Drawing new people into your hall is very tough, yet very important. The events you host and how you promote them are crucial to accomplish this. Here are some places and ways to spread the word on your events.
Places to promote:
Social Media: using your social media pages is one of the easiest ways to promote your events, as news will spread quickly. Be sure to make regular posts about your event. Also, you can pin posts so that they can be found at the top of your social media pages. Facebook events are an easy way to promote your event because they include all of the details and can be shared easily.
Letters/newsletters: Delivering letters within your community has proven to be an effective tool. Alternatively, if your community has a newsletter, you can promote your events in it!
Posters/flyers: Much like the letters, you can deliver flyers or posters throughout your community. You can also post them in businesses within the community, but make sure you ask before you post anything!
Email: If you have a community member email list for your hall, you can easily send an email out explaining your event. It has the same effect as a letter, just more eco-friendly.
Phone call: Phone calls are an effective way to reach others. Call members of your community and ask them to help spread the word.
Websites: If your hall or community has a website, be sure to mention the upcoming events at your hall!
Community calendars: There are multiple community calendars for upcoming events around the Island (ex. CBC). Be sure to add your events to these.
Here is a link to a list of places you can promote your events for free on PEI. The list includes publication deadlines and contact info: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hw4Lg5P1gpfEnK-HnyvTcuoiQOFanPRz/view?usp=sharing.
Ways to bring more people to your event:
Ideally, there should be a balance between regular and new people that attend your events. Here are some tips that can help you get new people into your hall.
Pre-event
- Do research- send out online surveys or ask people within the community what they would like to see happen at the hall. This way you will find out what interests people and how you can draw them to your events.
- Save the dates- these can be emails or by mail, but make sure to do it early!
- Let attendees know exactly what they can take away from the event. People like to know exactly what they are signing up for!
- Facebook groups- PEI has a bunch of Facebook groups which share Island news and events. Sharing your events here is a great way to reach new people. Some that you can check out are PEI PSA’s or PEI Community Events.
Post-event
- Approach people- after the event, you can send out another online survey to ask people what they enjoyed or what could have been better. Valuing their feedback encourages people to return to your hall. Survey Monkey is a great tool for this!
Tips for writing press releases or news articles:
Writing a captivating press release can be challenging. Here are some tips that can help:
- Never use the first person (I, we, us, etc.)
- No personal opinions- be formal.
- Here is a structure you can follow:
- Subject line: Create a subject line that will grab the reader’s attention. Some ways to do this is by using interesting data or using devices such as rhyme or alliteration.
- Opening paragraph: This is where you want to have the 5 W’s: who, what, when, where, and why. Be sure to include all details, including full names and contact information.
- Body paragraphs: This is where you explain the “how”. This section can often be confusing, so make sure you include one strong sentence at the start that encases all your thoughts and ideas. Be sure to hold the reader’s attention by being direct or using description. A quote is typically used in this section.
Bringing new people into your hall can be challenging, but hopefully, these tips will help you out! If you have an idea for next week’s Tuesday Tip, you can email me at peihalls@gmail.com.
Sources:
The Guardian PEI- June 26, 2017 edition
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwynne/2016/06/13/how-to-write-a-press-release/#338a278f3b93