Promoting your group or project

Coverage in the media, such as the local newspaper, radio station or other printed and online publications can be a great way of promoting your group and drumming up interest and support. It can help raise awareness of what you’re doing and encourage volunteers, sponsors and other local organisations to get involved.

Journalists are always on the look-out for interesting stories, particularly those that are a bit novel or different or have had a wider impact. Here are some questions that will get you thinking about what it is your group wants to say and how you want to say it: 

• What makes your project unique 
• Are you joining highlighting any interesting community groups that might not normally take part in gardening projects
• Are you tackling issues such as climate change, conservation, food poverty, antisocial behaviour or plastic waste in a new or interesting way
• Has volunteering with your group transformed someone’s life, eg, helped someone back into work or restored their confidence
• Has your campaign transformed an area (eg, before and after story)
• Have you restored or re-introduced a natural habitat or wildlife area
• Do you include rare, exotic or unusual plants in your displays
• Do you have a notable celebrity or personality linked to your project or campaign
• Has community gardening had a positive impact on your community (eg, reduced crime or anti-social behaviour, boosted tourism and increased visitor numbers or regenerated the town centre)

A press release is essentially a statement from an organisation that provides news to the media. .
Here are our suggestions for what makes a good one:

• A punchy, eye-catching title will capture attention
• Key information should come in the first paragraph (the story in a nutshell) and make sure you address the: who, what, when, where, why, and how in the remainder of the release
• Include a quote or testimonial from yourself, a sponsor, a local dignitary, a volunteer or celebrity (but ideally no more than two)
• Include your contact details in the “Notes to Editors” section at the end of the release, should the journalist have any follow up queries. This section provides more basic reference information about the broader context, such as links to Britain in Bloom, which you might not have space for in the main body of the release
• If you can supply an image to illustrate your story attach it to the email (no larger than 1MB) and mention that you have others in the “Notes to Editors”. Often a good picture will get a story featured (but always make sure you have permission from those in the picture to share it with the press)
• Don’t waffle; the ideal press release is one side of A4
• Be accurate and informative – get someone else to proof it for typos!
• Always include the date from which media can run the press release at the top. For example: For Immediate Release on Tuesday 17 June

Social media can be a great way to get your message out there and encourage others to take part, but it can only be effective if it can be updated regularly, the messages are appropriate and interesting and you’re targeting the right people. Both Twitter and Facebook should be used regularly to have an impact: aim for at least weekly for both and ideally more frequently on Twitter (daily or every few days is best if possible).

• Target relevant people or groups in your area that can help amplify your message. For example, your local Bloom competition, anyone that you are partnering with that might be on there, volunteering networks etc
• Use images, trying to vary between displays, people actively taking part (checking that they are happy to be photographed) and of course of the beautiful places that you have transformed, particularly before and after

Consider who in your group might be able to help with this, perhaps it could be shared between a couple of you, or on a rotating basis.

Or it may be that there is a student or person wanting to boost their work experience in this area, who could commit an hour or two per week. Alternatively, would another account holder in the area be happy to promote some of your activities via their feed, such as the local authority or community network?

Volunteer administration and support

Posters and leaflets can also be effective tools to publicise what you are doing, particularly in inviting volunteers to take part.

• Consider where is best to place them – outside a site you are working on is a good start, but local shops and centres may also be happy to display them
• Make sure to include the key information on them – what is happening, where, when and why – why should people join in?

If you need a hand producing something, ask around to see who might be able to help, some people may be more interested in providing certain office-based skills as opposed to practical support.

What issues are your volunteers and local communities interested in? Speak to people to find out what they care about, and think about how you might be able to influence positive change, such as through encouraging food waste recycling, or less hard paving, for example.

What other organisations in your area and nationally work on this issue and might be able to inform your own strategy? For example, Keep Scotland Beautiful group, East Haven Together connected with Tayside Biodiversity Partnership and the 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity to ensure maximum impact with their wildlife campaign.

Consider organising talks or other non-gardening events that offer another avenue for people to understand issues and boost your group’s knowledge and inspire more people to take part, for example invite a wildlife expert to lead a walk and talk, or perhaps there a film that you could screen on a related issue.

Try to make your events open and inclusive wherever possible and think about how you could reach people that you don’t normally encounter. What activities would be appealing to children and young families? Perhaps you could organise a nature trail or botanical or wildlife themed arts and crafts, these could happen alongside the hard graft if you also need people to get stuck in.

Hook into current topical issues where possible, e.g. plastic has been brought to wide public attention following the screening of David Attenborough’s Blue Planet2, offering many environmental groups a platform to shout about what they are doing.