A few thoughts on public image and digital outreach by Rotarians:

Don’t overestimate the willingness of people to read …

More people are ‘reading’ or looking at content on mobile devices.  Shorter, descriptive passages, are more likely to be read than a constipated 3 page article on the development and implementation of a project.

Structure content in newsletters and information releases with an eye-catching graphic, a curiosity tweaking sentence or two, and a ‘read more’ link.

A still picture depicting action, a gif, or a short video clip if your platform supports it, will be better than a picture with fifteen people staring at the camera.

If there isn’t a picture, it didn’t happen …

Every meeting, event, or project of the club should have one or more members assigned to take photos or video clips.  Yes, the media may come and take pictures, but the publisher may not be readily willing to waive copyright.  Further some professionally taken images can be difficult for amateur newsletter editors to manipulate.

Opt for photos or video clips that show members actually doing something … active at a project work-day, serving each other coffee at a meeting, acting goofy at an End Polio Now Baseball Game.

Avoid using the predictable … the president presenting the speaker’s gift to the speaker,

the club receiving the grant check from the district leader.  If you must … why not do a video clip?

When possible give attribution to the photographer/videographer.  It’s just the 4-Way Test kind of thing to do.

Feedback invited.