Lesson 3 Get the word out: Turnout is crucial. A large number of people at your protest demonstrates broad public support for your cause. Both the media and the decision makers you are trying to influence will be looking closely at the number of people at your protest to see if you have real community backing. Develop a specific strategy for outreach and publicity, and set a goal for the number of people you want at the demonstration. Then create a plan for reaching out to 10 to 100 times as many people as you home will be there. Assume that only a fraction of the people you contact will actually show up. Key to a successful outreach strategy is the production of materials like event fliers, direct mail invitations, email invitations, and public service announcements. Distribute the fliers as much as possible among friends and colleagues to be disseminated publicly at coffee shops, community centers, bulletin boards, cultural centers, other events, churches, schools, universities, etc. You can also use the press as a tool to get the word out. Write a press release and send it to national and local media to get the media to cover the event. Send a flier or public service announcement to radio stations and community newspapers to get the event announced on the air or in the events section of the newspaper. The sooner you have materials ready, the better, especially in regards to media.