How to Publicize an Event
Posters, Flyers and Notices
The organization name, a contact person and a telephone number should be included on all posters or notices displayed on campus. Posters or notices may be placed only on bulletin boards in dormitory entryways, Dining Service units, academic and administrative buildings, and outdoor kiosks. They may not be placed on walls, doors, trees, lampposts, sculptures, etc. Chalking is not permitted on campus. Students should make arrangements to take down flyers after the event.
Campus Mailings
Student organizations may request labels from the Office of Graduate Student Life for mailings targeting all graduate students or specific segments of the graduate student community. Submit a sample of the mailing with a written request to the Office of Graduate Student Life, Clio Hall. Labels must be affixed in our office; organization representatives will not be permitted to take the labels out of Clio Hall. Please see the Graduate School Policy on the Release of Student Information for further information.
E-mail Announcements
Several offices and organizations maintain e-mail distribution lists for reaching various segments of the University community.
- GS Events: A weekly list of events of interest to graduate students. Maintained by Lisa Schreyer.
- GSG-Global: Broadcasts information about events and activities cosponsored by the Graduate Student Government. Maintained by the Graduate Student Government.
- PU-grads: Distributes University announcements and selected event information to all enrolled graduate students. Maintained by the Office of Graduate Student Life.
- Active E-list: Weekly list of University events open to all students (graduate and undergraduate). Events involving alcohol will not be included. Maintained by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students and the Undergraduate Student Government. E-mail announcements to events@princeton.edu; include day, time, location, sponsor/club, contact information, and a brief (less than 50 words) synopsis of the event.
Recognized graduate student organizations may also maintain their own e-mail lists through OIT, to which students may voluntarily subscribe or unsubscribe. Such lists require Dean Schreyer's approval; visit the OIT website for detailed information.
Frist Electronic Message Board
Recognized graduate student organizations may publicize upcoming events on the electronic message board on the North Plaza outside the Frist Campus Center. Requests must be made on-line and are subject to approval by the Frist Campus Center. Events must first be registered with the Graduate School using the Events Registration Form .
Newspaper Advertising
There are three basic types of newspaper publicity: community calendar, press release and display ad.
Most newspapers publish a calendar of upcoming events. To have your event included, mail or fax a short announcement exactly as you want it to appear. Include name and description of event, name of your organization, date, time, location, and a contact phone number. There is no charge for community calendar announcements.
A press release is an article about your event for publication in local newspapers. A press release should be concise (no more than two pages long, double-spaced) and well-written. It should begin with an opening paragraph listing sponsor, organization/person giving concert/lecture, place, time, and date. The second paragraph should be background information on the organization or speaker; the third paragraph should tell about the program and the fourth paragraph should be a summary of the date and applicable ticket information. Include a phone number for further information. A photo may be included with the press release (the editor will add a caption.) There is no charge to have a press release appear in a paper.
A display ad, for which there is a charge, lists the information and can include a design. Display ads can be sent to the papers camera-ready, which means that you are giving them the ad in its final form to be printed exactly as it is, or the information alone can be given to the papers and they will type-set it (which carries an additional fee and takes longer.) Ads can be designed on many computers with the proper software, or can be given to a local printer to design.