Student Activities
Bush Campus Center, Rm. 107 · (570) 327-4763
Publicizing Your Student Organization or Event
- [Publicity Strategy]
- [Effective Publicity]
- [Posters]
- [Stall Wall Weekly]
- [World Wide Web]
- [PCToday]
- [Word of Mouth]
- [TV and Radio]
Publicity is a necessary part of any event or organization. Without the proper publicity, the organization's goals to raise money, attract new members, and provide a program or service will not be met. Therefore, your organization's planning should be incorporated into your marketing campaign.
The most effective publicity allows the reader to grasp all the important facts of the program quickly. Accordingly, promotional materials should have a clearly printed message that is designed to evoke a response from the viewer. Before you begin the campaign you should answer the following questions:
- How much money has been budgeted for publicity?
- Who do you want to reach and how?
- What is the essential information for the program that needs to be conveyed?
- What are your human resources (e.g., artistic talent, articulate speakers, membership size)?
- What location will give your materials the most attention?
Once you have thoroughly discussed these questions, your campaign should be ready to take off. You should start the campaign two to three weeks prior to the event or organizational meeting. The following are descriptions of different types of media you might want to use in your campaign. You should try to select a variety to help you reach the maximum audience within your budget.
Posters for Campus Bulletin Boards
All posters must be approved in advance by Student Activities, and they will be posted for you on the Student Activities bulletin boards on campus.
Bring your poster to the Campus Center Information Desk at least two weeks prior to the event advertised on the poster. You should supply 40 copies of the poster to cover all Student Activities boards on campus. Student Activities schedules at least two poster runs per week; please plan the timing of your posters accordingly.
Posters will be displayed for up to two weeks (consideration for longer postings will be given in special circumstances).
There is also a Classifieds board on which individual students are able to post items of interest, located on the first floor of the Campus Center. It is reserved for postings related to private sales, rooms for rent, etc.
Stall Wall Weekly is a weekly newsletter posted in public restrooms around campus announcing upcoming campus events. Stall Wall Weekly are published each week with the current week’s activities.
If you would like your club or organizational information printed in Stall Wall Weekly it should be submitted to the Student Activities Assistant, no later than 4:30 p.m. on the Tuesday one week prior to the issue in which you want your information to appear. The Student Activities Office reserves the right to edit submissions.
The Student Activities Office maintains an informational Web site that lists the active student organizations on campus. You may create a Web page for your own organization.
Please be aware that there are guidelines for Web pages affiliated with the College. It is important to read about the terms of service, guidelines, and the College's policy regarding ethical computing. For additional information, visit Web page style guide and FAQs for Student Organizations (PDF).
To have your organization’s Web page linked to the Student Activities organizations Web page, contact the Student Activities Assistant.
PCToday is Penn College’s comprehensive, Web-based information system with up-to-the minute news and events, both on and off campus. PCToday will publish listings of all Student Activities events, such as programs, meetings, etc., that have been documented on Event Approval Forms and submitted in a timely manner. If you are interested in pitching the idea of a feature story on your event or project for the PCToday front page, feel free to contact pctoday@pct.edu.
Probably one of the most effective media is word of mouth. Get your group's membership talking to everybody they know about the program or group. If everyone talks up the event in classes, parties, and cafeterias, people will get interested. Word of mouth advertising is great, because it is free.
PCTV is the College’s on-campus television channel. Students can access information from PCTV at various locations on campus. Additionally, on-campus residents can find PCTV in their own apartments on cable channel 78. To submit information to PCTV, e-mail pctv@pct.edu at least two weeks prior to your event/meeting.
WPTC is the College’s student-run radio station. Students living on and off campus can listen to the station at 88.1FM. To submit information to the radio station, contact wptc@pct.edu at least two weeks prior to your event/meeting.