For my project, I had the incredible opportunity to work with inUpowers in developing a public relations campaign to increase awareness and enhance user experience for their 12-week curriculum designed to help children identify, understand, and work through difficult emotions. Click here to view the full campaign booklet I created that includes copies of templates and other materials I developed, and read on to learn more about the project.
Project Summary
The inUpowers is an organization created by Rexburg local Tami Hymas, and it is all about “turning tantrums into teaching moments” – helping children understand and work through their everyday emotions, no matter what those emotions may be. I connected with Tami last summer when the inUpowers was still in its beginning phases. They officially launched the website and curriculum at the end of 2022, when I reached out to take on the role of public relations specialist for this project.
Their most immediate need was help with social media. I started out taking over from the last social media specialist, posting consistently on their social media sites, and then I took what they already had and developed a more consistent social media guide. From the time I took over on social media until now, there was a 7.6% increase in following on Instagram, and we were able to reach more accounts that don’t follow inUpowers yet. You can see all the posts I created and follow along with their journey forward by following this link.
Aside from social media, I developed a campaign with two main goals: (1) increase awareness in the target audiences of teachers, parents, and counselors so that they are more likely to purchase the curriculum, and (2) enhance user experience for those that have already purchased the curriculum. To help accomplish these goals, I developed a monthly newsletter template and set everything up through a newsletter hosting site, assisted in event planning and marketing for a few awareness events/trainings, and researched and developed everything for their upcoming limited podcast series. You can view the full details of the plan and the collateral material I developed (aside from the complete media list and press release template, as those will be given directly to the client and not showcased to the public) by following this link.
In total over the span of about 10.5 weeks, I spent around 65 hours on this project, including:
~ 3 hours completing the training and identifying things that needed to change for user experience
~ 20 hours creating social media content, scheduling and posting social media, interacting with other accounts, and compiling the social media guide.
~ 15 hours in meetings with the client & team (planning social media, getting to know needs, planning events, etc.)
~ 5 hours on outside research for campaign and developing the campaign booklet
~ 10 hours on podcast research/development (researching the best hosting site and times to post podcasts, writing scripts and descriptions for episodes, recording the first episode, editing, etc.)
~ 5 hours on newsletter research/development
~ 7 hours developing media contacts list and press release template
Moving Forward
I am excited to continue on as inUpowers’ PR specialist for at least the next few months to wrap up the projects I began, continue posting to social media, and finalize all other stewardship. I will continue to monitor social media and website analytics to see what is and isn’t working, and will be developing a survey that customers can take after completing the program that inUpowers can use to continue improving and growing. Whoever continues on after I leave can utilize all the templates I have developed to send out newsletters, press releases, and podcast and consistently monitor survey responses and other appropriate analytics. They can also update the media list and other templates as needed. If they continue to consistently post to social media, send out press releases, and attend or host awareness events, they will continue to grow.
I’m so grateful for this project. Not only did I grow professionally and put into action the skills I’ve developed throughout my college career, but I also learned what it was like to work with an organization whose mission is to make real change. The inUpowers curriculum is already in use in a few local elementary schools and at Dahlia’s Hope, an organization that helps rehabilitate sex trafficking survivors, and they have seen and felt the impact. I’m confident that as inUpowers continues forward with passion and with the right tools, they will reach the ends of the earth and bring about positive change.