Please submit the candidate publicity tools to: returningofficer@uhi.ac.uk

 

The following table lists the candidate publicity tools you’re recommended to submit, where to submit them, and a description of what they are. 

 

If you have any questions, please email returningofficer@uhi.ac.uk.

 

Publicity Tool	Description
Manifesto	Your manifesto is your pitch to voters about why they should vote for you. The word limit is 150 words. The manifesto template is available here for you to use.
1 Minute Video	The video is your visual pitch to voters. It goes further than your manifesto; and allows you to express your character and enthusiasm for the things you want to achieve as a candidate. You should submit this with a YouTube embed link.
Poster	This is an opportunity for you to use to display who you are, your photo, and the role you are going for in one clear visual. If you wish to use the template poster rather than create your own, please use the template request form here. A poster will then be create for you. You will need to submit a photo and a 50-word summary of your manifesto.

 

Campaigning Techniques

Priorities

The first lesson every candidate should learn is that you are only 1 person. You can’t be everywhere at once, (especially as a Regional Officer candidate), and therefore need to manage your campaigning accordingly.  Remember you are also a human, who needs to eat well, sleep well and to drink plenty of water. Mental and physical health are important. You are also a student. Meeting any deadlines, and attending classes, even if doing so remotely, is also important.

 

Campaigning with a team

Having a team of people to help campaign with you can be a great help.  Think about who can vote for you, and how you can build a network of connections that can maximise the chances that your message can reach as many students as possible. You may assign them roles to help, such as: Campaign Manager, Social Media Co-ordinator, Poster Designer, Turnout Dashboard Monitor.

 

Think About Who Can Vote for You

From the data that you have, who are the people that would be most likely to vote for you?  What are the issues that are likely to affect them? Where can you find them? How can you connect yourself to them? Can you categorise voters into groups? How can you tailor your message to suit each group?

 

• Have clear objectives and goals. Consider allocating your budget to advertising on social media. Deliver your message clearly, educate students about the issue you’re raising, and help students to feel empowered to take action by voting. Have a clear message that you want to convey when you have conversations with small groups of students as well as when speaking to a wider audience.

• Adjust how you engage with different students, matching their interests with your pledges to improve student life. 

• Be authentic, people usually see through any false “persona”.  Test your messaging with your classmates and friends, to help you feel confident. Don’t be afraid to differentiate yourself from other candidates. You don’t have to be everything for everyone (and no-one expects you to be).  Focus on positive aspects of your ideas.

• Negative campaigning does not work – if your campaign focuses on being negative towards other candidates, this will have the effect of having potential voters look negatively upon yourself.

• Use online tools such as Google docs, sheets, Trello, messenger, etc. to manage your campaign effectively.

• Use visuals that stand out when campaigning eg: t-shirts, backgrounds, etc.

 

Strategy Ideas

• Fill out the Class Shout-Outs request form. When doing Class Shout outs, be polite and keep your pitch on point. Read the room and be prepared to adapt your content for the audience in front of you.
• Speak to as many societies as possible. Go to their virtual socials and their meetings, either to give a pitch or to socialise and give their members confidence in you. A personal touch is helpful to gathering support.
• Are there demographics of students that would appreciate your campaign publications (Eg. Digital, social posts, flyers, poster, etc.) in their own language?

 

Promotional Videos

A great idea to spread your message is to film a short video about your candidacy. You could do a short piece to camera using your phone, or film a creative short item advertising why people should vote for you.  Videos are very effective campaign tools as you can reach more people than what you might reach face-to-face. Once you record your video, use social media channels to share to as many voters as possible.

 

Campaigning Budget

To help you run your campaign and reach as many students as possible, each candidate will receive a campaign budget. You are entitled to spend the campaign budget on campaign materials.

 

Role	Budget
President Vice-President Further Education Vice-President Higher Education	£60
Perth President Perth Vice-President Activities and Welfare Perth Vice-President Education and Engagement Inverness President Inverness Vice-President Activities and Welfare Inverness Vice-President Education Moray Depute President Activities and Welfare Moray Depute President Education Depute President Argyll Depute President HTC Depute President Lews Castle Depute President North Highland Depute President Orkney Depute President SAMS Depute President Shetland Islands Depute President West Highland	£35