If you were able to make it to one of our launch events in October and November you should have a pretty good idea of how to use this year's theme – Take the Leap – to help smokers who want to quit.

If you didn't come along, or you need a reminder, read on!

This year's striking theme aims to urge smokers to put their health first by placing emphasis on the energy they may gain from giving up. The slogan recognises that giving up is tough and that a big leap is required, but the image and the connotations of the word leap help the quitter to feel that their health will be liberated by giving up.

Other hooks include the fact that 2012 is a leap year and, with the Olympics fast approaching, we will all be thinking about our physical health.

She looks happy, healthy, in control… looks bright, fresh… I'd like to feel like that 15–a–day smoker, Female, 23

She's pushing it down, saying 'I can end that'. 20–a–day Somali male, 42

The most important thing is that the theme is positive and upbeat; we are not here to lecture smokers but to support and motivate those who want to quit. When we tested the poster image with smokers they said it inspired them to believe a smokefree future is possible.

Below you can download, customise and print this year's A4 poster. Go to our shop to buy large format posters, leaflets and merchandise. You can also download our briefing presentation below if you decide to hold a local briefing – or just for inspiration. The presentation, developed for our launch events, looks at how to use this year's theme in fun and eye–catching ways.

One of the most effective ways of stopping smoking is never to start! So using No Smoking Day in educational settings and when working with young people can help to point out the dangers of smoking before it’s too late.

We have a whole host of resources including lesson plans and fact sheets specifically created for schools (see right).

When planning your No Smoking Day campaign consider the following questions:

Who is your audience?

Is it just young people or do you also want to include their families, your colleagues and other people who work alongside them? Or perhaps you are based at a university and want to raise awareness among students?

What is your aim?

Are you aiming to educate children about the dangers of smoking? To help young smokers to quit? Perhaps you aim to support parents and carers who want to stop for the benefit of their children. Many parents say having children is a big incentive to stop.

How will you achieve this aim?

Think of creative ways of communicating your message to your audience. If you work in a school or a youth centre you could create an event for the community that shows your school takes the dangers of smoking seriously. You might create a stall, hold a fun day or create a display in the foyer of your building. Schools can also cover National Curriculum objectives by using our lesson plans (see right).

Universities might want to run a campaign in the students' union that highlights the dangers of taking up smoking or link with a local stop smoking service to help students who want to quit.

You can also buy items specially targeted at young people and their families from the No Smoking Day shop including nursery thermometers, WeQuit bears, pencils, stickers and activity books for early years.

Whatever your event, it's important to spread the word to make sure we reach as many smokers as possible. Local media reports, thanks to the efforts of local organisers like you, make up the vast majority of our press coverage and play a vital role in letting smokers know what help is available.

So here’s how to do it:

1. Register your event with us for free. We spend lots of time talking to journalists, and knowing what you're doing in your local area, even if it's not open to the public, helps us explain the size and scope of No Smoking Day right across the UK.
   
   So what are you waiting for? Register your event here
   
   
2. Identify your 'story'. Think about what makes your event interesting. Then work out how to explain it in a clear and concise way – try answering the 'five Ws' – who, what, why, where and when. Journalists will want to hear the most interesting elements first, followed by other details. If you need some help you can use our template press release.
   
   
3. Think about timing. It's always better to send information well in advance. This way journalists or photographers will have the option of attending your events which is bound to boost your coverage.
   
   
4. Think pictures. Papers love a good photo, and regional TV crews will always ask about exactly what they will be able to see on the day, so make sure you think about what visual elements you can offer.
   
   
5. Identify spokespeople. Make sure you designate a spokesperson who is easily contactable should a journalist want an interview. Why not also try to get a local celebrity involved in the campaign?
   
   
6. Find a case study. Find ex–smokers who are willing to talk to the press about giving up. How about getting a quitter to quit on the day? The press will be interested in stories with an emotive element.
   
   
7. Identify local media and contacts. Think about what local papers, websites, TV and radio you use, and search online to identify what outlets exist. You should also include small local publications like parish or community newsletters.
   
   Larger outlets may have dedicated reporters for health, or features so you could contact them directly. Smaller ones may not so ask to speak to the news editor and be prepared to sum up your activity succinctly. We can help with contact details for local media too if you email your name, organisation and the town or area you wish to target to mail@nosmokingday.org.uk
   
   
8. Don't forget your website and social media. Getting a short story up on your own website and/or intranet is a great way to let clients and staff know about your activity, so speak to your web editor or internal communications manager to find out how to do this.
   
