In this lousy economy, almost any construction project makes the front page of the local newspaper.
But you still need to think creatively when publicizing a building project.
A writer emailed me recently asking how her nonprofit could generate publicity for new construction. Here’s what I suggested:
- Think beyond traditional media. Waiting for a newspaper reporter or editor to say “yes” is just wasting time. Think of all ways you can publicize new construction, including using social media.
- Explain how you’re using green materials.
- What hard decisions did you make to save money on construction costs? This is a good angle, particularly during this time of “doing without” almost everywhere.
- Take photos throughout the construction, preferably from the same location. Turn them into a slideshow, upload to Flickr and share the link with the media, volunteers and donors.
- Shoot a two and a half minute video explaining some aspect of the construction project. You could interview the construction manager who can explain how the crew is making some aspect of the building studier, safer, or more attractive. Upload to YouTube and other video-sharing sites. Share on your Facebook page, and on Twitter.
- Tie into the weather. If you live in a cold-weather or hot-weather climate, call the local TV station and explain how construction crews work around, and in, horrible working conditions like snowstorms, sleet storms, heat waves, etc. This is a perfect addition to the TV station’s weather story.
- Don’t forget to pitch local bloggers, or bloggers who cover the nonprofit sector. They might be interested.
What have I missed? What clever angles have you used to publicize your construction project? Provide the link so we can see what resulted.
Thanks Joan for these excellent ideas. My son is an inventor, and has a project in the planning stages. I am going to be his PR person, and this has given me some great promotional angles to use.
Thanks for a great article!
I’d like to add a tip for pitching green construction stories to the press.
First, a little background information on green construction: Green building is rapidly becoming mainstream (Time Business recently identified green construction as one of the top 10 fastest growing industries in America, with an average annual growth of 28.9% from 2002 – 2012, and sustained growth of 22.8% projected through 2017.) Just the fact that you’re building green no longer makes you stand out from the crowd (with the possible exception of the higher levels of LEED certification.)
However, I believe you when you say that green construction stories are still hot. I think the key word in your statement, “Explain how you’re using green materials” is “how.” And I would also add, “why.” Here’s why:
Nearly every green material or initiative involves innovative problem solving. If you can tell a story about your green building that illustrates how you’re solving a problem for your company or your community, you’re well on your way to piquing the interest of the media. And if your initiative introduces additional, unforseen benefits, as very often happens with sustainable projects, so much the better! 🙂
Anne, your suggestion of explaining “why” in addition to “how” makes the pitch and the story so much stronger! Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation.