Publicity & Outreach

Publicity and outreach can be used to get the word out about the Leadership Alliance, stir up interest in a particular issue, or build a crowd for an event. The more people your Leadership Alliance reaches through a variety of publicity and outreach strategies, the more interested people you will have attending your meetings and events. Ultimately, publicity and outreach is essential in building a stronger active feminist community on your campus. The key to effective publicity and outreach is investing the time and energy needed to do it right. Remember, the more tactics and strategies you combine, the better the results.

Flyering/Postering

When flyering/postering your campus, remember the following:

• Always list the "who", "what", "when", and "where" on flyers so that people have immediate access to all of the important information they need to know about your event. Make sure this pertinent information is clear and legible.
• Having a highly visible (color) or laser quality flyer will make your event look professional, and members of the campus community will be more likely to take note of it.
• Find out when campus staff takes down posters before putting them up. You do not want to waste time and money flyering the campus only to have the flyers removed the next day.
• In order to do a thorough job, assign people to various areas of the campus. Here are some areas you should make sure to cover:
• All major academic buildings
• Computer labs
• Student Unions
• Cafeterias
• Libraries
• Women’s Center
• Cultural Centers
• Administrative buildings
• Outdoor surfaces where there is high student traffic (e.g. Student Union steps)
• Residence Halls
• Bathroom door stalls and women's locker rooms

Depending on your event and target audience, you may also want to flyer in the local community area. Some community places include:

• Progressive book stores
• Restaurants/bars frequented by the campus community
• Grocery stores (bulletin boards)
• Coffee houses
• Clubs
• Gyms
• Movie theaters
• Shopping districts
• Telephone poles
• Laundromats
• Bus stops

Hanging a Banner

For an upcoming event, make a large banner to hang in a high traffic area (e.g. student union building.) Be sure to do the following:

• Hang the banner in a spot where it can be seen clearly from a distance.
• If you can afford to, have the banner made professionally at your school or by a local copy shop.
• Use large letters, bright colors, and highlight all important information.
• Include your Leadership Alliance's contact information clearly at the bottom.
• Hanging banners often requires permission from the school. Make sure to request clearance up to several weeks in advance, depending on your school's regulations.
• Try to hang the banner at least a week before your event.

Tabling/Leafleting

Before a major event, it is always a good idea to table in a high traffic area on campus. While you are tabling, remember to be enthusiastic and talk to the people who pass by. If you are enthusiastic about your event, others will be too.

• For rallies, small actions, or major speakers, make sure to allow for two weeks of tabling.
• Have plenty of materials explaining your event, including the who, what, where, and when.

• Remember to have plenty of information about your Leadership Alliance and the Feminist Majority at your table—always keep your eye out for potential members!
• Have a sign-up sheet available for people who want to volunteer for the event or get involved with the Leadership Alliance.
• Leaflet a high traffic zone on campus while you table. Pass out smaller pieces of paper containing all of the information about your event.
• Always feature a catchy logo or phrase on your flyers that will get people's attention.

Public Service Announcements

Radio stations are required to make public service announcements free of charge, usually twice an hour. Take advantage of this service by doing the following:

• Contact your campus and local radio stations and ask them to announce your event.
• For information on how to write a public service announcement and develop a message, check the media worksheet of the handbook.

Other Free Advertising

Advertising your event in the school newspaper is a great way to reach a large population on campus. Most school papers offer announcement space for free; others offer space for a modest fee. Also, consider doing some of the following:

• Ask your paper to print an advance story on your event. Have them come to your event as well, and make sure that they have someone taking photographs.
• Call local media (print and television) and tell them about your event. Try to secure any local media coverage. (For more information on the press, see the Media fact sheet.)
• Sometimes, small local papers will offer advertising for free or at minimal cost. Check what local resources you have, and try to secure advertising if possible.

Class Announcements

A great way to spread the word about an event is to have members of the Leadership Alliance announce it in classes. Here are some ideas/points to consider:

• The announcement should be brief but should contain all essential information.
• Distribute flyers with your announcement so that everyone has the contact information for further inquiries.
• Show excitement and enthusiasm; this will encourage people to find out more!
• Make announcements in all progressive classes, as well as large "introductory" type classes.
• Distribute a brief written announcement to all faculty mail boxes and ask them to announce your event at the beginning of their classes.
• Ask faculty members in progressive or relevant departments to offer extra credit points to students who attend the event, or make attendance mandatory for their classes.
• Pass around a sign-up sheet and make follow-up phone calls to those who expressed interest.

Email and Listservs

• While emailing cannot be relied on as your only method of outreach, it is extremely effective when combined with other efforts.
• Get the listserv addresses for progressive organizations, women's studies, ethnic studies, gay and lesbian studies, etc. Send a brief email to these lists giving all essential information as well as who to contact for more information.
• E-mail faculty listservs for the various departments that might be interested in your event, and encourage them to attend, to bring their classes, and to offer extra credit for attendance.

Outreach on Campus

Another way to get people to your event is to outreach to other progressive student organizations on your campus. Through outreach, you can both inform groups about your upcoming event, as well as ask them to support the event through co-sponsorship. Outreach and co-sponsorship provides an opportunity to develop and/or strengthen the ties you have to other progressive groups on campus, and demonstrate that there is a strong progressive alliance on campus. Outreach will also allow your Leadership Alliance to draw a more diverse audience since many groups will be represented at the event. Finally, co-sponsoring events provides a great way for groups to split up event costs that could overburden any one organization. Reach out to he following types of groups:

• Other feminist groups/Women's Center
• Students of Color organizations
• Progressive groups
• Lesbian/ Gay/ Bisexual/ Transgender Groups
• Environmental groups
• Lesbian groups
• Women's sports organizations
• Social Services/Community Service organizations
• Student Government
• Sororities
• Faculty Senate/Feminist Faculty
• Dean of Students
• Student Activities Director

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