Promoting your Event
It is essential to proactively promote your Noise Action Week events. Use flyers, word of mouth, the internet and the media.
A display in an office, foyer or window might be observed by visitors, but however eye catching it is unlikely to really make a memorable impact. A personal approach is most effective - for you as well as your target audience. It may require more involvement and planning, but can be rewarding as well as enjoyable.
Get out and about - whether it is on the street, on the radio, in the press, to tenants groups, community groups, in schools or other establishments, talking to people is the most effective way to get your message across.
Display Noise Action Week posters, with information on noise and local events. Choose somewhere where they will be seen by your target audience.
Keep other groups informed - let other groups with an interest in noise know what you are doing. They might not have signed up to support the work initially, but if they see you are doing something worthwhile and interesting, they may well join in.
Keep Environmental Protection UK informed - we can help promote your activities by including details on our website and in national and local press releases.
Use the World Wide Web - if you have a website use it to promote your work, and make sure your target audience are aware information is there. You can also promote Noise Action Week on social networking sites, or send details of your events to Environmental Protection UK so we can add them to Noise Action Weekís Twitter feed, Facebook page and Wordpress blog.
Media Promotion
Noise Action Week receives a high level of press coverage at national and local level. Working with the media is an effective way of communicating positive messages about noise reduction and promoting Noise Action Week activities and events or promoting new or existing noise management services.
Many Noise Action Week participants have had their work covered by local radio stations, newspapers and TV stations, with some running a feature on noise throughout breakfast or mid morning shows.
Here are some tips for promoting your event to the media:
- Press release: Issue a press release on noise - this can be general or focus on a local issue. Use statistics - numbers of complaints or a top five nasty noises always go down well. See our pro forma press release to help get you started.
- Case studies: Have cases ready to talk about - noise always provides good human interest stories and real examples will be eagerly used by local and national press.
- Visuals: Provide something visual to attract the cameras - set up a public auction of confiscated equipment or donate it to schools or youth groups, stage a mock seizure of equipment, or carry out a mock noise complaint, demonstrate noise monitoring equipment, dress up in fancy dress, run a competition or demonstration to get children yelling, show dogs barking.
- Interviews: Offer to take part in a radio phone-in, or carry out an interview with a local newspaper or TV station.
- Statistics: Provide background information and statistics on local noise complaints for a feature article in local press.
- Positive stories: Promote the positive aspects of noise management - problems which have found a solution or ways of reducing noise rather than focusing on neighbours from hell
- Remember that the press want stories that are newsworthy, so think carefully about the angle you offer them. A good local human interest story, for example, will often get coverage.
- Finally, don't get disheartened if the media arenít interested - the press are fickle and a promise of TV/radio coverage can often be withdrawn at the last minute if something deemed more news worthy arises! The objective of Noise Action Week is to promote practical solutions to noise problems to people. Column inches help enormously but cannot be relied on.
