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| Marketing
and Publicity |
| by Kathy Sykes |
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| Summary |
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| Defining, targeting and reaching your target
audience is important for any science communication project.
In this document, Kathy Sykes summarises how to reach various
target audiences, and provides guidance on how to get your
project some media attention. |
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| 1.
Firstly |
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Well before your event or activity, think through:
- Who do you want to notice what you’re doing? Which different
groups?
- eg school children, ethnic minorities, your own institution, the media,
new audiences, potential funders, your boss?
- What do you want them to do?
- come to the event? value what you’re doing more? report on your
activity? give you money etc
Then target those groups carefully; aim to get across the message
about the action you want from them.
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| 2.
Ways of reaching people |
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Think about the group you want to reach...
- what do they do?
- what do they watch? read? listen to?
- where do they go?
- what makes them decide to go to events?
Ask some of them these questions too:
- What existing networks reach them?
- Are there similar activities that could promote yours?
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| 3.
Fitting in with different groups’ needs |
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Find out how your target would like to hear about you… in
an existing programme, by email list, poster, announcement?
Find out about when your target audience likes to hear about things
by,
- getting things into other group’s programmes may mean planning
ahead eg women’s institutes plan a year ahead
- different parts of the media need to know about you at different times
NB ALL your publicity and marketing information gives messages
about you and your organisation
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| 4.
Schools – some ways in |
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- SETPOINTS
- Science & Engineering Ambassadors, Researchers in Residence
- Local groups: BA, IoP, RSC, ASE group
- LEA - usually a particular person has responsibility for getting
to the schools that are harder to reach:
- Education Action Zone co-ordinator (only exist in some areas;
target hard to reach schools)
- Science Advisors (who can direct things to Heads of Dept
in schools)
- Gifted and talented co-ordinator (who should know who the
G&T students are)
- Science Centres, Museums, Zoos, Galleries
- Teacher training colleges
- School Governors
- Your own children & their mates? Your friend’s children
- University: often various different groups: school liaison; widening participation; active scientists or others
- Local charities
- Local active people and groups - eg companies, freelancers
- Excellence Challenge co-ordinators
- Science Clubs
- Other after school clubs, in and out of school, sports, Brownies, Cubs, Scouts, Guides
- Leisure centres, discos, swimming pools.
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Public - some ways in |
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But define which group of the public you want to get at - it’s
not good enough to say 'the general public' - which ones? This is
important in funding applications.
Work with others, ride on their publicity, help each other find
audiences:
- SETPOINTS (eg Neighbourhood Engineers)
- Local branches of organisations, IoP, RSC etc
- Science Centres, Museums, Galleries, Zoos
- Local community groups
- Shopping centres, supermarkets, motorway service stations
- Pubs, Airports, Railways
- Doctors surgeries/ playgroups/ community halls
- Football clubs, other sports clubs
- Churches, Libraries,
- Cinemas (eg mailing lists riding on their publicity)
- University (Continuing Education Departments)
- Festivals - arts and science
- Women’s Institute groups
- Charities, Support groups, Rotary clubs
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Businesses - some ways in |
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- Institutes, professional bodies
- Business link
- Education Business Partnerships (EBPs)
- Small Business Service
- Chamber of Commerce
- Development agenices, Environment Agency
- Learning and Skills Councils
- MPs
- WIs, Rotary clubs, Roundtable etc
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Getting into the media - Why bother? |
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- The media influences everyone - the public, your audience/
collaborators/ funders & decision makers
- House of Lords Select Committee Report on Science and Society:
‘Once they leave school, most people get most of their information
about science from TV and the newspapers.’
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| 8.
Getting into the media - some approaches |
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For the media to be interested, there needs to be something for
them that counts as ‘news’, so a new bit of research
being published is valuable. But they can hook in to other things
too – so be creative about coming up with ideas they might
find attractive. e.g.
- Wacky bit of technology -
eg Sony robotic dog (animals/ kids help, especially photogenic ones)
- Quirky, zany, funny ideas - eg 4 year old pitted against top city analysts & Astrologer
- Great image - eg Skeletons
- Celebrities/ politicians involved
- Dialogue - surveys on public opinions are more newsworthy than you’d imagine
- Becoming a pundit / being controversial
- Exciting bit of new research
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| 9.
Press Releases |
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Press Releases are your passport to getting into the media.
Decide the places you want to target and watch/ listen to or read
the programme/ paper or magazine. Send your releases to the places
you want to target, but find out first the name of the relevant
person (often in TV or radio news it’s someone at the Forward
Planning Desk). Follow up with a phone call.
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| 9.1
What to include: |
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Press releases follow a standard form, which is worth following.
They should normally be one, or at most two sides of A4. From
top to bottom:
- Date and time: date and time of embargo (when you’re prepared
for the story to go out)
- Title: A short, sexy enticement to get people to read
the release
- First paragraph: summarise the whole story. Be clear and
simple.
- Further paragraphs: Use short sentences to summarise what
you are doing/have done; why this is important; who is involved;
when it is happening and where. (Who, What, When, Where,
Why)
- Include a quote from you or another relevant person that
could be used directly in a story.
- Notes for editors: additional background information -
e.g. explaining what the various organisations are that
are mentioned in the main part of the release.
- Contact information: Provide at least one name and telephone
numbers (daytime and evening) for journalists to contact
to follow-up the story. And make sure the phone number given
is always answered.
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| 9.2
Places to get help: |
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- Research Council/ Charity - funded work:
funders may be prepared to check or help
- University Press Office
Usually have good local contacts, some have good National
contacts
- Learned Institutions
very busy but might be prepared to check a release
- The journal you or a colleague is publishing with
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