Scouting Publicity Guide

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Introduction This guide on generating publicity and interest around Scouting events was developed by Bill Ragsdale in the Yolo District of the Golden Empire Council of the Boy Scouts of America. We feel that you'll find it very useful in generating publicity around your events, Scouting in particular, but also for nearly any other event that you're planning. Bill's support of Scouting has extended over decades and he's a keen champion of Radio Scouting, amateur radio in Scouting. His ham radio call sign is K6KN and he is trustee of his Scout unit's club station, W6BSA. Thanks, Bill, for creating this excellent guide. We hope it will be of use to many both inside and outside of Scouting.

Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 2 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... 2 Making A Scouting Event Happen ............................................................................................. 3 Why This Guide? ................................................................................................................. 3 The Benefits Of Promotion .................................................................................................... 4 Message Priority ................................................................................................................. 4 Getting Started .................................................................................................................. 5 Your Schedule ................................................................................................................... 6 Master Event Checklist ......................................................................................................... 7 Start With A Flyer ............................................................................................................... 8 Distribute Your Flyer Using Multiple Paths .................................................................................. 8 Unit Presentations .............................................................................................................. 9 Newspapers ...................................................................................................................... 9 Council Website Notice ........................................................................................................ 9 Event Registration .............................................................................................................. 9 After Your Event ............................................................................................................... 10 Preparing Photographs ........................................................................................................ 10 Roadblocks ...................................................................................................................... 11 Resources and Distribution Paths ............................................................................................ 11 Sample Event Article: ......................................................................................................... 12

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Making A Scouting Event Happen Mosteventsaredrivenbyanindividual,orperhapsbyateam,withtheloveforaparticularactivity.Butmoreisneededthanpassionforaneventtohappen.Youneedthreecomponentsforasuccessfulevent:

1. TheEventStructure:place,time,room/building/camp,budget,etc.

2. ProgramContent:Whatwillwedo?Whatresourcesareneeded?Whowillstafftheevent?Whatsuppliesandequipmentisneeded?

3. Publicity:Howtogetpeoplesointerestedinyoureventtheywillattenditinsteaddoingsomethingelse?

IntheScoutingworld#1willprobablybedonethroughyourCouncilProgrampeople,yourDistrictChairorDistrictProgramChair.AtaunitleveltheUnitCommitteewouldsponsortheevent.

Item#2willcomefromvolunteers:Scoutleaders,communityfolksorboth.

Thatbringsustoitem#3,howtobuildtheattendanceofyoureventthroughpublicity.

Why This Guide? FortheScoutingactivitiesforyourunitandDistrictasmanyas30%offamiliesfailtoattendsimplybecausetheydon’tunderstandthevalueoftheevent,didn’tgetthewordintime,orlaterforgot.Inthisguideyouwilllearnhowtogaintheirparticipation,growyourprogram,andincreaseretention.

WehaveninehundredfamiliesintheYoloDistrict.ManyaredeeplyinvolvedwiththeirunitandDistrict.Butmanyareonlylightlyawareoftheirunit’sactivitiesandcompletelyunawareoftheDistrictevents.Communicationisthekeytomotivatetheirparticipation.Thisisyourinsider’sviewtothefullrangeoftechniquesandhowtousethemeffectively.

Youcan’trelyonasimpleemailmessagetocreateaction.ItcanonlycreateawarenessandthatawarenessquicklyfadesasthereaderhitstheDeletebutton.Itisdifficulttogetyouremailplacedonarefrigeratordoorwhereallfamilyschedulingisdone.Asemailuseincreasessodoestheclutter.Plussomefamiliesstilllackemailcontact.Tobuildparticipationweneedaclear,motivatingmessagedeliveredbyavarietyofpathstoallourfamilies.

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Theworsttypeofnoticeisanon-Scoutingevent(basketballgame)senttwoweeksbeforetheeventwitharequesttosendtoallDistrictfamilies.Itisnon-Scouting,shortnotice,andcarriedbyemail.Nowyou’lllearnthewaysthatwork.

