All forms of media are important components of outreach. In addition to the eight required social media posts, please use other forms of media to promote your campaign. The goal of your promotion efforts is to generate exposure to the CRASH Project and your campaign. Examples of easy and effective ways to create awareness are below.
I. Traditional Media | Newspapers, TV & Radio
Traditional media is a great way to reach more people outside of your campus to further promote your campaign. The first step to planning your traditional media outreach is to develop a targeted media list. Your media list should include local and campus newspapers, TV programs, and radio stations.
1. Newspapers
Fortunately, NJ.com makes it easy to find newspaper contacts. Within NJ.com, there is a News Index page that lists all local newspapers by county. From there, you can find which local newspapers cover your county and navigate to their pages within NJ.com. Additionally, NJ.com has a Contact Us page that has direct links to the contact information of affiliated major New Jersey newspapers. It is important to note that newspapers have dedicated email addresses for press release submissions.
2. Television
Specialty TV programs (campus and local TV news, programs produced by college and community TV stations, and educational shows) offer an excellent opportunity for communicating the program. These programs cover news relevant and appealing geographically so the more localized your pitch is, the better your chances are. The key is to make your pitch both compelling and convincing.
3. Radio
Radio interviews are another excellent vehicle for publicizing the program. Best practice is to contact your college or local radio station and pitch yourself as an interview candidate to the news director or assignment editor. Just as with TV, your radio pitch about why your campaign is important should be compelling.
II. Online Media | Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Blogs & Message Boards
Social media promotion is the perfect complement to your media outreach as well as a required component of the CRASH Project. It is a great way to raise awareness of your campaign within your campus and community. Remember, your college campus is the audience that your project is targeting.
1. Facebook
We recommend developing a Facebook page for your project. Harness the power of your team and have everyone put your Facebook page link on their personal Facebook profiles, as well as asking your friends to like and share it. If you already have a Facebook page for your organization, differentiate your CRASH Project posts from your regularly scheduled posts by a defining factor (hashtag, your campaign logo). By doing this, you will raise awareness of the program. Tag our account, @JerseyDrives, in your posts!
2. Twitter
On Twitter, in addition to regularly promoting your campaign to your followers, the use of hashtags (#) can be effective for finding groups that share similar interests. Start following like-minded lists and in turn get yourself listed. When incorporating links in your tweets, it’s best to create short-code URLs using a service like Bitly.com. Follow us @JerseyDrives!
3. Instagram
Follow us and share your CRASH Project journey with other colleges. Sometimes it’s hard to communicate in words, and photos can make the task easier. Help us bring the message of safe driving, riding, and walking together with powerful images of the campaigns you are working on. Follow us on Instagram at @JerseyDrives. Tag us in your posts so that we can find your photos.
4. YouTube
YouTube can be a very effective way to raise awareness and engage your audience. When uploading your video, be sure to include related keywords and tags in the description of your video. This is a great way to generate traffic and expand your reach because it increases search engine position rankings. We also recommend throwing in a well-timed Facebook page link and CRASH Project web page link at the end of your video.
5. TikTok
Nearly 70% of TikTok’s users are between 13 and 24 years old, making it a perfect place to reach your peers. Be creative with your TikTok posts, as the most popular content is often offbeat, humorous, or quirky. Don’t forget to include a link to your campaign’s Facebook page on your TikTok profile!
6. Reddit, Blogs & Message Boards
Another way to generate exposure is to comment on blogs or post on Reddit, article message boards, and forums. For this to work, you have to leave comments on posts that are related to your campaign’s topic. Be sure to include links to your Facebook page and the CRASH Project web page.
You know your community better than anyone else. Keep in mind the kind of media your community typically consumes. A helpful question to ask yourself may be “Which of our social media platforms foster the most engagement from our target audience?”
