BBC coverage : creating national traction for a STEM competition 

Jess and Leigh-Ann’s passion for our Healthy Young Minds project was contagious – so much so that they managed to secure us coverage by the BBC and Bristol TV in no time. They’ve supported us the whole way through and have always been the first to suggest ways to maximise the impact of the work we’re doing.

Phil Blackmore, Creative Director

Create Health logo

Key
Wins

332,000 coverage views
168,000 TV views
Featured in 19 different titles

The
Challenge

Create Health, the Bristol-based creative healthcare agency, was on a mission to combat isolation and inspire children with their digital STEM competition: Healthy Young Minds. The science, technology, engineering and maths contest had run the previous year in partnership with a local school in Bristol, but this year Create wanted to take it online to provide teachers and home-educators with a fun resource during the coronavirus lockdown.

We were briefed to increase awareness and encourage as many children as possible to download entry forms and get involved. We planned to appeal to parents and professionals looking for online learning resources, and highlight the need to engage children in these subjects following recent reports of a STEM skills shortage in the UK.

The
Solution

We devised a wide-reaching PR campaign targeting the most relevant media outlets.

  • We crafted and pitched a compelling press release
  • We contacted a range of local and national consumer, children’s and education media, always tailoring our pitch accordingly
  • The previous year’s entrants provided plenty of story hooks and we put children’s experiences at the forefront of the campaign. As more and more pupils entered in 2020 we were able to draw on their stories too.
  • We ensured coverage was frequently shared across a variety of social media accounts and channels
  • We reached out to the BBC and Bristol TV and secured Create Health a TV interview

The
Results

The campaign was a great success, with the Health Young Minds competition being featured in 19 different publications.

  • 332,000 views of Healthy Young Minds coverage
  • Almost 1,000 entry downloads
  • Coverage shared 500 times across social channels
  • 168,000 TV interview views
  • The campaign was covered by BBC West, Bristol TV, FunKids Live, Visit Bristol, Bath & Wiltshire Parent, Entirely South West and more