Media relations
Traditional media such as regional newspapers tend to be of little interest to teenagers, so it’s important to find alternative channels for communicating your message. Young people are much more comfortable with a high volume of media choice than older generations and more adept at filtering in order to find what they want. Below are some routes to consider:
Local radio
Local radio stations, in particular commercial ones, are often geared towards the youth market. Many youth projects obtain restricted service radio licences in order to broadcast during the summer holidays, and community radio stations often have a dedicated youth-run show.
Ask your Peer Panel for help in identifying which radio stations are currently popular and who their favourite DJs are, then listen out for opportunities to get coverage for your activities. For example, offer the station an interview with a student ambassador from the local area who can give top tips on budgeting whilst at university, or let them know in advance if you are organising an open day or HE fair. Visit What makes a media story? for more ideas.
Finding ways to get media-hungry teenagers involved with the local radio station is likely to capture their imaginations, for example arranging a visit to the studios or a ‘DJ-for-a-day’ promotion. The team at Greater Merseyside organised a ‘Radio Star’ competition with local station, Juice FM, which took the form of a Pop Idol type contest and gave constructive advice to budding radio presenters and DJs.
From the hundreds who auditioned or sent in their mixes, a group of 10 went to the public vote to become a Juice FM presenter, and the remaining five were able to show off their talent in a DJ challenge at a Liverpool nightclub. The winner was awarded a residency contract at the club and a regular gig as a specialist DJ on Juice FM.
Richard Finch, Information & Communications Officer for Aimhigher Greater Merseyside, uses local radio regularly to target teenagers in his area. He explained: “We use both BBC and commercial radio stations regularly as part of our communications activities, including cost effective advertising campaigns. One way to ensure that your message gets heard is to adopt the right voice. Young people know immediately if they are being patronised, so you’ve got to use the right language and approach. Our radio advertising always features the voices of young people and when we produced a special DVD as part of a campaign, it featured five sets of young people from various age groups, so it’s the voices and faces of their peers they experience, not ours.”
Online media
“What’s cool about the net is it’s full of different opinions… lots of sites are actually arguments between people, you can make up your own mind.”
Online media that offers the opportunity for debate and not just one point of view gets young people’s approval. Social networking sites, chat rooms, message boards and e-zines provide fertile ground for expressing views. Posting a question about higher education on an appropriate site could spark a debate and give you valuable feedback on a particular programme or activity being planned. Ask your Peer Panel or other teenagers you meet which sites they use and then monitor them for opportunities to promote Aimhigher.
Visit the Digital and Social Media section to find out more.
Listings magazines
Full of local entertainment news and views, listings magazines provide a useful insight into what’s going on in the area. Look out for opportunities to collaborate on relevant promotions, competitions and giveaways that could carry the Aimhigher brand.
As before, ask your contacts to keep you updated about niche media such as local music or ‘what’s on’ magazines that might be willing to cover relevant Aimhigher stories or include details of events and open days.
Case studies
Teens talking to teens – encouraging peer endorsement of the Aimhigher message – is one of the most effective ways to communicate with this target group. Mentoring schemes, ambassadors and student associates’ programmes are part of many partnerships’ core activity and can provide strong material for case studies. Written from the perspective of the students themselves, case studies and first person stories are popular with teenage media and can also provide impactful content for websites and leaflets.
Visit Student success stories for more information on using case studies.
Images
Relevant not just with the media but for all Aimhigher communications activity, photographs and images are an essential tool for reaching this audience but need to be chosen and used with great care. An organisation famous for its work with young people, the Prince’s Trust found that it’s easy to get it completely wrong. Teens found as many reasons not to identify with a picture or image, as with it. Try to get photos of young people participating in lively activities and events and make sure you consult with your Peer Panel before making any final decisions about images. Visit Photography guidance for guidance on data protection and an example photo permission form.
