Five tips for promoting your USI event

1. Plan Ahead

Your event is more likely to get the proper promotion it deserves if you get the basic details about your event to your communication channels in a timely manner. It takes time to determine an angle, the best method to push out the information, provide reminders about the event and pitch to the media, if necessary.

The best approach is to reach out to University Communications as soon as you know the date and have a brief description of what your event will entail. This allows us to put your event on our list and will remind us to follow-up with you to get additional details as the event date approaches. Informing us a month in advance would be ideal timing.

Don't forget to submit your event to the new USI Calendar after you have scheduled your room.

2. Determine Your Target Audience

Take an honest look at which group(s) the event would appeal to the most. Is it faculty, staff, students and/or the general public? The best way to reach each group varies, so determine how much time and energy you want to expend planning and sending the information to the various communication platforms.

An event promotion page is available online with submission forms, guidelines and tips.

3. Be Descriptive

You'll need more than a title, date and location. Determine what the goals of your event are and what you hope the audience takes away from it. Write a brief description for your event. This will give us a better idea of how to promote it, determine the best channels for distribution and generate follow-up questions to help fill in the blanks.

4. Use Images

Your event will garner more attention if the text is accompanied with a photo. If you have a visiting speaker, request a high-resolution headshot. If your event is annual, send photos from the previous year that represents the context of your event. If you have a flyer or postcard, attach it in an email to the University Communications team.

5. Create a Checklist

Having a quick reference to ensure that all possible communication channels have been considered. Audiences prefer to get their information in different ways. Create a checklist that makes sense for your event.

We are always happy to consult with you, so don't hesitate to contact us.