   Facebook and Twitter are as much a part of the news landscape nowadays as The Times and the BBC and they're another great way to reaching smokers. It's easy to set up accounts if you don't have them already and you can read our Facebook and Twitter guides for more information. We'll be posting Facebook messages and tweets from No Smoking Day HQ so why not join in the conversation and tell us what you're up to.

Finally, if you want some more detailed help with press and promotional work download our PR guide

How to Set Up a Facebook Account

• Start at the homepage. When you go to Facebook.com, you see a screen that asks you to login or sign up for a free account. Click on "Sign Up", which takes you to a Web form.
• Fill out the form that asks for your full name, your current status, email address, a password and your birthday. You'll also have to type in a series of letters and numbers for a security check as well as check a box saying that you understand and agree to the terms of use and privacy policy. Click the "Sign up now!" button when you have completed the form.
• Wait for your confirmation email. Facebook sends this email to confirm your registration. When you get the email, click on the link in the email to confirm that you did in fact register for a Facebook account. You will then be logged into Facebook.
• Search for friends and coworkers. When you first set up a Facebook account, you have the opportunity to search your email address book for possible friends and contacts. Type in your email address and password to do a search, or try searching by school or company.

Twitter

• Go to https://twitter.com/signup. This will take you to the main signup page.
• Try to use your real name, you increase your relevancy and familiarity with your followers.
• Next, you will be asked to select a username. Try to pick something that describes you – such as Barnstaple Stop Smoking Service, whether it's a nickname, an interest or a hobby. This will be the name your followers use when sending @replies, direct messages, or Retweets.

Finding Sources That Interest You

Because Twitter is more useful and fun when you're getting regular updates relevant to your interests, it is a good idea to select some of your interests from the left–hand side of the screen. This helps Twitter suggest accounts you might like to follow. Each time you select an interest, a list of suggested users is generated. Clicking the 'follow' button next to a user's name will add them to the list of users you are following. This is indicated by the number in the green square above the list.

Tip: Create a 'following' list that's as varied as your interests. After you've followed users suggested in one area of interest, select another and find more sources to follow! When finished, click the blue 'Next: friends' button in the lower right hand side of your screen.

With any campaign, it is really important to measure how successful it was, what lessons you learnt, how you would improve next year and how many smokers you helped to quit.

Here are some tips on how to evaluate your campaign:

Follow–up

• Before you've gone out to your event, make sure that you have a way to record information about the people you meet.
• Whether just counting the numbers you see or contact information for smokers so you can contact them in the future – you will need to create a form.
• Make sure all your staff/volunteers have forms that they can fill in, contact information from smokers who are thinking about setting a quit date.
• Make sure you contact everyone within the week of the event otherwise smokers might forget that they wanted to quit.
• Try giving out appointments to the stop smoking service for the same week because at least then smokers will have a date to work towards.

Evaluation

The focus of your evaluation will depend on the audience – perhaps your funders, colleagues, partners or participants. It should cover; aims and objectives, key successes, challenges and what you would improve to more effectively reach your target audience.

A meaningful report might include:

1. Planning
   • What were the aims and objectives? Make sure they are measureable.
   • What activities did you plan?
   • Was the timetable realistic? Did you have to make any alterations?
   • What were the views of those involved?
2. People involved
   • Who did you aim to work with?
   • Who worked with you?
   • What function did they fulfill?
   • Get their feedback after the event, how did it go for them?
3. The event
   • Did you find the right venue to reach your target group?
   • Did you have enough merchandise/freebies? What worked and what didn't?
   • Use photographs of the day to illustrate your evaluation.
   • Record media coverage generated, how many interviews did you give? How many media articles and did they feature your organisation or case studies?
4. Your target group
   • Who was your target group(s) and why?
   • How many did you reach? Did they give feedback on your event? Were they happy that you were there?
   • What information did you give out? How many people said they would quit? What are the follow–up results?

You may need to do some on–the–spot questionnaires to get feedback on your event or if possible make some follow–up calls.

Remember, No Smoking Day aims to raise awareness of support available for people who want to quit. So the support provided for smokers should not stop at the end of the day. Follow up with potential quitters.

If you produce an evaluation report, please send us a copy. We love to see what people are doing – without your activities there would be no campaign!

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