This article is intended to provide information on publicity for a conversion class aimed primarily or partially at potential converts to Judaism. The information is appropriate for conversion classes, Introduction to Judaism classes, and other similar programs, such as workshops or discussions on conversion to Judaism.
Publicity starts with the designation of one person to be in charge of publicity for the class. This person can be a rabbi, executive director of a congregation, an outreach or education director, or an interested congregant. The publicity director's job is to coordinate all publicity efforts with the help of as many other volunteers as possible. Here is a sample publicity schedule that can be adapted to meet local needs. It will be useful to have a Publicity Notebook to keep track of all efforts.
Twelve Weeks Before the Class:
1. Gather Together All Pertinent Information About the Class.
All the basic information about the conversion class needs to be
determined or decided. Such information includes, for example: (a)
the nature of the course of study and the intended audience (for
example, is it just for potential converts, or does it include or
require the potential convert's romantic partner to attend? Is it
available for born Jews? For anyone in the community?); (b) the
location or locations of the class (for example in a Jewish
congregation, Jewish Community Center, or some other similar
institution); (c) the number of sessions and their dates and times;
(d) the subject matter or curriculum, texts and other materials;
(e) the instructors; (f) the cost and whether or not there are any
scholarships available; (g) any special attractions about the
course such as outside speakers or interesting hands-on experiences
during the class; (h) the flexibility of the course, that is can a
student who misses a class make it up? Can students begin at
various times or must they start at the beginning of the course?
Are tutors available in person, or through phone, fax, or e-mail?;
and (i) a contact name, address, and phone number for those seeking
additional information.
2. Develop Your Mailing and Contact List.
Publicity starts with good information about local media and
other contacts. Draw up a mailing and contact list of all key local
people such as rabbis, Jewish educators, and editors or religious
writers in Jewish and secular local papers. Those secular local
papers should include standard newspapers plus such publications as
college newspapers, local shopping papers, publications aimed at
parents of young children, city magazines and so on. In addition,
the mailing list should include other local Jewish congregations
within the movement of the congregation offering the conversion
class, Jewish schools, including day schools, and organizations,
such as Federations and Jewish Community Councils, Jewish Community
Centers, local interested Jewish educational organizations,
Hillels, kosher food establishments such as butcher shops,
delicatessens, and bagel stores, mohelim, radio and television
stations, local bureaus of wire services, weekly entertainment
guides, libraries, museums, colleges, and other similar places. For
each name or place on the list, have an address, telephone number,
and contact person, if known. Canvassing people for media contacts
can be especially useful.
3. Gather Information About Other Conversion Classes, Publicity,
and Advertising.
All examples of successful programs can be helpful. Contact the
appropriate movement in Judaism for suggestions. In addition,
contact other congregations and institutions that have run
conversion classes or Introduction to Judaism programs and ask for
sample news releases, flyers, and any other publicity materials
they can show you. This is a good time to ask if there are any
people in the organization who have a publicity or advertising
background. Read about publicity and advertising.
4. Formulate A Publicity Schedule and Budget.
The suggestions in this pamphlet can be done at no cost or
extremely low cost. Leave as much lead time as possible for
publicity. The schedule should include as many of the suggestions
listed below as possible.
5. Check With Media and Organizations On Your Mailing List About
Their Deadlines.
Make a list of all the deadlines on a master publicity calendar
and plan to send materials to them before those dates. Ask
appropriate congregations and organizations if they will distribute
flyers announcing the course and if so plan to send them flyers as
well.
Eight Weeks Before the Class:
6. Begin By Publicizing Within Your Congregation or Organization.
Prepare a brief notice for the bulletin. Send a flyer to people
who took conversion classes and who might have friends who are
interested and to all members, or selected members, such as parents
of students in the congregational school. Obviously if there is an
outreach coordinator or group in the congregation, they should be
included in seeking publicity for the class. Put posters up on
bulletin boards. If possible notices should appear in the bulletin
several times as well as in any mid-month mailings.
7. Write a News Release:
When it comes to letting those outside your congregation or
organization know about the class, the heart of free publicity is
the news release. Here are the steps to writing a press release:
8. Prepare Public Service Announcements (PSAs).
Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are timed messages for radio
and television broadcast often made available for messages deemed
to be in the public interest and provided by tax-exempt
organizations. Some PSAs are videotaped or audiotaped, but these
can be very expensive. One much easier approach is to provide a PSA
script for announcers to read or put on the screen. There are
several steps needed to preparing a good PSA: (1) listen to local
radio and tv stations that provide PSAs to get a sense of their
style and what they want; (2) call the station to get the name of
the public affairs or public service director and what they require
for a PSA, such as a copy of the 501 (c) (3) tax exempt
certificate; (3) prepare four separate scripts for radio stations.
