Lab of Fun #5: Get the Word Out (Free and low-cost ways to spread the word about your event)

This workshop is Part 5 of our 9-part Laboratory of Fun Summer School series for community event makers. You can attend just this session, pick and choose a few, or register for the entire two-month series.

Want to join the full summer school? Click here to choose multiple sessions and 'add to cart' so you only need to register once.

Get the word out! (Free and low-cost marketing ideas, PR and social media basics)


You've got something brilliant planned. Now you need people to know about it!

This session is full of practical, low-cost ways to get the word out to your community. From a quick social media post to getting your local paper interested, from putting up posters in the right places to good old-fashioned word of mouth. You don't need a marketing budget. We can do this with clear messaging, a bit of enthusiasm, resourcefulness and some top tips from Chama, our Marketing Manager.

What we'll cover:

- Crafting your message: how to describe your event in a way that makes people want to come
- Social media basics: what to post, where to post it, how often (make the most of Instagram & Facebook reels & stories
- Getting your local press interested — what makes a good story and how to pitch it
- Free and low-cost publicity that actually works: posters, flyers (pairs well with our 'Get Creative with Canva' session next week!)
- Setting up a WhatsApp group, pros and cons
- Common marketing mistakes and how to avoid them
- Expert advice from Chama, our Marketing Manager, with practical tips you can use straight away
- Time for any questions you might have

Access:
Zoom closed captions are available for every session. Some other sessions also have a BSL interpreter live in the session, which are labelled on the event page. If you're a BSL user and the session you'd like to join isn't covered, or if you have any other access requirements, email hello@funpalaces.co.uk and we'll do what we can to arrange it.

Joining a session:
You never have to speak, be on camera, or share anything you don't want to. Cameras on or off, microphone on or off - it's entirely your call throughout. Taking part by listening and reading along is taking part and it's always enough. We won't put anyone on the spot and when we invite people to contribute, it's always an invitation, never an expectation. We don't record any of the sessions. This is a space to think out loud, ask questions and change your mind - which people find easier when not being recorded.

Who it's for:
Anyone who just wants to feel more confident about getting the word out without spending a fortune or feeling stuck with social media platforms and how to create more buzz.

About the Laboratory of Fun

The Laboratory of Fun is a free workshop series from Fun Palaces, open to anyone who wants to bring their community together. Whether you're putting on your first event or building on years of experience, each session is designed to be practical, honest, jargon-free and full of our top tips gathered from Fun Palace Makers across the UK and beyond over the last 12 years. You don't need permission, qualifications, experience, a big budget. You just need to care about your community and the people around you.

Take one session or take them all!

Why 'Laboratory of Fun'? The name is a nod to Joan Littlewood, the radical theatre director who dreamed up the original Fun Palace in the 1960s. She called it a 'laboratory of fun' and a 'university of the streets'... a space where anyone could experiment, learn and create. The building was never built, but the idea never went away. These workshops are our version of that same spirit: a place to experiment, mess about with ideas and figure things out together.

About Fun Palaces

Fun Palaces is a national movement that supports local people to create their own free community events: sharing skills, passions and interests, and celebrating the genius that already exists in every community. As we continue to be concerned by division sown amongst our communities, there has never been a stronger case to bring people together, to find joy and fun and to celebrate the unique skills and talents we each possess. Fun Palaces are about taking some time out for an hour, a day, a weekend to dream something better, collectively, for the places we live in. And to put that dreaming into action.

You can find out more about Fun Palaces at funpalaces.co.uk