Makers’ Toolkit
Publicity Toolkit
Simple, low-cost ways to get your community through the door.
Your Fun Palace is yours. You know your neighbours, your venue and your local news better than anyone – so you’re the expert. Use these ideas as a starting point, then make them your own.
Jump to: When to start · Your message · Photos · Posters · Press · Social media · On the day · Get political
Grab and go
Your publicity kit
Everything you need to start telling people about your Fun Palace. Download, add your own details, and off you go. Prefer it on paper? Download this toolkit as an accessible PDF.
Word document
Ready-made copy
Short and long descriptions of Fun Palaces to drop into your website, listings and leaflets.
Word document
Press release template
Fill in the gaps to tell local journalists what’s happening, where and why it matters.
Word document
Invite your MP or councillor
A letter to invite your MP, MSP, Member of the Senedd or local councillor along.
Templates
Posters, flyers and logos
Print-at-home posters, invitations and the Fun Palaces logo, ready for your details.
Photo library
Photos you can use
Photos you’re welcome to use (with a credit). Social media graphics are coming soon.
Brand basics
A two-page guide to our logo, colours and font, so your Fun Palace looks part of the movement.
Timing
When to start
As soon as you’ve signed up, you’ve started. Here’s how it usually builds.
1
When you have a date and venue
Start telling people. Don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what will happen yet – that’s part of the fun.
2
Six to eight weeks before
Your main push: posters up, listings in, press release out and social posts going.
3
On the day, and after
Decorate, share photos with #FunPalaces, and invite everyone to make their own next time.
Who do you want to come?
Fun Palaces are for everyone. When everybody has the chance to make and take part, culture and communities get better for all of us. Think about who you’d love to see there – and who might not hear about it unless you go and find them.
Where should you advertise?
Start with where you hear about local events: a friend or neighbour, local listings and newsletters, community websites and groups, social media, and posters in shop windows, libraries and noticeboards. Word of mouth is still the most powerful of all.
The basics
Your key message
Whether it’s a poster, a post or a press release, keep sharing the practical stuff: who, what, when, where and how.
Then pick three short ideas you want people to remember – what’s surprising, unique or irresistible about your Fun Palace – and use them everywhere.
Lead with fun. In 2014, Makers in Whitstable found people were keener to join in when it was pitched as fun rather than “art” – and Brockwell Lido took the swimming lanes out so the day was about “fun not fitness”. Say what people will get to do, try and enjoy, and leave the jargon at home.
Lines to borrow
- Sharing skills, connecting communities, creating tiny revolutions
- A weekend of community-led events at Brockwell Lido
- Discover the hidden stories of Leith at the Leith Fun Palace
- Come and visit the world’s only Fun Palace in a forest
- Learn a brilliant new skill from your neighbour
Pictures
Photos that pull people in
A handful of great photos (up to eight) will carry your publicity a long way.
- Colour and light. Bright, well-lit pictures stand out.
- Faces. People are drawn to people – especially with big expressions.
- Show what will happen. Snap the people involved trying out their activity, or set up a mini photo shoot.
- Use your setting. An iconic local spot makes a brilliant backdrop.
- Print quality. Around 300dpi (roughly 1MB) is perfect for posters.
Nothing suitable yet? Use the Fun Palaces photo library or our illustrated logo. Taking your own? Ask permission first with the media consent form.
Out and about
Posters, flyers and banners
Posters and flyers all around your area are still one of the best ways to let people know. Think shop windows, libraries, cafés, surgeries, community centres and noticeboards.
- Download the poster and flyer templates and add your own details.
- Every Fun Palace can ask for printed posters and leaflets – just email Alicia at alicia@funpalaces.co.uk.
- Make it easy for everyone to read with the accessible poster.
Local news
Working with the press
Local newspapers, radio, TV and blogs love a community story. Find the journalist most likely to be interested – someone who’s covered similar events, or an arts, culture or community editor.
- Email first. Send your press release with a short, friendly note about your Fun Palace.
- Follow up. No reply after a few days? Give them a call.
- Know your three key points. What’s the unique thing about your Fun Palace?
- Know what you’re asking for. A listing, an interview, or a photographer on the day?
- Know what you can offer. Photos, people to interview, a great picture opportunity.
How far ahead to get in touch
4-6 weeks
Weekly newspapers
1-2 weeks
Daily newspapers
2-3 weeks
TV news
1-2 weeks
Radio
2-3 weeks
Blogs
Many papers and websites also have free listings you can add your Fun Palace to yourself – aim for about four weeks ahead.
Online
Social media
Some Fun Palaces set up their own accounts; others use their venue’s or organisation’s. Either works – what matters is posting regularly and replying to people.
#FunPalaces
Put the hashtag on all your publicity and use it every time you post. It lets everyone share and celebrate what’s happening – and gives the whole movement one loud, collective voice, especially over the weekend.
Great for photos and short videos. Aim for a post a day in the run-up, and use Stories whenever something’s happening.
Good for longer updates, events and local groups. Post regularly and answer questions – people often ask the practical stuff here.
Write for our blog
Made or visited a Fun Palace? Share the story on the Maker Stories blog, then share the link everywhere.
Follow Fun Palaces and tag us: Instagram · Facebook · Bluesky · Threads · LinkedIn · YouTube
Looking for ready-made graphics? Find social media images here.
Fun Palaces unite
On the day: three ways to join the movement
Your Fun Palace is part of something much bigger. These three things help everyone see it.
1
Can everybody see a logo?
Put up the Fun Palaces banner and poster, especially near entrances and exits, so everyone who comes knows they’re part of it.
2
Share it with #FunPalaces
Post what’s happening, tag Fun Palaces and use the hashtag. Display it somewhere big so visitors do the same.
3
What about next year?
Everyone who comes could be a future Maker. Hand out the Skill Share postcards (they’ll be posted to you) so people know how to get involved.
Getting political
Invite your decision makers
Fun Palaces show off the creativity of local communities – and there’s no better way to show the people who shape our cultural landscape than inviting them along.
Invite your MP, MSP, Member of the Senedd or local councillors. Rather than just sending an email, why not make an artistic invitation – whatever that means to you – and share a photo of it on social media? Delivering it by hand makes a great picture for the local paper, too.
Top tip: early September is a great time to deliver it, when MPs are back from summer recess and before party conference season.
Want a hand?
Questions about publicity, locally or nationally? The Support Hub is happy to help. You’ll also get regular email updates – and now and then a request for a photo, a quote or an interview. A few minutes of your time helps tell the story of the whole movement and inspires the next Makers.