out to local Rotaract and Interact club members to publicize your event Members of this generation are tech savvy Rotaract and Interact members are here to help you! This generation is tech savvy and can help you publicize your event on social media. Use their members to gain more exposure and spread your message to a whole new demographic who may not know much about Rotary!

Step 4: Rotary Resources You’re not alone! Rotary provides a wealth of knowledge, tricks and tips with a few samples on the website. Use your Rotary Resources to widen your network and coverage of your event. Utilize your Rotary Resources to widen your network and coverage of your event

Visit the Media Center, Branding Guide & Rotary Brochure online Rotary Resources Use the Rotary media center to download logos and other materials to aid in publicizing an event Leveraging Rotary International materials will benefit your club long-term Logos, press release, guides and updated branding manuals are all on the Rotary website. Head over to check them out. Leveraging Rotary International materials will benefit your club long-term. Visit the Media Center, Branding Guide & Rotary Brochure online