Event Promotion
Your unit or department likely hosts a variety of different events, ranging from lectures, open houses and performances to workshops, exhibits and outreach events. These events are generally open to the public without a specific invitation and require promotion to reach their intended audiences.
An outline of event promotion opportunities is included in the accordion below. You do not have to do everything on this list - if your event is meant to be more private, for example, you can pick and choose ideas that make sense for your particular circumstances.
If you have questions about event promotion, please reach out to the marketing and communications team via the project inquiry form or at asccomm@osu.edu.
Toolkits, guides and templates
Add to your unit’s events calendar
All events should have a “home” on the sponsoring unit's website. This is where other outlets will link to, and where you’ll keep information for attendees updated. Each event should include:
- a date and time
- a location
- a short informational blurb about the event
- a registration link (optional but recommended)
Additional content could include:
- a speaker bio or bios
- a link to other events in a series
- travel and parking information
If multiple units are connected to the event, one website can serve as the event’s “home base,” while the other unit calendars link to that event page.
** If your event is virtual, Zoom comes with a built-in registration option. For in-person events, the university offers access to Qualtrics for anyone with an Ohio State name.# and password.
Post on your unit’s social media accounts
Public and open events should be shared on the unit’s social media accounts, with a link back to the event page for more details. You can tag the relevant Arts and Sciences accounts, found at the bottom of the homepage, in your post or a comment/thread to request inclusion in college social media. On Facebook, you can also create a Facebook event and add the college account as a co-host.
** Please note that screenshots of flyers and images with a lot of text do not make for good social media content and can violate accessibility guidelines. It’s always better to use one impactful image and then provide basic information like the event title, speaker, date, time and location in the post text.
Share with other units
Is your event relevant to other units? For example, an event in history may also be of interest to attendees connected to political science or the Mershon Center. You can reach out to the unit’s general email, administrative assistant or a personal connection and ask about being included in their website’s events calendar and other communications.
Share with the College of Arts and Sciences
Submit your event at the online form or via the “share news and events” options above. This puts the information into the queue for potential inclusion in the weekly Around the Oval external newsletter, the weekly Administrative Updates internal newsletter, the college events calendar on the Arts and Sciences website, social media and/or the digital screens in University Hall.
** Please keep in mind all submissions are subject to review; submission does not guarantee inclusion.
Share with the university
Via onCampus
Free events that are open to all university affiliates can be submitted to onCampus via their Workfront form. Select the blue “new request” button in the top right and then “OMC – onCampus Story Submission” in the dropdown menu. onCampus is sent to faculty and staff on most business days, and to undergraduate and graduate students weekly on most Tuesdays.
** Please note that onCampus requires the use of paid advertising for events that charge admission or registration fees. More information is available from OMC.
Via digital screens
Requests for the digital screens in Thompson Library run through the Lib Thompson Library Monitor Graphics team in Teams – contact Pam McClung, Senior Graphic and Motion Designer at University Libraries, at mcclung.26@osu.edu to be added.
Digital signage for the Ohio Union and other university spaces can be submitted to Student Life via the instructions at activities.osu.edu/posts/documents/digital-signage-external-guidelines-final-on-template.pdf.
Share with external audiences
If your event is open to the entire university, you could also submit it to:
- student organizations
- Suzanne Bressoud, bressoud.2@osu.edu, the content strategist in the Office of Academic Affairs: Her team produces newsletters for faculty, OAA staff, Undergraduate Education, the graduate school and the Drake Institute.
If your event is open to the public, you could submit it to:
- local media outlets: A suggested list of events calendars is available on the Content and Editorial page under the Event Submission accordion.
- relevant professional organizations and societies: This is especially applicable to virtual events, but may also be a good fit for smaller groups or local chapters of national organizations.
- other local groups: Would this event be of interest to the German Village Society? Local Girl Scout troops? A neighborhood Chamber of Commerce? It’s OK to get creative in your outreach as long as the event truly is relevant to a specific group.