Delivery partner support hub - promotion
Once your grant funding application has been approved, the next step is to get people to turn up to your events. Whatever events you plan to run, getting the word out is essential for success.
We know that getting your message out can be challenging, so we’ve worked alongside The Big Bike Revival delivery partner community to provide expert advice designed to support you at every stage of your event promotion journey.
- Event promotion essentials
- Spread the word: effective word of mouth strategies
- Eye-catching posters and flyers: design and distribution tips
- Making headlines: leveraging local press
- Social media success: amplifying your event online
- Picture perfect: using photography to promote your event
- Unleash your creativity with Canva
- Give us your feedback
Event promotion essentials
In this short video, our delivery partners explain how it is important to promote your event by using a mixture of methods that are easy for everyone to engage with.
Watch to learn more about how partners have used word of mouth, social media, and posters and flyers to get people to their events.
A beginner’s guide to event promotion
Here’s a two-page guide that explains more about the general ways you can reach your target audience for your Big Bike Revival event.
Click on the icon to download your free guide and learn more about the basics of event promotion.
It includes simple, practical steps tailored to help you attract participant – whether you’re running a fix session, a led ride or a learn-to-ride event.
Spread the word: effective word of mouth strategies
Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth. Tell everyone you meet where, when and why your Big Bike Revival event is taking place, and why it will be so great for them to attend!
Our research tells us that word of mouth is consistently the most popular way that people hear about Big Bike Revival events.
A beginner’s guide to word of mouth promotion
Read this two-page guide for more advice about who to reach out to, how to contact other groups, and general top tips about how to make the most of word of mouth.
Word of mouth is probably the easiest, cheapest and simplest way to get your message across
Mark Nesbitt, Manchester Community Bike Kitchen
Eye-catching posters and flyers: design and distribution tips
Posters and flyers help you reach people in your local community who don’t follow you or use social media, allowing you to tap into a brand-new audience.
It’s easy to include all your event information on a poster or flyer, and they are perfect for handing out to a large number of people so that they can take them away.
You can hand them out in person, drop them through letterboxes or staff in-trays, or even leave them in local hotspots where people are likely to pass and pick them up.
A beginner’s guide to using posters and flyers
For planning tips, location ideas and other essential advice, read this two-page guide to making use of physical resources.
We put posters at our surgeries and I get so many calls from them. Doctors will send people to enquire about our learn-to-ride sessions
Sam Sahdra, Handsworth & Hamstead Community CC – Birmingham
The Big Bike Revival posters template
You don’t have to create your own Big Bike Revival posters from scratch. We’ve made a series of poster templates that you’ll just need to download and fill in with your event details.
Click the link to view the poster gallery, download your favourites and start editing.
Making headlines: leveraging local press
Getting the news of your event into the local paper is a great way to reach new audiences, attract more people to your events and tell people about your organisation.
Local newspapers are always looking to write about events in their area. Most of these media will have local event listings that you will be able to have your event included on, and you may even be featured if your event is appealing enough to them.
A beginner’s guide to getting local media coverage
Read our two-page PDF guide to media promotion to boost your chances of getting your event featured in the local press.
The guide includes practical planning tips, step-by-step advice on how to write an effective press release, and suggestions for reaching out to local journalists.
It also covers how to pitch your story in a way that highlights the community benefits of your event – making it more likely to catch the attention of news editors and reporters.
With a little preparation, local press coverage can significantly raise awareness and increase attendance.
The Big Bike Revival events in local media
Here are some examples of how Big Bike Revival events have featured in local newspapers:
• York-based charity Everybody’s Cycling in the York Press: York charity Everybody’s Cycling joins ‘Big Bike Revival’
• Tame Valley Mountain Bike Association in the Tameside Correspondent: Get on your bike for a wheel-y great way of seeing the Tameside area
• Preston Pedals Community Hub in Blog Preston: Preston Pedals running free cycling events through June and July
Social media success: amplifying your event online
A great way to spread information quickly and cheaply is through social media. Social media has become a powerful tool for promoting events in today’s digital age.
With millions of people using a variety of platforms, it allows events to reach a wide audience and encourages engagement.
A beginner’s guide to using social media
The many opportunities to use social media to promote your event may seem overwhelming at first but don’t worry. We have created this handy two-page PDF guide to give you an introduction to how best to use social media.
Download the guide for straightforward advice on how to increase your followers, what platforms to use as well as what and when to post.
Remember to use the #BigBikeRevival hashtag and tag Cycling UK in all your posts.
The Big Bike Revival social media templates
We have created a variety of social media post templates for you to use across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X.
These ready-made templates make it quick and easy to share your events with a professional look and feel.
Simply customise the text with your event details, and you’re ready to post – saving you time while helping your content stand out and connect with more people in your community.
Picture perfect: using photography to promote your event
Using great photos can encourage people to come along to your upcoming events. The best way to showcase your events is through engaging imagery.
Photos can also encourage people to attend when they see people ‘like them’ enjoying cycling.
A beginner’s guide to taking event photos
Read the two-page PDF guide for tips on how to plan and take great photos at your next Big Bike Revival event.
It covers everything from choosing the right moments to capture, framing shots for maximum impact, and showcasing the diversity and energy of your attendees.
Strong, engaging photos can bring your event to life online and inspire even more people to get involved.
Unleash your creativity with Canva
Our delivery partners can promote their Big Bike Revival events with a range of templated promotional material, such as posters and social media images, which can be edited using a free online design tool called Canva.
Watch this tutorial video to learn how to use and customise templates in Canva.
Give us your feedback
If you think this page is missing any advice, tips or tools that could help you promote your event more effectively, we’d love to hear from you.
Your feedback helps us improve our resources and better support delivery partners like you.
Please get in touch with your Cycling Development Officer and let us know what would make this page even more useful – we’re here to help you succeed!