At Penguin PR, we recognise that reaching your target audience relies on using a number of different media and understanding how to reach them in the most impactful way possible, writes Sarah-Louise Elton.
But sometimes the impact a campaign can have can take even ourselves by surprise, exceeding our expectations and demonstrating the generosity that exists in our local community.
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Recently I had a perfect example of this, when I was asked to raise awareness of a campaign at one of our schools, The Bemrose School.
The background was that due to government cuts, there was no funding available this year to support the prom for Year 11 leavers.
This is an event that means a lot to both the pupils and staff, as it’s an opportunity to end their academic journey with the school on a high note and provides the students with a sense of focus throughout a challenging school year.
Reaching the right audience in a meaningful way
The lack of funds meant their plans to hold a prom were in jeopardy, but it didn’t mean the event wouldn’t go ahead. Instead, the students would simply have to raise the money themselves – and ask the local community for help.
We put together a story, complete with a photo, but, knowing that Stockbrook, the area where Bemrose School is located and where many of its pupils come from, has a strong sense of community, I thought about how we could reach people living there in a meaningful way.
“How can I make sure this message reaches the people who care about this cause?” I thought to myself.
And that’s when I thought of Kenny Stockbrook.
Kenny is well known in Derby for his hilarious videos, incredible fundraising efforts, and his strong social media following, particularly within the Stockbrook area.
He seemed like the perfect person to help spread our message. I reached out to him, and he generously shared our appeal with his followers.
His appeal led to a wave of donations, via the school’s JustGiving page. Not only that, but Kenny also contributed £200 from a local football event. The strategy had worked.
Crafting a strong story
Before we can spread our message, it’s essential that the story is strong enough to make people want to share it.
As journalists, our job is to find the unique angle that makes a story stand out. While we could easily write a generic press release, we always aim to find that punchy line or distinctive element that grabs the reader’s attention.
A great story isn’t just about facts – it’s about finding that emotional hook that resonates with people and makes them feel personally connected to the cause.
When we discuss a client’s story, our trained eyes help us identify the most effective angle. In the case of Bemrose School, we knew it stood out for its diversity and its strong commitment to not only improving academic performance but also nurturing and shaping each pupil.
The school is home to students from around the world, many of whom are older than their peers due to relocating from other countries. During an interview with a member of the prom committee, one particularly passionate individual highlighted this unique aspect.
This, they believe, makes the prom more celebratory, and it was this which gave the campaign an emotional depth and creating a compelling reason for the local community to get engaged.
So I incorporated it into a quote, knowing it would add a layer of authenticity which would connect with readers. Then there was the context we were sending the story out in – the current issue concerning how government cuts are affecting us all.
This creates empathy along with the authenticity, along with the community connection. It would be a story that was both timely and deeply meaningful.
Media attention and the impact of generosity
But no story is complete without the media to respond to it and to feature, and, as with all PR campaigns, this is never guaranteed. All we can do is shape a story we think they will be interested in, based on out knowledge of what journalists are looking for, and send it out.
Happily, we got the results we were hoping for. We got an email from BBC Radio Derby reached out to interview Neil Wilkinson, Bemrose’s headteacher, and then ITV Central News got in touch, asking to create a news package.
But there was still a missing element to the story. Would the media interest convert into money to help the students pay for their prom?
The answer to this is yes. As of the last update, the donation total had reached an impressive ÂŁ2,375 – well above the original target of ÂŁ1,500.
This is the part of the story that gives me the most reward. Everyone wants to feel a purpose in what they do for a living and knowing that my story has helped students to hit their fundraising target is extremely rewarding.
The generosity of the community has been heartwarming, and it’s made the school and its pupils feel incredibly special.
Many of the donations were also anonymous, acts of kindness from people who simply wanted to support the students and help out in any way they could. From the comments posted underneath the story, the message was clear – people will support an underdog when the underdog is putting itself out there and trying to raise the money it needs.
The power of LinkedIn
And then there was LinkedIn – not a natural platform for school students, but the place we go to when we want to engage our business network to see if it can help.
It too rallied round, with one of our network members, Cosy Direct founder Peter Ellse, who saw our post on LinkedIn, donating £250. Marketing Derby, which we are members of, also helped, by including our campaign in its weekly news email, bringing even more money into the students’ fund.
Final thoughts
I have to be honest, at the outset I wasn’t sure what the result of the campaign would be and I thought the money they were looking to raise was too big a target. But, having worked with Bemrose for a while now, I feel part of the school and was determined I wouldn’t stop until I’d done what I could to get the money in.
In the end, it was more straightforward than I thought it would, and I’m proud at what I’ve helped to achieve. I’m proud of the students for taking matters into their own hands and looking forward to seeing them on prom night.
But perhaps I’m most proud of being part of a community that cares. I’m not sure a campaign like this would have worked in the bigger city, but Derby is small enough that people know about its schools and can relate to the students and their situation.
This proves that if you get the story right and send it to the right places, then good people will see it, get involved – and magical things will happen.
