Delivery partner support hub: promotion
Once your grant funding application has been approved, the next step is to get people to turn up to your events. Whatever events you plan to run, getting the word out is essential for success. We know that getting your message out can be challenging, so we’ve worked alongside the Big Bike Revival delivery partner community to provide expert advice designed to support you at every stage of your event promotion journey.
Contents
- Event promotion essentials
- Spread the word: effective word of mouth strategies
- Eye-catching posters and flyers: design and distribution tips
- Making headlines: leveraging local press
- Social media success: amplifying your event online
- Picture perfect: using photography to promote your event
- Unleash your creativity with Canva
- Engaging new participants: how to reach new audiences
- Give us your feedback
Event promotion essentials
In this short video, our delivery partners explain how it is important to promote your event by using a mixture of methods that are easy for everyone to engage with. Watch to learn more about how partners have used word of mouth, social media, and posters and flyers to get people to their events.
A beginner's guide to event promotion
Here’s a two-page guide that explains more about the general ways that you can reach your target audience. Click on the icon to download your free guide and learn more about the basics of event promotion:
Spread the word: effective word of mouth strategies
When it comes to getting people to find out about your event, you will achieve a lot of success by going out into your community and connecting with people.
Don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth. Tell everyone you meet where, when, and why your Big Bike Revival event is taking place, and why it will be so great for them to attend! Our research tells us that word of mouth is consistently the most popular way that people hear about Big Bike Revival events.
Word of mouth is probably the easiest, cheapest, and simplest way to get your message across.
A beginner's guide to word of mouth promotion
Read this two-page guide for more advice about who to reach out to, how to contact other groups, and general top tips about how to make the most of word of mouth.
Eye-catching posters and flyers: design and distribution tips
Posters and flyers help you reach people in your local community who don’t follow you or use social media, allowing you to tap into a brand-new audience.
It’s easy to include all your event information on a poster or flyer, and they are perfect for handing out to a large number of people so that they can take them away.
You can hand them out in person, drop them through letterboxes or staff in-trays, or even leave them in local hotspots where people are likely to pass and pick them up.
We put posters at our surgeries and I get so many calls from them. Doctors will send people to enquire about our learn-to-ride sessions.
A beginner's guide to using posters and flyers
For planning tips, location ideas, and other essential advice, read this two-page guide to making use of physical resources.
Big Bike Revival posters template
You don’t have to create your own Big Bike Revival poster from scratch. We’ve made a poster template that you’ll just need to fill in with your event details. Click the link to download your template and start editing.
Big Bike Revival posters and flyers examples
Are you stuck on what to include on your poster? Get inspiration from these poster examples created by our delivery partners.
Logos
You can find all the relevant logos you might want to add to your posters here. All posters must include the 'Funded by UK Government' logo. You can download each one by clicking the buttons below the logo gallery.
Making headlines: leveraging local press
Getting the news of your event into the local paper is a great way to reach new audiences, attract more people to your events and tell people about your organisation.
Local newspapers are always looking to write about events in their area. Most of these media will have local event listings that you will be able to have your event included on, and you may even be featured if your event is appealing enough to them.
A basic guide to local press promotion
Read our two-page PDF guide to media promotion to boost your chances of getting your event in local press. The guide includes planning tips, advice about how to write a press release, and how to invite journalists to your event.
Big Bike Revival events in the local press
Here are some examples of how Big Bike Revival events have featured in local media:
- York-based charity Everybody’s Cycling in the York Press: York charity Everybody's Cycling joins 'Big Bike Revival'
- Tame Valley Mountain Bike Association in the Tameside Correspondent: Get on your bike for a wheel-y great way of seeing the Tameside area
- Preston Pedals Community Hub in Blog Preston: Preston Pedals running free cycling events through June and July
Social media success: amplifying your event online
A great way to spread information quickly and cheaply is through social media. Social media has become a powerful tool for promoting events in today's digital age.
With millions of people using a variety of platforms, it allows events to reach a wide audience and encourages engagement.
We have created a WhatsApp group and we send messages telling people when the ride is.
A beginner's guide to social media promotion
The many opportunities to use social media to promote your event may seem overwhelming and first but don’t worry. Cycling UK has created this handy two-page guide to give you an introduction to how best to use social media.
Download the guide for straightforward advice on how to increase your followers, what platforms to use as well as what and when to post.
Remember to use the #BigBikeRevival hashtag and tag Cycling UK in all your posts.
Big Bike Revival social media post templates
Cycling UK has created a variety of social media post templates for you to use across platforms.
Header images
Share posts
Quote cards
Big Bike Revival social media post examples
Here are some great examples of how Big Bike revival events have been promoted via social media.
Picture perfect: using photography to promote your event
Using great photos can encourage people to come along to your upcoming events. The best way to showcase your events is through engaging imagery. Photos can also encourage people to attend when they see people ‘like them’ enjoying cycling.
A beginner's guide to taking photos at your event
Read the two-page guide for how to plan and take a great photo at your next Big Bike Revival event.
How to take a good photograph
Here are some 'photography dos' to consider when taking a good photograph.
What to avoid when taking a photograph
Here are some examples of what you should avoid when taking photos at your event.
Unleash your creativity with Canva
Cycling UK provides delivery partners with a range of templated promotional material, such as posters and social media images, that can be edited using a free online design tool called Canva. Watch this tutorial video to learn how to use and customise templates in Canva.