IfyouareplanninganeventorwishyourScoutingfamiliestojoininaneventyouneedtakeadvantageofallthewaystoreachandmotivatethem.Thisreportwillbeyourroadmap.ItappliestoDistrictorunitevents,simplyskiptheitemsthatdon’tapply.Thekeypartsare:

§ Theprioritypeopleplacewhenreceivingamessage,§ Formingyourmessage,§ Thetimescheduleforyourmessage(s)and§ Thepaththeyshouldtake.

The Benefits Of Promotion It’smorethanjustattendance.Whenyoupromoteyoureventmoreeffectivelyyoucanbringinmorevolunteers,expandyourbudget,getfeedbackonfutureeventthemes,facilitateyouthadvancement,andevenhelprecruiting.

Message Priority Themethodofmakingcontactformsthemostimportantfactordeterminingwhetheramessagewillbereceivedandlateractedupon.

Forexample,youwillalwaysopenahand-writtennotefromyourmother.Youmaylikelyhang-uponarecordedtelephonemessageordeleteemailfromanunknownsender.ButbothmessagesmaybesuggestingyouattendtheimportantfundraiserattheScoutCabinandyouwouldliketogo.Inthelatercasethemessagepathcausesitslossofeffectiveness.

Themessageformatsintheorderofimportanceare:

1. Facetofacemeeting,oneonone2. Personalphonecall3. Personalletter(“DearSusie”)4. Arecommendationfromafriend.5. Aflyer,maileddirectlythatresidesunderamagnet,ontherefrigeratordoor.6. Facetofaceataunitmeeting,RoundtableorDistrictCommitteemeeting.7. Formletter(“DearTroopParent”newsletterofunitannouncements)8. Personalemail(onetoone)

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9. Groupemailinapersonalformat.10. Groupemailan“eventnotice”format11. Asocialmediaposting,Facebookor??12. ArticleintheanewsletterspecifictoScouting13. Awebpagelinkedfromanothersource14. PostingonaScoutingweb-calendar.15. AflyerleftonthetableatRoundtable.16. Adoranoticeinanewspaper(asonlyafractionofthecityreadsthepaper).

Whysomanyways?Researchhasshownyouneed4to7contactstobuildcommitment.Plusyoualsoneedsocialnetworkingsupportwhenoneparentsaystoanother:“Mysonisgoing.Isyours?”Nosinglemethodcancontactallyourpossibleattendees.Youneedmultiplecontactsthroughmultiplemethods.

Noteemailiswaydownthelistoneffectiveness.Itiseasyforyoutosendbutmuchlesslikelybeactedonthanotherformats.Youcannotrelyonlyonemailbutmustalsoactivatetheothercommunicationpaths.IfyouwereannouncingtheGovernorwastohavedinneratyourhomewouldyouinviteyourrelativesbyemail?Ontheotherhand,emailisagoodattendancereminderjustbeforeameeting,aftertheyarealreadysignedupandreadytoattendyourevent.

Getting Started Thecoreofyourpromotionisasummaryarticle.Seethesampleattheendofthisguide.Youwillre-edititandbuilditintomanyuses:flyer,registration,webpage,reminderemail,etc.Whenwritingit,youwillgathertogetherthedates,benefits,costs,andfactsofyourevent.Oncethisisdoneallotherpublicitystepswillproceedsmoothly.

Aboutfivemonthsbeforeaneventwriteanarticleofabout400words,withaboutthreesentencesperparagraph.Here'sthecriticalinformation:

§ What,who,where,when,whyplusconditionsandcircumstancesinthefirstparagraph.§ Thenwhowillbenefitfromattending.§ Thenacalltoactionandhowtoregister.§ Nexthowtogetaneventflyerorguide.§ Thenbenefitsfromattending.§ Thenreportsfromprioryearsandaquotefromsomeoneabouttheevent.§ Addalogo,patchorphoto,possiblyfromtheprioryear.

Remember,anarticleinaprintpublicationwilllikelybeediteddowntofitspaceavailable.Thisisusuallydonebydeletingfromtheendbackwardtowardthebeginning.Soputtheimportantinformationinthefirstthreeparagraphs.

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Yoursummaryarticlewillbere-editedforseveraluses.

