Because we won’t that it’s Decision Day until the Supreme Court issues its ruling, it’s difficult to do the kind of advance promotion of your rally that you would typically do. That makes it extremely important to use all tools at your disposal as effectively as possible, starting with a “heads up” email message to all your pro-life contacts.
- Promoting your Rally through email
- Promoting your Rally on Facebook and other websites
- Promoting your Rally elsewhere
Promoting your Rally through email
You will send out at least two emails about your rally:
- Heads up email alert: Send this out immediately so all your pro-life contacts know that a last-minute rally is coming on Decision Day. You might want to send this out every week to keep people on their toes.
- Decision Day email announcement: Send this email out the moment you learn that the Supreme Court has handed down their decision. You needn’t wait for an announcement from the National Team before taking action.
For both of these emails, follow these guidelines:
- Write as if you’re addressing a single person. People are more likely to respond to an individual plea (“Dear Friend”) than one addressed to a whole group (“Dear Friends”).
- Avoid using the word “we” to refer to a group that the recipient is not a part of, since that can be subtly alienating. Using “we” to mean “you and I” will help your recipients feel included.
- Keep paragraphs short—a maximum of 4 lines of normal length.
- Wait until you have your rally site confirmed before sending out any messages. Better to send your message a week later with all the info than to send it now and look as if you’re disorganized.
Promoting your Rally on Facebook
Facebook and other online communities have become essential for getting the word out about important events like your Decision Day Rally. If you’re not on Facebook or not very familiar with how to use such services as “events” or “cover photos,” it would be a good idea to enlist someone for your Rally Team who can handle this side of the promotion effort.
Facebook Event: If possible — given the time constraints we’re operating under — create a “Facebook event” on Decision Day and invite your friends, and ask them to invite theirs. If you’re not familiar with how to set up a Facebook event, check out the instructions here.
Once you’ve set up a Facebook event for your Rally, invite all your friends to attend and spread the word, even if they don’t live nearby. Someone in your town may learn about the Rally through a mutual Facebook friend.
But you can also build excitement for your Decision Day Rally by mentioning it regularly on your Facebook wall or on any pro-life Facebook groups you’re on. The more people hear about this last-minut rally in advance, the more likely they will be to show up.
Facebook Post Images
Download these images (right click the image and choose “Save image as”) to use in Facebook or other social media posts promoting your rally:
Promoting your Rally elsewhere
In the days and weeks before the Supreme Court ruling comes down, tell everyone you know that you’re planning a rally on that day. Spread the word at:
- Your homeschool group or other community group
- Church prayer, Bible study, or Rosary group
- Knights of Columbus meetings and events
- Anywhere pro-life people are gathering