The PR Challenge
Aaron Finkel needed a cost-effective way to promote his New York City-based youth sports information clearing house, New York Sports Connection. Traditional advertising hadn’t paid off, nor had sending a few press releases. So Aaron reached out to FreelancePR.com for some public relations support.
Our Solution
Building on Aaron’s local connections, his brand, business goals and budget, we recommended a student essay contest promoting sportsmanship, with sports celebrities as judges. The sportsmanship essay contest offered Aaron several public relations benefits:
- The contest format allowed for multiple built-in publicity milestones and opportunities for news coverage, such as the contest launch, entry deadline, and announcement of winners.
- Involving notable local sports figures to serve as judges—including one of the highest-rated sports-talk radio hosts in the U.S.—gave NYSC’s new contest instant notoriety.
- The contest gave New York Sport Connection a legitimate reason to reach out to parents and school athletic coordinators throughout the five boroughs and make them aware of NYSC.
- The contest supported NYSC’s branding and positioning as a champion or youth sports in the City.
FreelancePR.com’s Contributions
- Essay Contest Concept
- Public Relations Strategy
- Press Release Writing & Distribution
- Graphic Design
- Copywriting & Editing
- Video Scripting & Production
- Ongoing PR Consultation
The Results
Several winners of NYSC’s essay contest were profiled by their community newspapers.
Here are a few of the news stories generated by NYSC’s essay contests:
Bayside boy who prevailed against a deadly brain disorder is now a finalist in an essay contest
Brooklyn junior sportswriters recognized in New York Sports Connection essay contest
Queens students know the meaning of sportsmanship
Teen Sportsmanship Rewarded in New Contest
Asphalt Green Soccer Club Members Win Essay Contest
2015 NY Sports Connection Essay Contest
After the inaugural contest, Aaron noted, “I found Kathleen via an Internet search for freelance Public Relations. I’m normally hesitant about working with people who I have not met personally and skeptical about working with someone who doesn’t live and work where I do (New York City). Kathleen’s diligence and passion persuaded me to give her a shot and I’m glad that I did. Kathleen came to me with a creative way to market my web site, something I certainly never would have envisioned and something no other marketer had thought of. She produced a very thorough outline of what had to be done and executed it flawlessly. Kathleen’s confidence and enthusiasm were infectious and she was extremely easy to work with. The project was a huge success and I have Kathleen to thank for helping market my web site in an innovative way that was noticed by many people across New York City. I look forward to working with Kathleen again and recommend her to others without reservation.”