§ Youreventflyer§ Yourlettertoparentsforaunitactivity§ Apressreleasetoyourlocalnewspaperifthepublicisinvited.§ AwebpageattheGECweb-site.§ TheintroductiontoanEventGuide.§ AneventnoticeattheYoloDistrictsectionoftheGECweb-site.§ TheeventregistrationpageattheGECweb-site.§ AnarticleintheYoloDistrictPleasantPheasantnewsletter.§ AsummaryincludedintheYoloDistrictemail,usuallytwiceamonth.§ Asupportitemtoincludewithsolicitationoflocalcompanydonations.

Your Schedule WeallknowunitcommitteesandGreenBarmeetingsplantheirunit’sScoutingprogramaboutsixmonthsahead.Wemustsynchronizewiththatprocesstooptimizeourcommunicationprogram.

Thesuggestedleadtimesare:

7months PlanningforamajoreventliketheCamporeeorSpringCubCampstartsthisearlyandatleastneedstosetthedateandtheme.

5months Summaryarticleandpromotionplan.Seethesampleattheendofthisreport.PlaceacalendarnoticeinthePleasantPheasant.Senda‘savethedate’email.SeehowtogetontheGECCouncilweb-site.

3months Eventbudget,

FlyeratRoundtablewithspokenannouncement,

USMailaflyertotheeachunitadultleaderandcommitteechair.

AddoractivateapageattheGECweb-site,

Articletoyournewsletterwitharequestforstaffvolunteers

Includeinyourunit’smonthlyparentupdateletter/email.

VisittheTroopand/orPackmeetingstobuildawarenessdirectlytotheyouthparticipants.

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2months Re-edityournewsletter(unit,districtorcouncil)articlewitharequestforregistration

Phoneunitleaderstosolicitparticipation,requestvolunteersandgiveanylastminuteupdates.

5weeks Registrationsiteon-line

3to-2weeks Anemailreminder

Postevent Sendafollow-uparticletothenewsletter.

Master Event Checklist Circle if planned and X when done

¨ Formaneventteam.

¨ Scheduletheeventandyourteammeetings.

¨ Establishthetheme.

¨ Writeyourmasterarticleoncetheeventdatesandcontentareknown.Seethesampleattheendofthisreport.

¨ Prepareyourflyer

¨ Startaunitordistrictwebpagewithlinktotheflyer

¨ Beginmultiplepathsforpromotionby:

¨ Visitunits

¨ PresentatRoundtablewithflyer

¨ USMailyourflyerandcoverlettertoleadersorparentsintheunit(s)

¨ Prepareapressrelease

¨ Sendyourfullmasterarticlewithphotosorgraphicstothenewsletter

¨ Sendthepressreleasetoyourlocalnewspaper,forapublicevent

¨ Formanemaillistofunitsorpeoplewhoshouldbeinvolved.

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¨ Sendanearlyemailnoticetoprospects.

¨ Sendafollow-upemailtendaysbeforetheevent.

¨ Emailanevaluationsurveyaftertheeventtoplanfornextyear.

¨ Prepareafollow-uparticlefortheDistrictnewsletter.

Start With A Flyer Nowwearedowntothenutsandbolts.Youhaveyoureventsummaryarticle,aplanandschedulealongwithacalendarnoticealreadyinyournewsletter(unit,districtorcouncil).Thisisthetimetoprepareaflyer.Onepage,ofcourse,butfrontandbackarefine,too.PrepareitwithWordorotherwordprocessor;Publisherisevenbetter.PowerPointwilldobutislessflexible.

Fillintheheadlineswiththeeventname,placeandtime.Pullthemostimportantthreeparagraphsfromyourmasterarticle.AddsomegraphicsfromclipartorGoogleImages.Ifyouhaveawebpageincludealinkwiththefulladdress.ItypedinCubCampandgotthegraphicattheright.

Youmayprintandphotocopyfromyourmastercopy.Ifyouplantopostiton-lineoremailit,converttothePDFformat.ThisformatoutputisavailableinthemorerecentWordupdates.IpreferNitroPDFasitcandomanyaddedPDFsupportfunctions.Itusedtobeabout$80buttheyhavebumpedthepriceto$120asfeaturesareadded.YoumightgetanoldercopyoneBayfor$20.Therearemanyotherfileconversionprograms.Besttomakethefilenamemeaningful,somethinglike“Cub_Camp_2016.pdf.”Replacingblankswithunderlineshelpsifthisdocumentwillbepostedon-line.

