Campus Publicity Ideas

“How to Build an Audience of Hundreds”
From A-Z

Banners – Hang up large banners in your student union, dining hall or dormitories. They should be bright with big lettering. Only the most basic information should be on the banner.

Campus Media – Contact all your campus media organizations. Ask your campus radio and tv stations about how you can get an announcement on their networks. Send a press advisory to your campus newspaper to see if they will profile the event. If they publish a calendar, make sure to get your event listed there.

Chalking – This is a fun publicity event for your entire chapter to get involved in. Give everyone some sidewalk chalk and set them loose to cover campus with announcements about your event. Again, keep it simple but creative with just the basic information.

Class announcements – You know that down time as students walk in or out of classes? Take that as a time to announce your event. Stand up and talk loudly about the awesome event that DM is hosting. If you’d like, write it on the board before the professor walks in. Ask every member of your group to do this in every single one of their classes and you’ll be surprised at the result.

E-mail listservs – Send a catchy e-mail out to your entire listserv talking about the event. Then forward it to the heads of other groups on campus and ask them if they’d send it out their lists. Not the best publicity tactic, but it can snag a few people.

Flyers – Design eye catching flyers with all the pertinent information about your event and put them everywhere – in bathrooms stalls, in academic buildings, on sidewalks, in the student union, in student mailboxes, etc.

Friends – Word of mouth can be some of your best publicity. Have your members talk to their friends about the event. Their friends will tell their friends, etc, etc.

Group announcements – Swing by other group meetings of people who might be interested in political issues. Ask for a quick five minutes just to pitch your event to the group. These are already politicized students, they’re you best bet for a sizable audience.

Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – Like listservs, these social media tools are not the only way you should publicize events and campaigns, but they can help get the word out. For every event you have, create a Facebook event. You and all DM members should send event invites to all your friends and chapter members. Also post this event on other group pages that are on your campus (this is a great way to let other organizations know about your event). Create a Twitter account for your group to connect your event or campaign to the national @DemocracyMatrz twitter handle. Connect to us on Instagram, where we are DemocracyMatters on IG.

Outlandish – Be creative! Stand up in the dining hall and announce your event, do a short skit in the student union that parodies it. The more creative, the more eye catching, the more likely people will pay attention and turn out.

Professors – Talk to Professors about the possibility of both announcing it in their classes and offering their students extra credit if they attend the event. Extra credit is the most surefire way to have a huge audience!

Quarter cards – Much like flyers, make attractive quarter cards that you can hand out as you stand outside the library or the student union. All members should carry a stack and hand them out to people throughout the week leading up to the event.

Resident Advisors – Contact RA’s and ask if you can come make a presentation to their advisees, or do in-dorm publicity.

Table tents – Design attractive table tents and put them on tables in the dining hall and in the student union. People always want things to read when eating.

Tabling – Alter your regular tabling techniques to incorporate the event. Have one member canvass the crowd with quarter cards, while the table itself has posters about the event and maybe an eye catching game or joke associated with it.

Website – Contact your school webmaster and see if you can get the event listed on the main website of the college – either on the main page or in the online campus calendar.

Yard signs – Ask your building and grounds office first, but if you get the okay, put yard signs around campus a few days prior to the event.

SOME PUBLICITY TRICKS OF THE TRADE

VISIBILITY

People should know about your event or campaign even if they’re completely oblivious to everything else going on at your school. Everywhere they go, they should see your event advertised.

SIMPLICITY

Keep your message short, understandable and simple. People should get a good idea of what you’re doing with just a brief description. Too much text or explanation make someone unwilling to read anything on the flyer.

LANGUAGE

Don’t use jargons, slogans, or acronyms without defining them. A complex issue can be explained in ways that even the most apathetic can understand. And if you do use jargon, you alienate everyone who doesn’t know its meaning.

POSITIVITY

Political groups are often criticized for over-emphasizing the negative. In your publicity (as well as your activism in general), balance critique with positive alternatives. If you use an outrageous quote to get someone’s attention to a flyer, make sure you highlight that the event will provide a solution, and a way they can get involved!

CREATIVITY

Much publicity on campuses is dull, dull, dull. Be creative! Colorful, irreverent, interactive, 3-dimensional, eye catching publicity is more effective. Just don’t let the creativity of your flyer obscure your message.

REPETITION

People should hear or read about your event at least seven times. No kidding. After the first few times, people who might not otherwise come or participate will become interested.

REPUTATION

You do publicity both for your event and for your group in general. There is nothing wrong or shameful about promoting your group by clearly listing your group’s name, a contact person, the time of your next meeting and how people can get involved.

AUDIENCE

Think about what audience you’re trying to reach and design your publicity around those thoughts. Are you trying to reach out to the Greek like on campus? Then where should flyers be placed to maximize their efficiency?