Don’t rule any group out. Times change and so do peoples attitudes. Use ever avenue to let people know what your doing – never assume they would’nt be interested – you might even be surprised.
What you do will of course depend on your budget and who you want to attract. If you are serious about publicity you will at least consider carefully the following elements.
Can be displayed in shop windows, Library’s, on roadside verges (you may need council permission), on community/parish notice boards and other suitable sites.
Remember to take them down after your event – nothing turns off the public more than out-of-date.
A4 posters can be printed up on a home printer – but remember not to try and squeeze in too much detail – your graphics and type should be large.
If you have some money, flyers are not expensive – 5000 A6 full color flyers would cost about £130. Or photocopy some and flyer your local pubs/clubs, libraries or flyer at the train station at busy periods.
No longer the only game in town of course, but still worthwhile. Two smaller adverts in What’s on over two weeks may well get better results than one larger one. Lots of publications have FREE listings – The Metro or The List for instance are always looking for upcoming events.
You’ll need to think of a good angle to get editorial coverage. Maybe this is the first LGBT History Month event in the area. Maybe an organization has just did some research or maybe you have some dignitaries in the area that back LGBT equality and what you are trying to do – get a quote of them and put it in your press release.
Often cheap to advertise, and hungry for editorial copy provided it really is about local people or for a local cause. Hang your LGBT History Month event around issues linked locally, involve local people, interview some local people.
If your event concerns fund-raising for a particular church or charity, or is likely to attract enthusiasist for a particular interest, then don’t forget to let any specialist magazines know well in advance. If suitable, you could suggest discounted entry or some other benefit to the editor as a Reader offer. For example Childline are having a fundraiser for themselves but are celebrating LGBT History Month at the same time and so the club they are holding it in printed their artwork for free on the back of their own.
The Royal Mail offers some free lifestyle and demographic targeting services based on postcode sectors, but these will only be of use if your proposed drop is 50,000 items or more. You can organize leaflet drops through various delivery agencies, but if you operate very locally ask members of your group or supportive groups to help out with flyering and postering. It both builds your event and builds good links for the future.
You’ll be using your own website if you have one. LGBT History Month Scotland’s website also provides a free event listings section.
Every internet site and organization will have an email list of people you will not have been in contact with before and won’t know your event is on. Make a list of networks and organizations locally and nationally and ask them to email their members about your event. Make sure you do all the work – write out a clear email with all event details, contact details etc in it.
If you don’t know anyone who works – get on the internet and join some networks, get the phonebook out and call some organizations that work with the community in your area – they’d be hard pushed to refuse you.
Tell everyone you know personally, email,telephone, chat… and ask them to let their friends know too!
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