Units Play a Prominent Role in Gaining Positive Publicity

Positive publicity is an excellent way to promote the Scouting program to boys and parents in your community. In addition, news stories recognizing the hard work, fun, and accomplishments of the boys directly affect your membership, recruiting, and fund-raising efforts and often provide a boost to your advancement program.

One of the best ways to increase the amount of positive publicity is to ask your units to provide local media with information that communicates the fun and values of Scouting. Community newspapers are always looking for items with local relevance, especially photos of Scouts having fun and providing service to the community.

Here are a few concepts to help your units effectively assist you in increasing the amount of positive publicity about Scouting in your district:

• Work with the local newspaper to publish a list of new Eagle Scouts each month. Include service project details and photos of the Scouts.
• Encourage your units to establish a PR chairperson and committee.
• Create a unit publicity award. Establish a number of news clippings ( articles, photo, TV stories) a unit must achieve to earn a special patch.
• Conduct a photo contest. Ask units to photograph their events and activities and submit them for a photo contest. This will increase the number of photos available for use in publications and on your Web site. Work with the community newspaper to publish the winners.
• Recognize units at roundtable that appear in the newspaper.
• Create a wall of honor in your council service center (or district office). Post press clippings for all to see the quantity of coverage received.
• Good Turn for America provides great stories—their service projects and to notify the media in advance to get photos included with the story.
• Publicize recruitment events. Community newspapers should include a list of all area recruitment events as well as a contact name and number.
• Use your Web site to promote units and link to positive articles (with permission from the paper).

For more information, visit www.marketing.scouting.org. Under "Resources" you will find "Guidebooks" that include Public Relations 101 materials, and under "Council Sharing" you will find Public Relations Guidelines used by the Patriot's Path Council to teach units to gain positive publicity.

The Merits of Marketing (marketing.scouting.org) is a resource for local councils, developed by the Marketing & Communications Division of the National Council, Boy Scouts of America.