Promoting the Event and Recruiting Schools

Because CS is often a new initiative for schools, promoting and recruiting the professional learning opportunities is an important and intense commitment for the organizers.

Communications Toolkit

The Communications Toolkit includes editable resources, templates, and blurbs, etc. for creating collateral materials and presentation slides. Among others, it includes: Branding Guide, Press Release template, Branded slide deck, Winter of CS Flier template, and Spring of CS Flier template. Explore the full toolkit below:

To encourage school/team registrations, build out a messaging strategy/one-pager communicating the benefits of team participation and priority registration or offer a discount for multiple registrations.

Website

A website for your event can be created using Google Sites (sample). Having a custom domain name is an important part of the brand.

Choose a theme that connects to a related nostalgic event in the summer.

Social Media

• Leverage existing district or county accounts to tap into existing followers

• Create a #SummerofCS-style hashtag and use it on all promotional materials and emails

• Connect with partners (Code.org, ECS, NCWIT, etc.) to promote

• Preemptively write tweets and schedule them for distribution, incIuding graphics to promote clickthroughs and retweets

• Email County/district distribution lists

• Previous PD participants

• State Department of Education distribution lists

• Word of Mouth: 27% of attendees indicated on the exit survey that they heard of Summer of CS through word of mouth (more than any other method). Make sure to let all of your contacts know about this exciting event!

Utilize an internal public relations service or hire a marketing company EARLY.