Relay For Life Promotions Kit Tips on how to make some noise about your fundraising events.
Time to make some noise! You ve done all the hard work planning, now it s time to let your community and media know about your awesome fundraising events. Once you and your team have decided on your fundraising activities, it s time to let everyone know about your events so they can come along and support you. The more promotion you do, the better chance you will have at reaching your fundraising goal. So go all out and spread the word! In this kit you will find customisable posters that you can ask your local businesses to display, a social media guide to reach friends and family online, and some tips on how to get the attention of your local media. You should ideally start promoting your event a few weeks out so your friends, family and co-workers have time to support you. Every community is different, so think about what promotional activities work best in your local area. Think big, plan early There s no time like the present to plan your fundraising activities for the year! Use the Fundraising Kit to help map out your events and how much you want to raise. The earlier you fundraise, the earlier you can bank your funds, which means more time to set up your campsite and enjoy the Relay.
Team fundraiser poster Download our customisable poster at www.relayforlife.org.au/tools/useful-downloads/ Fill in the details of your event and ask local businesses, schools and sporting groups to display them for you. Paint the Town Purple Paint the Town Purple is a day or week where you engage the local community in all things Relay by literally painting the town purple for Relay! Get local businesses and shops to decorate their window displays purple and dress in purple, or decorate your main street to create a purple buzz in your community.
Social media tips fundraising event. Whether you ask for donations, send out invitations to an event or post Facebook event Create an event for your fundraiser and invite all your friends. You can include a description, as well as all the details about when and where. your event? You can even edit the About You section and include a link to your Participant Centre. Facebook posts Keep people up-to-date about your event, how many days to go and some behind the scenes pictures. Post to the Relay Facebook We love hearing about all the fundraising activities our Relayers are planning, so post to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/relayforlifeaustralia. Make a short video Why not make a short video about your event on your smartphone explaining why you Relay? Share it on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to inspire your friends to support you. Use the Relay #hashtag Tweet short updates or upload a picture on Instagram about your event. Use the Relay For Life hashtags #HopeLives and #RelayForLifeAus so all our followers can hear about your event. Share your personal page Use the social sharing icons in your Participant Centre to post a link on Facebook and Twitter. Your friends and family can read your personal story and also see your progress. facebook.com/relayforlifeaustralia Tag your friends Add a picture or video that represents your event and tag all the friends you want to attend. Add comments like hope to see you there, and include a link to your event page. Tagging is also a great way to thank everyone after your event. @RelayForLifeAus #HopeLives #RelayForLifeAus @RelayForLifeAus #HopeLives #RelayForLifeAus youtube.com/relayforlifeaus 95 65 social media. users use Facebook. Of Australians are on Of Australian social media 45 Access social media at least once a day. % % % 258 Average number of fans or followers.
Local media ideas Promoting via your local media is a great way to let your whole community know about your participation in Relay For Life. Give these media ideas a try in your community 1 2 3 Promote the people behind the Relay Ask your local newspaper to run stories highlighting your team. You may be a cancer survivor, carer or a top fundraiser. These types of personal interest stories are easy to pitch, and help show the community what Relay is all about. Write a letter to the editor Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper about Relay For Life and the difference it makes in your community. Use the History of Relay and Where the Money Goes infographics in the Fundraising Kit to support your letter. Look for local channels Ask your community radio and television station to broadcast a notice about Relay For Life and your event. 4 5 Get on the event list Add your event to event calendars available from your local council, community groups, churches, schools and sporting clubs. Many newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations also have online event calendars. Provide content and Relay ads Ask your local Relay For Life Coordinator if they have a radio or television advertisement already created that can easily be provided to your local networks. Providing these to your media channels allows them to publicise the event at little cost to them. Every Relay has a story Visit our Relay For Life YouTube channel to see some of the great stories we have captured on film from across Australia. You will also be able to see all the current TV commericals, which are free to use. Visit www.youtube.com/relayforlifeaus.
Pitching to the media Every Relay has a story. Start by finding the best journalist to cover your story and email them your idea and a couple of Relay pictures. Follow up with a phone call a few days later to see if they are interested. Who, what & why Lead with key information first: when and why the Relay event is happening, and what are the details. Dear Mr Jones, On Saturday 21 February the school kids from Relay High School will be holding a Community Talent Contest to raise money for Cancer Council s Relay For Life. This is the fifth year our school has been involved in Relay For Life, and we aim to beat last year s record by raising $6000. Personalise your email Avoid sending your email to a generic email address, and target the journalist you would like to cover your story. Try the journalist who covers sports, health or human interest stories. Keep it short & simple Keep your pitch to the bare essentials. Aim for around 150-200 words. At the event we will have: Over 50 students are participating in the talent show. Acts that include singing, comedy and dance. The Relay Valley Mayor will open the talent contest and be on the judging panel. Bullet points Starting an email off with a short sentence followed by a few key bullet points allows the reader to get a quick glimpse of what you re offering. Relay High School participates in Relay For Life to honour the memory of a former teacher, Ms Suzy Jones, who lost her battle with cancer in 2009. Giveaways & deals Offer the journalist a free pass to your event, include a competition for their readers or a special discount. I think this would make a great story for your readership, highlighting the difference young people are making in the fight against cancer. Please let me know if you are interested, and I can send you some more information and arrange a free pass to the event. Many thanks, Wait until they bite Don t give too much away, but offer more information on request. Be patient and give them a day to respond before calling. Tracey Smith Teacher, Relay High School email@email.com.au Stuck for a story idea? Why not do a quick news search online for Relay For Life and see what stories have made the headlines.