Distribute Your Flyer Using Multiple Paths Aroofissupportedbymanycolumns.Justaswitharoof,apromotionalpieceneedsmanypathstotheproperreader.Youcanexpectthatoneormorepathsmayfail.TheprintedflyercanbepassedoutinpersonasyouvisitScoutingunitstopromoteyourevent.Mailittoallthefamilieswithinyourunit.Simplypassingitoutatapackortroopmeetingtakestheverylargechanceitwon’tmakethetriphome.SendingthePDFversionasanemailattachmentaddsyetanotherpath.IfyoudoaunitordistrictwebpageonyoureventuploadyourPDFfileandlinktoit.

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Unit Presentations Granted,visitingeachunittakestimeandpeople.Butitwillbethesinglegreateststeptowardbuildingattendance.YoumeetfacetofacewithScouts,parents,andtheunitleadership,passoutyourflierandpossiblyholdaphotoshow.Theultimatewouldbetoconductanactivityfromyoureventforyouthinvolvement.Youcangetatlistoftheunitsandtheirleadershipasnotedbelow.

Newspapers YourlocalnewspapersareusuallyveryScoutsupportiveastheyknowScoutingfamiliesaremorelikelytobetheirreaders.YouwillalwaysrateaCommunityCalendarentry.Aninterestingannouncementarticlewillmaybeprinted.Anengagingphotographwillhelp.Inthepastapressreleasewasexpectedonpaperinaspecificformat.GotoGoogleandtype:Pressreleasetemplate.Particularly,checkinGoogleDocs.

Thesedaysyoushouldfileyourarticlebyemail.Itshouldinclude“PressRelease”inthesubjectline,haveareleasedateatthetopandacompletefirstparagraph.ThetextmaybeinthebodyoftheemailorasanattachedfileusingWordformatonly.ThephotographshouldbeincolorinashigharesolutionaspossibleandmustbeJPGformat.AvoidthePDFformatasextralaborisneededtorestorelostformatting.

Council Website Notice Asaexample,theGoldenEmpireCounciloffersweb-spacetoDistricts.WhenyoupulldownthetoptabDistrict,onthelefttheactiveDistrictpagesareshown.Youreventshouldhaveitsownpage,appearontheYoloDistrictCalendarandinWhat’sNews.WorkthroughoneofthewebmastersshownintheResourcessectiontoconvertyourmasterarticleintoawebpage.

Event Registration ADistrictleveleventmayusetheCouncilwebsiteforregistration.ThelinkwillappearunderHome,On-lineTools(attheleft),EventRegistration.Workwithoneofourdesignatedwebmasterstosetupthisregistrationprocess.

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After Your Event Follow-upexposureisimportantafteryourevent!Manypeoplehearofaneventandmentallysay,“I’llfindhowitwentandgonextyear.”After-eventpublicityisparticularlyimportantifthisisthefirstofanannualorperiodicevent.Writeupyoureventinglowingterms,includequotesfromhappyparticipants,attachcaptionedphotosandgetaswideaspossibledistribution.Thiswilldefinitelygrowyourattendancenexttime.

Preparing Photographs Photographsarethemostreaditemonanypublicitypage.Thereaderscansthemquickly,mayglanceatthecaptions,checksheadlinesandthendecidesthearticlestoread.Aninterestingphotosuperchargesyournearbyarticle.

Hereiswhatthephotoshouldhave:

1. Nosnapshots,takethetimetoposeorframesoyourphotostotellastory.

2. Facesshouldshoweitherinprofileorstraighton.Peopleareinterestedinpeoplefirstandthentheiractivitysecond.andsurroundingslast.Photosshowingthebacksofheadswillimmediatelybediscarded.

3. Labelthephotototieittothearticletoassisttheproductionprocess.Neversendin“IMG0333.jpg”or“Boating.jpg.”Usuallyphotosareseparatedfromthetextforprocessingandrejoinedmuchlater.Yourcaptioncouldbe“Troop131CacheCreekTommyandSam.jpg.”Justrightclickonthephotofilenametorenameit.

