In today’s world, it seems schools only make the news in the midst of a crisis. Great things happen at schools every day, but normally there isn’t a proactive PR plan in place to communicate how remarkable students or teachers are. Here are four tips to create a proactive PR plan that will boost year-round media coverage and position your school as a prominent educational program.
- Identify star students – To generate television coverage, identify students (and teachers) who would excel in front of the camera. Students who have founded an organization with the goal of bettering their community or school are perfect to pitch for morning shows, so keep a list of extraordinary students that could be spotlighted and pitch them regularly.
- Create an editorial calendar – Pull together a calendar to track when local publications publish their annual education issue, and then identify unique story ideas, such as new and notable programs, milestones, or achievements, to pitch.
- Don’t discount trade publications – Just because it’s not a local publication doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time! Monitor education trade websites, review sites and national magazines for an opportunity to pitch a bylined article or a teacher as an expert source. This will position your school as an innovative program that recruits top-of-the-line faculty.
- Host community events – A huge hook is getting media to visit campus so they can get a real feel for your school and students. Host open-to-the-public programs that you can invite media to, such as a bringing in a prominent keynote speaker, or partnering with a local organization to host an event that will elevate awareness for your school in the community.
Not sure where to start? Ring our bell! PAVLOV’s PR team has ample experience with building PR plans for schools. To learn more about PAVLOV’s PR capabilities & expertise, check out our PR services or email [email protected].