Objective 3 – To learn how to write an effective and intriguing press release and advertisement for the local newspaper, B.I. Times, in order to bring in new visitors for possible membership.
Activities/Resources: Read and review any previous articles/press releases concerning the B.I.H.S. in current news, discuss an effective point with the Director to present to the public through the use of the local newspaper, B.I. Times, ask my supervisor/Director to evaluate my drafts
Evidence: Include in my portfolio a copy of the press release and advertisement that I created for the B.I.H.S.
Above, you will see a scanned copy of the press release I wrote for our Thanksgiving Holiday Stroll weekend. (Note: The author is listed as Pam Gasner, my Executive Director, and was done so that people would not be confused as to where it was coming from.)
Writing this press release, I became familiar with the importance of keeping the public aware that we are in fact, as a museum, extremely accessible to the public as well as our members. During this Thanksgiving weekend, the B.I.H.S. hosted the Block Island Arts and Crafts Guild Fair, which was the first time in many years to do so. This event brought us a huge amount of new customers and prospective members because as a community, we were able to join forces and unite causes. Having the support of a community such as Block Island has is highly beneficial to all parties/organizations. This was a huge lesson I learned throughout this weekend; that helping others accommodate their needs, we are also helping ourselves in the process.
I have included above, a scanned copy of the advertisement that was featured in the B.I. Times newspaper the week before and during the Thanksgiving weekend. For this project, the Executive Director, Pam, and I had to determine how to represent the B.I.H.S.'s logo, which we went for a retro theme, having the logo shadowing itself on the right side of the advertisement. We also determined that the information for the dates/times should be placed at the top of the advertisement, and displayed the B.I.H.S. information at the bottom of the advertisement. We tested out the information in both positions and decided this one suited the importance of the events, which is the main purpose of the advertisement as the prominent attention grabber.
Above, I have included a scanned copy of the postcard we used to send out our invitations for our Thanksgiving weekend events. We decided that the image above, which portrays the Manisees Indians departing from an area now called, Andy's Way, to either fish or explore the island, was eye catching enough to those who know of the island's history, but could also draw in anyone who was interested in learning more about Block Island's history.
Above, I have included a scanned copy of the back of the Manisee Indians postcard, which lists the information from the advertisement here for specific mailings. We chose to send these postcards to all of our "Life" members, our Block Island members, and any members who have expressed interest in the 350th Committee, which was established to celebrate 2011 being the 350th year that Block Island has been established.
Above is the link to the Block Island Times website press release, for cross reference.
