Publicising your Club | Irish Underwater Council

List of radio stations and local newspapers

For a list of radio stations and local newspapers in your area, go to the bottom of the page.

Local media

While many divers think quite rightly that their scuba club should be about diving, in the new media age having a public profile is important: It can highlight:

The Search & Recovery work your club does as a community service, and
It puts your club on the map for gaining new members.

Getting publicity might seem daunting at first but, in fact, it can be surprisingly easy to get coverage in local media. Sometimes this might only be a good photograph sent with a caption to your local newspaper. Or you might have a few words to say about an event you held or are intending to hold, such as a Try-A-Dive event for new members. Depending on the newspaper, it may have a local correspondent who sends in the local ‘notes’.

You can combine this with getting on your local radio station to tell your story. Contacting your local radio station’s producer of a current affairs programme to get a five-minute slot at the same time as getting newspaper coverage is a great dual approach to advertising your event.

You should also try some new media approaches, such as updating your club’s website and Facebook profiles and generating an online buzz.

Remember, most of the time your local media are desperate for new, interesting stories on varied topics!

Contacting your media organisation

The best way to kickstart your local media effort is by e-mail. E-mail addresses will usually be of the format of news@mylocalnewspaper.ie or editor@mylocalradiostation.ie If you are unsure of the address, a quick phone call to reception or Google search should help.

A follow-up phone call to the relevant person is important too, especially if you are waiting on a response. This is of the “Did you see my e-mail?” variety. It will job people’s memories and put them on the spot to deal with your story.

Drafting your press release

Your initial e-mail should be in a Press Release format .

Headline: Put your contact details on top, date it and put a short headline on it. Depending on your story, omething like: Atlantic West Diving Club to hold Try-a-Dive night
Outline: You next need to outline what you are publicizing. Make sure most if not all of the five “w’s” are answered: who, why, what, when and where (and maybe ‘how) in the first line or two. To continue the above example:

Atlantic West Diving Club, the Atlantis-based scuba club, is holding a free ‘Try-a-Dive night’ at the Atlantis Swimming Pool on Friday, September 31, at 8pm to encourage new members to join in this exciting sport.

That’s the gist of what you are saying – everything else will be just elaborating on it. So to continue,

Atlantic West has been involved in scuba diving in the Atlantis area for the past 30 years. In that time, the club has grown to over 30 and it regularly assists in local Search & Recovery activities. The club is now offering instruction in scuba diving for new members at the Atlantis pool, where it conducts its winter training programme. People who are thinking of joining should have basic swimming skills and be confident in deep water. The club’s instructors will offer a full training in basic Scuba skills in the pool before taking to the seas around Atlantis in March. The first night is free for new members to decide whether they are interested in learning this exciting sport and enjoy a new social activity…

You can go on to say whether you are over 18s, what boat your club has, where you meet afterwards or socially, and so on.

3. Constructing a quote: You can also put in a quote or two to liven it up:

Josephine Bloggs, the club’s diving officer, said scuba diving was an exciting activity, which keeps people fit while learning diving and boating skills. “Atlantic West is also a vibrant social club and as a member, you will explore new places you never imagined off the coast while meeting new friends.”

4. Contact details (again): Repeat your contact details at the bottom. Put in landline / mobile / e-mail and a back-up contact with their details in case somebody wants to get in touch with the club quickly. For further information or arrange an interview, contact Josephine Bloggs on….

5. A publicity shot or photograph to accompany the press release, especially if being sent to a newspaper, is a great idea. Sometimes the picture and caption might only be used. So remember: repeat your message in the caption of the photograph. It might read something like:

Members of Atlantic West Diving Club enjoying a dive recently at one of their favourite dive spots. The club is organising a ‘Try-a-Dive’ night at Atlantis Swimming Pool on Friday, September 31, at 8pm to encourage new members to take up scuba diving.

6. Try not to be shy or nervous: Many people are not used to being self-publicists and it may not come easy. If you are going on radio, the interviewer will help you through the discussion. Try not to clam up and get into ‘yes’ and ‘no’ short answers while in a sweat to get away. Get your basic point across quickly (“We are offering a free Try-a-Dive night…”) and repeat it as often as you can while describing as much as you can about the wonderful world of scuba.