The Best Ways to Announce Your Intentions on Running for Office

Plan your announcement so it has the greatest impact.

Announcing your intentions to run for office is a momentous decision, and you won’t have taken it lightly, no matter whether the office is local, statewide or national. You’ll have done some soul-searching, canvassed to discover what support you have and formulated policies and ideals. Having made the decision, you want it to have impact so the maximum number of people are aware of what you’re doing.

Press Conference

Give good lead time on the press conference to allow the media to attend, and check that it doesn’t clash with other important events; this way you’ll receive more coverage. Send invitations to newspapers, television and radio stations, but also include influential bloggers and freelance writers who’ll be able to cover your announcement. Arrange to have between 30 and 50 supporters in attendance at the event to demonstrate you have a strong core behind you. Make a short speech and take a few questions; more details can wait until later, ensuring ongoing coverage.

Tour The Area

If you’re going to run for state office, announce your intention in a series of planned stops around the state. Each will be a press conference, but geared locally, with local media and supporters on hand. If possible, arrange all the stops for a single day, or two days at most; this will give good blanket coverage throughout the state. Make each speech slightly different and geared more toward local issues, as well as those statewide -- the more local you can be, the greater the coverage you’re likely to receive.

Use A Scheduled Speech

If you’re already a public figure, use a previously scheduled speech to announce your intention of running for office. Drop hints to the media beforehand that the speech will contain something new and exciting; this will build anticipation and increase media attendance. Leave the announcement until the end of the speech, but mention at the start that it will contain a major announcement. Ensure that as many supporters as possible are at the event.

Online

Using the Internet to announce your intention to run for office means you have the ability to reach huge numbers of people. It needs to be carefully co-ordinated to have the greatest impact, however, and you should already have a strong online presence, with a website and accounts with all the social media services where you post regularly. Use the services to begin building up to the announcement at least a week before the event, to raise anticipation and awareness, and conduct interviews with media, including bloggers, to be posted after the announcement. Record the announcement – in video – and post on the website at the agreed time, with links from other social media accounts to give a blitz effect.

References

• Politicalcampaignpro.com: Your Election Campaign Announcement
• Campus Progess: So You Want To Run For Office? by Alisha Thomas Morgan