Merran Kryger not only loves to promote church events, she’s actually very good at it. She’s also my sister! In this new series of posts, Merran will share insights into how churches can promote their events (from the humble church service, to the 125 year anniversary celebration), interact with the local media, and use straightforward techniques to gain a larger presence in the community.

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You might have heard it called the dark arts or spin doctoring, but the aim of PR or public relations is actually to help your organisation build a relationship with the public, and let them know what you’re all about.

Unlike advertising and marketing, promotion gained through PR activities is free. Which makes it a great and affordable way for your church or community organisation to promote yourself within their community.

Generally, PR is carried out through the media, which can including newspapers and magazines, radio and television. A media release is used to tell the media about an event or news opportunity, ideally resulting in a newspaper article or news segment.

While you could hire an expert, your PR activities don’t have to be complicated or result in national news coverage to be effective.

Here are a few easy ways to make PR work for you:

• Have a plan – PR is most effective when there’s a strategy behind it. The best time to write a communications strategy is at the beginning of the year when you’re finalising your calendar. Are there any interesting events or dates you could tell the media about? You can also brainstorm some new ideas to add to the calendar – don’t be afraid to be creative! How about a community car wash fundraiser or a free Australia Day BBQ at a local park?
• Piggyback – look for bigger community, church or national events you can piggy back your news onto. If there’s an important denominational day coming up, let your local media know about what’s happening locally. Or think about getting on board a community event – how about signing your church up for Clean Up Australia day and cleaning the whole suburb? This is a story you can tell the media about.
• Who do you know – Relationships are an important part of effective PR. A charity appeal collection point at your local shopping centre could lead to a great opportunity to promote a school holiday program. Great relationships lead to great opportunities.
• Community media – There are lots of small scale ways to promote yourself locally. How about an online radio station community notice board. They’re free, and local events are often announced on air. Or what about a local shopping centre notice board? Even a school newsletter can be an effective way of reaching your local community.

With a bit of planning and a bit of creativity you’ll have the tools to effectively promote yourself within your community.

Next up in the series: What’s a media release (and how to get one out there)

What drives innovation on the internet? Love it, or (most likely) hate it, the ‘adult industry’ (what a strange euphemism) has been the driving force that continues to revolutionise the way we use the internet.

In December last year, Dan Tynan from PC World published a list of “12 ways the sex trade has changed the web”. Clearly, not all of these innovations have been good (as the article itself concedes). It doesn’t take a particularly web-savvy reader to work out which of these are ‘naughty’ (in the words of the author), and which are ‘nice’:

• Online payment systems
• Spam
• Streaming content
• Malware
• Live chat
• Pop-ups, pop-unders and mousetrapping
• Broadband
• Browser hijacking
• Traffic optimisation
• Domain-name hijacking
• 3G mobile services
• Paris Hilton

Christian ministry makes use of six of these twelve innovations (i.e. all of the ‘nice’ ones!). For example, we use online payment systems to enable people to buy books, or music or sermons online. We use live chat (e.g. Google Talk, MSN Messenger and Skype) to talk to other staff members, or people in our congregations, or to connect with mission partners. We stream video feeds from conferences. Christian ministry is not usually forthcoming in brand-new ideas, the closest we get is seeing good ideas (e.g. YouTube) and then mimicking them (i.e. GodTube).

Why is the porn industry such an effective online innovator? Tynan quotes Bruce Arnold who says that “[the porn industry is] an ecosystem in which participants are willing – indeed forced – to experiment, and where experimentation isn’t hobbled by common sense, good taste, or bureaucracy”.

It disappoints me that Christian ministry via the internet is hobbled by numerous other factors. Usually it rides the coat-tails of the innovations of others (and is often the last to be convinced of these advantages of these innovations for ministry), rather than setting the pace and showing what can be done. We are technology leeches, not leaders.

Imagine if our love for others, our love for Christ, and our desire to connect Christ with those who need Him drove us to be creative, experimental, innovative and risky in our use of the internet. Exploring new ways to share the gospel, different ways of creating and promoting community – all to the glory of God. Billy Graham was a great innovator in his time – using radio, television, audio amplification and extensive church networks to proclaim the gospel.

Let’s think big in today’s online context. How could our Christian ministries use the internet in new ways, to make the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ known and savoured around the world?