After you’ve come up with some creative article ideas for your yearbook, you’re probably going to have to scrounge up some interview subjects. And there might also be times when you desperately need a really good photo from an event. That’s when you need to ask your school community for help.
A fancy word for this kind of help is “crowdsourcing.” It basically means to go outside your normal group of contacts (like fellow yearbook team members) to gather information and content.
And the easiest way to do it with your students is to use yearbook flyers. Check out this article if you’re looking for the easiest way to do it with other parents.
Why Crowdsourcing Through Yearbook Flyers Is a Good Idea
See, yearbook flyers don’t just need to be used to sell your book. They can also be used to find photos, interview subjects, fill coverage gaps, and include a diverse cross-section of the school.
There’s a bunch of benefits to flyers, but this one is maybe the biggest: a little bit of work on your end goes a long way.
It’s no secret that students love sharing content and are usually stoked to get featured in the yearbook. Which means that if you have some flyers that let them know the opportunity exists, you’ll practically have students knocking down your door to help you finish your book.
If you’re ready to use your yearbook flyers to turn your story and page ideas into reality (with a little help from your students), make sure to read our tips. They’ll have you handing out flyers in no time. (Plus, we’ll hook you up with some free templates.)
How to Shape The Messages on Your Yearbook Flyers
When it comes to crowdsourcing for your yearbook via flyers and posters, you have to do three things: get someone’s attention, ask for help, and give specific instructions on how someone can help you.
(All this probably sounds familiar, if a little different, if you read our post about this great holiday-themed yearbook advertising promotion at Leland High School in San Jose, California.)
The fact is, asking for help isn’t that different from advertising your yearbook.
So, let’s break down the three things you need to do really well.
Get someone’s attention. First things first—before you can get someone to help you, you need to get someone to look at your plea.
One way to turn heads is to use your visuals: Stand out by using humor, pop-culture references, or something totally unexpected. Like this flyer:
Unless all of your school’s clubs are handing out flyers featuring puppies (or your school’s mascot is a The Fightin’ Puppies), you’re probably going to grab some attention with this approach. It’s novel, it’s different. Heck, it’s even cute.
Ask for Help. People can only chip in if you ask them. Which means the pressure’s on you to communicate what you need clearly and concisely.
Our tip? Be as specific as possible.
Don’t ask for photos from the pep rally if what you really need is action shots from the dance team’s high-kick performance at the pep rally. If you are only seeking content from a certain grade level, be sure to mention that as well.
This flyer does just that:
No, it’s not as cute as a puppy, but it is very direct as to what the yearbook team needs. And that helps everyone.
Give Specific Instructions. Once you tell someone what you need help with, you need to tell them how they can take the steps to help you. In a lot of circles (particularly in marketing), this is the “call to action.”
In your case, you’ll want to lay out for your audience exactly how they can get you what you need.
Maybe that’s swinging by a certain classroom to be interviewed or asking students to email photos they have to the yearbook team. Whatever it is, make sure they know when they should do that and whether there are any deadlines. The last thing you want is for someone to get their help turned down.
This flyer’s a good example of what we mean:
See? Even when you’re concise and clear, you can still be contemporary.
To boil it down, a good yearbook flyer rocks at crowdsourcing when it does three things: gets attention, asks for help, and is specific about how that help can be given. Of course, it doesn’t hurt if it’s cute, clear, or contemporary, either.
