8.2 Publicity

12 May 2009


The Importance of Publicity

Publicity is essential for the National Governing Body. People need to know you exist and how to get in touch with you.

Publicity is more than media coverage. The first time someone picks up the NGB newsletter, phones the NGB or hears of an experience someone has had with you, it should have a significant and positive impact.

How you communicate with the public will say a lot about the organisation you represent. Every time someone from the NGB speaks to a member of the public or media, they need to be aware that they are the face of the organisation and act accordingly.

The media has an enormous and increasing influence on all our lives. Using the media effectively gives you the opportunity to make a significant impact on a large audience quickly. If the NGB is mentioned on the radio or in the local newspapers, your message may have an immediate impact.

 

 

Planning an NGB Publicity Campaign

For some people, organising a publicity campaign can seem like a daunting task. In reality it can be as simple as sending out a letter to publicise a meeting or issuing a press release. The extent of the NGB campaign will depend on what you want to achieve and the resources available

 

 

Identify Your Objectives Before You Start

Before starting your campaign, it is important to identify what you want to achieve. All campaigns should set out to achieve clear objectives. A single publicity campaign can be used to achieve any of the following results for the NGB:

  • Create awareness - e.g. to let people know there is a club or sporting organisation in their community
  • Provide information - e.g. on changes in the latest budget
  • Help educate - e.g. about a new NGB/Sport Ireland initiative
  • Start debate - e.g. create a discussion about the sport facilities, programmes, etc that are needed locally
  • Produce action - e.g. to get volunteers to help the NGB

 

 

Getting Started

Whatever your campaign objectives, a few basic guidelines will help your chance of success:

  • Publicity does not happen by accident - one or more individuals must accept responsibility for it
  • Without clear objectives, your campaign will not have a focus - identify what you want to achieve
  • Objectives must be attainable - match what you want to do with available resources
  • Using several kinds of publicity has a greater effect than just one - e.g. put up posters as well as sending out a press release about an upcoming NGB event
  • Think of your target audience - what do they need to hear? How best can you get your message across?

 

Once responsibility for publicity has been agreed, a number of crucial steps should be taken to lay the foundations for your publicity campaign:

  • Assess your current activities - how can they be improved? What needs to be done differently?
  • Plan a calendar
  • Develop a comprehensive circulation list - this should include all relevant local contacts including media, public representatives, local sport groups and voluntary groups. This list should be updated regularly

 

 

Evaluation of a Publicity Campaign

Through regular evaluation, the effectiveness of the NGB's publicity campaign can be assessed and modifications made. This will also ensure the best use of available resources. The implementation of any publicity campaign should be evaluated on a regular basis, at least every six months. This evaluation should be formal, and involve everyone who has a substantial role in any aspect of your publicity campaign


To facilitate this evaluation, the coordinator should circulate to the evaluation group, in advance of the meeting, the following documents: -

  • List all publicity activities since the last evaluation
  • Note all media enquiries
  • Listing of all publicity related documentation issued by the NGB, and the reason for issuing
  • Listing of all media coverage indicating date, location, journalist, topic/issue, NGB input and whether it is balanced/neutral, positive or negative from the point of view of the NGB


The objectives of the NGB would be to:

  • Critically examine the profile of the NGB through all public events and media coverage since the last evaluation, including any "missed opportunities"
  • Identify and address any specific organisational difficulties, which may have arisen in the implementation of the publicity campaign
  • Highlight any unintended effect of media coverage of the NGB or its activities
  • Assess the interest shown by the media in the NGB and consider how it may be enhanced
  • Review the publicity calendar in light of the evaluation
  • Decisions should be documented and monitored until fully implemented