PUBLICIZING EVENTS

“…That I may publish with with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works”

(Psalms 26)

Many CSOs are looking for effective means of promoting their events. Of course, they want people to attend their event. But sometimes efforts to publicize don’t draw people in as hoped. So should you advertise? What are the best ways to let people know what you’re doing?

This section will share some ideas of what others have done. Regardless of how you choose to advertise, remember that the most important thing is your love of Christian Science and your desire to share it with others. It’s this love of the message—not how snazzy the ad campaign is—that makes publicizing successful.

Getting the word out

Okay, so you’re excited about the event, but maybe you’re still wondering how to advertise it. Below are some ideas on how you might publicize your event on campus. You’ll come up with many more. Enjoy spreading the word!

  • Personal invitations have proven to be the most effective way to get people to come to an activity. People are more likely to come to events organized by someone they know. You aren’t trying to convert someone to your religion. You are just sharing something that you have found to helpful in your own life. So go ahead, invite your friends, classmates, teammates, co-workers. You never know who may be really hungering for help.
  • Submit a press release or pitch a story idea to your school newspaper, radio station, or television station highlighting your event. Interviews with a CSO mem- ber or the lecturer (or both) before the lecture can be extremely effective.
  • Use social networking sites like Facebook to send out an invitation to fellow students.
  • Put flyers up in the cafeteria, dorms, building entrances, and in the mailboxes of students and professors enables the message to be shared with a wide audience. But don’t rely on them solely. They are a popular method of advertising, but often not the most effective as they tend to be very impersonal and can easily get lost amongst all the other flyers.
  • Submit an ad to your school newspaper, radio station, or television station.
  • Put up posters, billboards, or banners around campus.
  • Post an ad on a school website.
  • Submit the event to your school calendar.
  • Set up a Science and Health or informational table on campus in conjunction with the event.
  • Ask your Student Activities Office for ideas on how to advertise on campus.