A great seminar deserves a great turnout—and that takes intentional promotion. Parents are busy, so they often need more than an announcement to recognize the value of an event and make room for it on their calendar. The good news is that there are many practical ways to build interest, create momentum, and make it easy for people to say yes. Here are some proven ideas to help you promote your seminar with impact.
1. This seminar is for ALL parents.
This isn’t just a seminar for parents who are struggling or feeling overwhelmed. Every parent can benefit from fresh ideas and practical biblical strategies—especially when they learn how to address the heart, not just behavior. The principles apply across the parenting years, from young children through the teenage years.
2. Parents will leave with practical tools and strategies.
This is a hopeful and encouraging seminar. Parents won’t leave burdened with guilt or simply told what they’re doing wrong. They’ll gain specific tools, techniques, and strategies they can begin using with their children right away.
3. The seminar introduces a heart-based approach to change.
Parents often rely heavily on rewards, consequences, and correction to change behavior. This seminar expands their toolbox by showing them how to work with the heart—helping children grow in areas such as responsibility, cooperation, self-control, and internal motivation.
4. Dads enjoy this seminar too.
The seminar is highly practical and strategy-oriented, which makes it especially appealing to many dads. Parents are given clear ways to think about challenges, understand what’s happening in their children, and develop a plan for change. It’s an excellent event to encourage moms and dads to attend together.
The encouragement of the lead pastor or other key church leaders can help parents see the importance of the event.
Put two in each bulletin, one to keep and one to give away. Give two to each child to give to their parents. Use the flier for reaching out to those outside the church as well.
Show the promotional commercials in the worship service, put them on your website, or post them on Facebook.
A web page is a great source of information and a place to send people who want to learn more.
Let the whole church know about the parenting seminar, not just parents. Everyone knows parents and can pass the word.
Find people within your church who can attest to the value of the teaching or resources from the National Center for Biblical Parenting.
You might give the page a name like “Christ Church – Parenting Seminar” and then share it. Tag people in the post and ask people to Like it, Share it, and Comment on it. Thousands of people will see the post through social media this way. Look for someone who is active on Facebook to help you promote there.
Encourage people to sign up for free email parenting tips. This often creates interest because people see how they’ll receive practical tips for their family at the seminar.
You will bless others in the Christian community by sharing the word with other churches.
Make it easy to share the information by creating a very short and succinct bulletin announcement that can easily be inserted into a church’s system.
Ask the church leaders if you can send over some fliers about the seminar for them to distribute or make available to their people.
Take fliers to the local day care centers, preschools, and YMCAs. Talk to the directors. They are eager for help for their parents and are often willing to hand out your fliers. Find out how many they’d like. Stop by again the next week with more or another batch to send home again. Visit 20 preschools within five miles of your location.
Email people in your church and ask them to pass the email on to five of their friends and post it on Facebook.
Use your church sign to post the event details the week before the event.
We don’t generally recommend these vehicles unless you know someone and can get a great deal somehow. However, Dr. Turansky is available to do a phone interview and sometimes radio talk shows like the dynamic interaction he has about parenting.
Take fliers to the public schools in your area. Many districts are willing to cooperate with churches to help do parent training. You’re doing your community a service.
Using social media is powerful. Create a Facebook page for your event and ask your people to like, share, and comment. Share on their own timeline is the most important because it is then seen by many of their friends.
Put posters up at your church, local libraries, grocery stores, and other places where families visit.
Put a banner up in front of your church. You can obtain one inexpensively from us. Check out our banner page.
1. Make registration easy. Send an email out and ask people to hit reply to register. Or put a flier in the bulletin with a place for them to fill it out and put it in the offering. Or set up a registration table in the foyer after the worship service. Have people register now and pay later but then go after payment to solidify their commitment.
Remove obstacles and roadblocks that might hinder parents from coming. You might provide food so parents don’t have to feed their kids, provide a children’s program so parents don’t have to get a babysitter, and offer scholarships for those who can’t afford it, or even subsidize the price to make the seminar more accessible.