These should be scripts for 10 seconds (10-15 words), 20 seconds
(35-40 words), 30 seconds (55-65 words), and 60 seconds (120-125
words). The scripts should be sent in using this form: a headline
in capital letters, the words "Public Service Announcement" on the
next line, and the length of the script, such as :60 Radio for a
sixty second radio spot, on the next line. This should be followed
by the script all in capital letters and with ellipses (...)
whenever there should be a pause. The language should be simple and
direct. Always include a contact name and number. When you are
finished, read the spot aloud and time it with a stopwatch.
If the PSA is to be put on the screen of a cable station, you
can use the format employed in the flyer described below.
9. Prepare Advertisements.
Paid advertising can also be very expensive. If your budget
allows for it, keep these ideas in mind. One-shot ads rarely work.
The principle of repetition is important in advertising, so that an
effective advertising campaign is likely to be expensive. Quality
is also crucial. If at all possible, ask someone with an
advertising background or ask an ad agency to volunteer their
efforts. In general, ads should have a strong headline. The most
effective ads appear in the front section on the right-hand page
and above the fold. Again, include a contact name, address, and
phone number. Advertisements can be placed in a variety of
publications. For example, if you have regular conversion classes,
consider advertising in the local Yellow Pages.
Ads for conversion to Judaism classes may qualify for a subsidy.
The National Center to Encourage Judaism will provide subsidies for
advertisements concerning such classes. The ads must be in the
secular, non-Jewish press. The subsidy will provide half the cost
of one or more ads, up to a total of $300 per year. A bonus will be
given for particularly original and catchy ads. To apply for the
subsidy, the congregation or organization sponsoring the conversion
class needs to send a copy of the ad or ads, a receipt for payment,
and a statement of how many converts the organization welcomed into
Judaism during the previous year. For further information, call
(301) 593-2319. All materials should be submitted to:
National Center to Encourage Judaism
Box 651
Silver Spring, MD 20918
10. Prepare Brochures, Posters, Flyers, Letters to the Editor, and
Op-Ed Articles.
There are other forms of writing that can be done for publicity.
These include brochures, posters, flyers, letters to the editor,
and op-ed articles.
11. Deliver Flyers and Pamphlets.
Deliver flyers and pamphlets to local Jewish institutions such
as Jewish Community Centers, Ys, Jewish schools, and Jewish
Community Councils as well as all organizations that agreed to
distribute them. Deliver flyers and pamphlets to local colleges
with Jewish-oriented courses, asking an instructor of such courses
to announce the course and post the flyer. Also deliver flyers to
appropriate public institutions such as libraries and museums and
ask if the flyers can be put on bulletin boards and placed in
public areas for distribution.
12. Put Posters Up.
Place posters in all stores and locations that allow you to do
so. Use the list of stores compiled for your mailing and contact
list. If posters are not available, flyers can be substituted.
13. Send News Releases and Flyers.
Send your news releases and flyers to your entire mailing and
contact list. Although this may be very early for a newspaper, you
will need enough lead time to attract students. The usual deadlines
are 2-3 weeks for a story, 1 week for a news event, and 2 weeks for
a calendar listing.
14. Contact Reporters for a Story.
Newspaper, radio, and television reporters can be called
directly about a week after the news releases have been sent to
them. If possible, contact the religion reporters at both Jewish
and secular papers and suggest a story. If you don't know who
covers religion, call the paper and ask. Be prepared to fax or re-
send all materials after this follow-up. Radio interview over the
telephone ("actualities") are effective, as are stories taped or
recorded on location or in the studio. For radio and tv, contact
the news director.
15. Contact Graduates of Conversion Classes.
If you have had previous Introduction to Judaism classes,
contact graduates of those classes and ask if they know anyone
interested in taking the course.
16. Send Op-Ed Pieces to Newspapers. These can appear as soon as 7- 10 days after being submitted if they selected for publication.
17. Send Public Service Announcements.
18. Place Advertisements.
Four Weeks Before the Course:
19. Send Out Speakers to Discuss the Class.
Speakers can volunteer to talk about the course at local Jewish
congregations and organizations, public libraries, adult education
classes, and so on.
20. Write Letters to the Editor.
21. Do Follow-Up Calls.
Do follow-up calls to publications, reporters and others on your
mailing list. Especially try to get stories in local media.
Two Weeks Before the Course:
22. Ask those who sign up for the course if they know people who would like to learn about the course and send a flyer to them.
23. Call all those who inquired about the course but have not yet enrolled to determine if they wish to do so.
Taken together, all these activities will attract and retain an increasing number of students for the conversion to Judaism class.