Ifyouhavephotoeditingcapabilitysettheresolutionto150dpiandsizetoabout5by5inchesfornewsletters.Sendinyourphotoatfullresolutionforanewspaper.AttachingthephototoemailorsendingalinkfromthewebsiteDropBox.comisbest.Embeddinginanemailwillworkbutyoucan’tproperlylabelthephoto.Photosareseparatedfromthetext,processed,andthenrejoinasthenewsletterisproduced.Thephotocaptionmusttieitclearlytothearticle.

Avoidsendingalinktoanon-sitephotositelikePiccassa.com.Youwon’tbeabletoproperlylabel,itismoreworkfortheeditor,andheprobablywillhavetowadethroughmanyundesirablephotos.Youshouldchoosethebestphoto,adjustresolution,labelclearly,andthensubmitdirectly.

Hot Dogs Nourished The Troop 111 Dragon Patrol

At Expo 2012.

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Roadblocks Let’sadmitit,weallworkoutofpersonalconvenience.I’vefoundtheyouthattendanceatScoutingeventsisstrongaffectedbythewillingnessofadultleadershiptoattend.Onetroophasreported,“OurScoutsneverdosnowevents.”Yearafteryear?That‘nosnow’cultureisbeingpasseddownthroughtheadultleadership,nottheScouts.Itsimplyisn’tproperthatindividualScoutsaredeprivedofanexperienceduetothereluctanceofadultleadership.

Sohowdoyougetaroundsuchroadblocks?1)Giveapresentationatatroopmeeting,directlytotheyouth,showingphotosoftheprioryear’sevent,2)Presentataunitcommitteemeetingsoabroadercross-sectionofitsfamiliesknowoftheopportunity.3)Ifadultleadershiplackssupportiveskills(sayrafting)thensolicitanotherunittohaveajointevent.4)Likewise,ifaunitistoosmallforalock-inatRocknasiumteamupwithanothertroop.5)SometimesanolderScoutmayhaveundueinfluenceinnixinganeventduetohisrespectinthetroop.Itmaybepossibletoformasmallergroupofthosethatarewilling.

Resources and Distribution Paths Youwillneedtouseavarietyofresourcesandcontactseveralpeopletosetupyourannouncementdistributionpaths.HereisthecurrentlistofresourcesfortheYoloDistrict.Theymayserveasgoodexamplesforyourdistrict.

§ DistrictScouterList

§ DistrictUnitLeaderList

§ PostingontheCouncilWebsite

§ PlacingAnEventRegistrationontheCouncilWebsite.

§ YourDistrictNewsletter

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Sample Event Article:

A Chill In The Air? Get Ready For The Klondike Derby It’sbeginningtolookliketheKlondike!Believeitornot,it’salreadytimetostartthinkingabouttheYoloDistrictKlondikeDerby.Reservationshavebeenpaidfor,patchesarebeingdesigned,andplansarebeingmade!

Our2013KlondikeDerbywillbeconductedonFriday,SaturdayandSunday,January25,26,and27.Thecostis$15perScoutorScouter,includinglunchSaturdayandapatch.We’llbeattheNorthTahoeRegionalParkjustlikelastyear.GotoourpageontheGoldenEmpireCouncilwebsiteforallthedetailsandtodownloadtheeventguide.

Ourprogramwillcoverfirstaid,icefloerecovery,firebuilding,andcachemarkingbylashings.Someunitwillcomefortwonightsofsnowcamping,onenightorjustasadayevent.Pleasebeincampby9:00AMSaturday,January26.Theawardceremonywillbeginat4:00PM.

PackageswillalsobedistributedattheOctoberRoundtableintoallTroops,TeamsandCrews.Let’sreallytalkthisupwithyourunits,andgetthosereservationsmade.Sinceweneedtopurchasesuppliesandpayforthecampreservationinadvance,it’sreallyimportanttogetthatinformationsubmittedquicklyandaccurately.

Asalways,we’relookingforhelpandvolunteers.Venturers,VarsityScoutsandseniorBoyScoutsarewantedtoserveasmayorsforthevariouscities.Allmaterialsareprovided–allyouneedtodoisrunit!

Dresswarmly,staydry,andseeyouinthesnow!Joe,GovernoroftheKlondike.