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Top Ten Tips
- Done well, publicity materials can help disseminate key findings to target audiences. Done badly, they will promote a poor image of your research and will cost you valuable time and money. The ESRC's Communications team has wide experience of producing publicity materials and is on hand to offer advice.
- Before you produce any specific piece of publicity material, define its purpose. As with other parts of your communication strategy, the question should be: why are we doing this?
- Choosing the right format for your publicity material will increase its chances of reaching and influencing the target audience. Print and electronic formats are the most common choices.
- You can produce a range of materials from leaflets to annual reports, newsletters to promotional materials. As a minimum to launch a new programme or centre you will typically need:
- Stationery and business cards
- A general brochure about your work
- A banner for events
- A website or at least a home page
- Some presentation material such as standard slides.
- Always have a schedule or project plan for production. Work back from your absolute final deadline and build in enough contingency time to deal with problems. Be sure to allow adequate time for each stage of the process.
- Think about the quantity of publicity material you need. Accurate estimates will reduce the cost of print and avoid storage problems. If the cost of print is uneconomic, think about electronic formats if appropriate for your target audience.
- Think in advance about how you will distribute your materials. The size and weight is an important factor when thinking about packaging and distribution, particularly if you are expecting other organisations to distribute material for you. Whichever way you handle distribution, you will need accurate mailing lists and labels.
- Wherever possible you should use the services of specialist copywriters, designers and printers. This module contains lots of advice on commissioning them and ESRC can always recommend specialists.
- All publicity material needs careful editing, proof reading and checking. If possible, use a fresh pair of eyes for this. You need to make sure all material includes contact details and some may need ISBN or ISSN numbers.
- Be aware of copyright law which applies to written and visual materials. Never use or reproduce original material without first checking with the author or originator of the material that this is acceptable. You must avoid infringing copyright and may have to pay for the use of original material.
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