Replies

We need some free publicity to get more visibility.

Actually, the free publicity route is more effective than an advertising campaign.

Every time there are plans to FReep an event, a series of press releases should be sent to all area major news outlets -- announcing the upcoming event, just prior to the event, and then a news summary about the event. (The "news summary" press releases are especially effective if you include photos; think of such publicity efforts as being your own wire service -- like AP, Reuters, etc. Some outlets will run such articles "as is" and others will hone them.) Include quotes in the releases and contact phone numbers. Sometimes newspapers run them as is; other times reporters use the contact numbers to do follow-up to hone the articles that run. Extremely liberal newspapers may ignore such publicity attempts at first, but once other outlets begin covering such events, they may get on the bandwagon, too.

Well-written letters to the editor can work well, too.

Even if everybody on FR has more money than time, paid ads alone are seldom as effective.

>>Every time there are plans to FReep an event, a series of press releases should be sent to all area major news outlets -- announcing the upcoming event, just prior to the event, and then a news summary about the event<<

Also, I think "freerepublic.com" at the bottom of our signs would be helpful.

That way, whatever photo makes it to print will be an ad in itself.

ALSO-- although I haven't done it yet, a good inexpensive thing would be for individuals to have business cards printed (at their/my own expense even), with the FR logo and the URL, and maybe "Conservative News Forum" or whatever, to be handed out in mass at FReeper events. Something very simple and basic.

Of course, if all this needs to be "official" and approved by Jim himself, so be it. But I think it would be a good promotion, anyway.