A) Background

Unfortunately local newspapers - relied on for so long as the mainstay of event publicity - are beset by falling circulations and deteriorating editorial quality. The old discussions about paid papers versus free papers seem very dated - now it is more a question of trying new ways of attracting visitors to events.

B) Todays Publicity Plan

What you do will of course depend on your budget and who you want to attract. If you are serious about publicity you will at least consider carefully the following elements:

Posters:

Can be displayed in shop windows, on roadside verges (you may need council permission), on community/parish noticeboards and other suitable sites. Remember to take them down after your event - nothing turns off the public more than out-of-date posters which can rightly be defined as litter. A4 posters can be printed up on a home printer - but remember not to try and squeeze in too much detail - your graphics and type should be large.

Local Media (Advertising and Editorial):

Newspapers

No longer the only ganme in town of course, but still worthwhile. Two smaller adverts in Whats on over two weeks may well get better results than one larger one.

Radio and Television

Youll need to think of a good angle to get editorial coverage

Parish and Community

Often cheap to advertise, and hungry for editorial copy provided it really is about local people or for a local cause.

Specialist Media:

If your event concerns fund-raising for a particular sector charity, or is likely to attract enthusiasist for a particular interest, then dont forget to let any specilist magazines know well in advance. If suitable, you could suggest discounted entry or some other benefit to the editor as a Reader offer.

Direct Mail and Leaflets:

The Royal Mail offers some free lifestyle and demographic targetting services based on postcode sectors, but these will only be of use if your proposed drop is 50,000 items or more. You can organise leaflet drops through various delivery agencies, but if you operate very locally ask the Boy Scouts or similar groups to help in return for a donation.

Internet:

Youll be using your own website if you have one. www.WhereCanWeGo.com is a must - it offers free listings of events, sortable by locality, date, and interest.

...and finally:

Tell everyone you know personally. Email. Telephone. Chat. And ask them to let their friends know too...