Engaging new participants: how to reach new audiences
The Big Bike Revival programme focuses on engaging adults with social, economic, and health needs, those from diverse backgrounds, and individuals facing complex challenges.
Reaching out to new audiences is a great way to increase the impact of your events in your local community. Knowing your audience allows you to pick the right strategies and channels and tailor your messages effectively.
Cycling UK has put together a series of audience guides to explain why you should connect with specific groups, the challenges they face, how you can support them, and the best ways to reach them. These guides are full of ideas of how to tailor events to reach audiences you may have not thought about already.
A beginner's guide to working with parents, carers and guardians
Parents who cycle the school-run with their children are setting a good example that may increase the likelihood of the next generation continuing to cycle as a transport choice. Read the guide to learn more about how to reach this audience.
Empowering families case study: How a Fix event helped Vickie and her son
Vickie's positive experience with the Fylde Family Cycle Club at a Fix event is a great example of how these events can directly benefit individuals and families.
By providing accessible bike repair services and educating participants on bicycle maintenance, the club not only helped Vickie's son get back on his bike quickly, but he has been riding it every day since.
The session also empowered Vickie to learn new skills and gain confidence, ensuring her son can continue riding without delays due to repair needs.
A beginner’s guide to working with women
Women play a significant role in promoting physical activity within their families but 9 in 10 are scared of cycling in towns and cities. Read the guide to learn more about how to engage this audience.
Conquering fear case study: Halima's path to confidence with Cycle Sisters
Before Halima's Learn to Ride session with Cycle Sisters, she was very afraid of cycling. With the transformative support of Catherine, a skilled coach, she overcame her fears and gained confidence in her new skills.
Catherine's guidance enabled Halima to progress from a beginner to a confident cyclist, marking the beginning of a new journey filled with achievement and newfound confidence. Halima thanks the Cycle Sisters coach for their support and knowledge, which empowered her to break through personal barriers and reach her goals.
A beginner’s guide to working with non-regular cyclists
Out of 28 European countries, the UK comes 25th for the proportion of people using their own cycle or scooter on a typical day. Read the guide to learn more about how to engage people who cycle less than once a month.
From car to bike case study: Teresa's journey with The Bike Hive
Since Teresa's first session with The Bike Hive, she has looked forward to every session. She thanks her exceptional teachers and the supportive group atmosphere for not only teaching her to ride a bike and boosting her confidence but also for the social benefits and improved fitness.
The sessions have motivated her to embrace a more sustainable mode of transportation. Teresa has discovered a newfound love for cycling, enhancing her skills and creating meaningful connections with others in the community. Following her learn-to-ride sessions, she has decided to stop using her car and now uses her bike for travel instead.
A beginner’s guide to working with students (18+)
Large cohorts of new students at the start of every academic year, means substantial participants at events. Read the guide to learn more about how to reach out this audience.
As a student living on a loan, it has been incredibly helpful to have access to free bike repairs from Fabio (Biclas B12). This allows me to continue having convenient transport around the city centre, for education and much more.
A beginner’s guide to working with adults on a low budget
Cycling has the potential to reduce transport inequality and widen access to jobs and education. Targeted activities are essential so less affluent adults can benefit from the positive impact of physical activity. Read the guide to learn more about how to engage this group.
I was so grateful to be able to attend this workshop and learn more about gears and how to adjust them. The fact that it was free made it so much more accessible to me as I am on a low income. I have wanted to learn more about bike maintenance for so long and it was so lovely to be part of this event. It felt very welcoming and gave me some much-needed social contact.
A beginner’s guide to working with retired people
When individuals retire, it can lead to a change of pace in lifestyle, leaving more time for new activities. Life expectancy is increasing globally; by 2030, 20 million people will be aged 60+. Read the guide to learn more about how to reach this audience.
Rediscovering cycling case study: Farhana's comeback with Hop On
Like many older cyclists, Farhana had nearly given up on cycling due to a lack of confidence and concerns about her safety, along with limited local route knowledge. Before attending a beginners' session and a guided ride with Hop On, she hadn't been cycling for over a year. After the session, Farhana felt her cycling experience was transformed.
"I am so overwhelmed by the help and support provided, not just to me but to all my family," Farhana said. "Hopefully, this will mean we can all go out on bikes together in the near future." Three months later, the change in Farhana's life has been significant; she now cycles once or twice a week. She feels much safer on the bike, and her improved skills in both riding and bike maintenance have been a tremendous boost, adding that she "feels much more confident cycling now."
Since retiring I have used my bike for day-to-day transport and try to use it wherever possible instead of driving. I thought I was a fairly confident rider, but I went along to the Big Bike Revival event because a friend told me there would be some skills training. It was particularly helpful for me to practise tight turns, and I picked up some very helpful tips about checking the bike before going out and riding with even more confidence. I had not realised my rear tyre was soft, but that was sorted out as well. All in all, a very helpful and enjoyable session. I would be happy to come along to another event in future. I am keen to use my bike wherever possible in order to reduce my carbon footprint.
Give us your feedback
If this page is missing advice to help promote your event or if you've got tips that will help your fellow delivery partners, please contact your cycling development officer. Alternatively, you can let us know what you think by completing this feedback form.
We need our delivery partners to share their content with us to build this community resource and help the Big Bike Revival create more happier, healthier and greener lives through cycling.