Get The Word Out
We’re here for everyone 24/7. We have your community covered. And, we rely on empathy MVPs to help us get the word out to everyone in need. Help us paint the town 741741 with these marketing tips and tricks.
Get the Word Out in Your Community
Local Media. Contact local media about writing an article on Crisis Text Line, donating advertising space (in print, on radio PSAs), and encouraging them to include a boilerplate about reaching out to Crisis Text Line for support at the end of relevant articles.
K-12 School Districts. Send an email with information and flyers out to the Superintendent of your school district to disseminate to school counselors, teachers and administrators.
Local Colleges. Notify local college campuses to share Crisis Text Line during freshmen orientation and in resident advisor training.
Get the Word Out Online
Website. Feature it prominently on your org website and mental health resources page. The Steve Fund is a great example.
Press Release. Write a press release, post it on your website and social media and send to local media outlets.
Public Service Announcement. Create a video PSA. See what University of Alabama did for their BAMA keyword!
Social Media. Short, relatable, catchy phrase + a photo = highly engaging. Schedule weekly recurring posts!
Some of our more successful “Text 741741” tweets have read:
- Talking about your feelings can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be. If you or a loved one is in crisis, text HOME to 741741.
- How you feel now is not how you’ll feel forever. Text HOME to 741741 for a trained Crisis Counselor.
Get the Word Out On the Ground
Outdoor Ads. Do you have access to transit ads, billboards, or other outdoor ads? Promote the number! Make ‘em big and bold.
Materials in Community Centers and Clinics. Include Crisis Text Line materials in local clinics, counseling centers, police departments, community recreation centers, and libraries as an off-hours alternative for people.
Tabling Events. Table at local health fairs, farmers markets, awareness walks.
Stickers. Print stickers to go in every public and school bathroom stall (where people often go when upset), classroom doors, laptops.
Swag. Create lanyards, wristbands, or other physical swag with Crisis Text Line’s number.
Create your own Materials. While we have materials, check out other partners like California Community Colleges who have created their own materials with their keyword and branding.
Get the Word Out In Schools
Press Release. Send a school-wide announcement and press release to local news publications to raise awareness of this new tool on campus.
Website. Feature it prominently on your university website and mental health resources page.
Social Media. Short, relatable, catchy phrase + a photo = highly engaging.
Listservs & Email Newsletters. Campus groups, greek life, student housing groups. Blast out the resource to these groups to gain attention.
Volunteer Promotion in Online Portals. Add Crisis Text Line’s opportunity to become a Crisis Counselor to your campuses’ volunteer website and/or online jobs portal.
Publications. Publicize in student publications, blogs, and alumni magazines through articles on the resource, interesting crisis trends data and/or a profile of a volunteer Crisis Counselor at the university; utilize recurring ad space to promote the resource/volunteer opportunity.
Freshman Orientation. Include a one-pager on Crisis Text Line during freshman orientation. Ask all students to take out their phones and enter 741741 into their address book.
Campus Clubs. Activate relevant campus groups (student government, peer resource groups, mental health clubs) to be Crisis Text Line ambassadors and raise awareness through flyering, holding events, and more.
Stickers, flyers, and buttons. Print still matters. Host a poster-design competition! Post them in:
- Counseling offices, student center, health center, libraries
- Bathrooms
- Whiteboards
- Classroom door
- Dorm rooms
- Laptops
Swag. Lanyards given out at freshman orientation? Wristbands for students? Add our information on them!
Outdoor Ads. Do you have access to transit ads or outdoor ads on campus? Promote the number! Make ‘em big and bold.
Student IDs. Include our information on the back of student IDs.
Emergency Protocol. Any messaging that goes out to students in the event of emergency or crisis (campus death, sexual assault, natural disaster, etc) should include a one-liner about reaching out to Crisis Text Line for support.
Resident Advisor Training. Include one-pager in RA training and make sure RA’s have the number in their phone and a stack of cards with the number on it.
Case Studies
We collab with some of the best to get the word out about Crisis Text Line. Read some marketing case-studies from our partners.
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The schools distributed online materials that helped over 2,000 students connect with a Crisis Counselor.
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The Golden Gate Bridge is the number one site of suicide in the country. We collaborated to put our number on the bridge to make sure people in crisis knew they could reach out for support.
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Awareness of Crisis Text Line at Broward County School District in Florida, the fifth-largest in the nation, was low. In Broward County, a call-based mental health hotline called “Silence Hurts” was discontinued in 2011. By doubling down on marketing efforts, the district increased awareness of Crisis Text Line by 90% for students.
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The Palo Alto United School district began promoting Crisis Text Line after the area experienced several clusters of youth suicides. After encouraging students to reach out and share the number, there were over 50,000 conversations in the area during the 2016 - 2017 school year.
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After several suicide completions on campus, students banned together to create a Crisis Text Line liaison on their student government. They distributed buttons and advocated for administration to include the number on university materials like syllabi, student IDs, and planners.
Be sure to check out our communications guide for more information about how to talk about Crisis Text Line.
Have questions? Reach out to marketing@crisistextline.org.
