General Tips
Social media is a great way to get the word out about your event. If your department has an active social media presence on Facebook, X, Instagram or another social media platform, talk to the person who manages those accounts and request that they promote the event there. Give them advance notice so that they have time to work the posts into their editorial schedule.
Social media is constantly evolving. Read about current recommendations and best practices using guides by companies like Sprout Social and Hubspot.
TIP: The Facebook and Instagram Story feature and Facebook Events are ideal for promoting events.
Popular PSU Hashtags
The following hashtags are often used on Instagram, but they can be used on any social media, including X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and more.
- #PortlandState
- #ProudViks
- #GoViks
- #uhrl (University Housing and Residential Life)
- #trsrc (Transfer and Returning Students Resource Center)
- #portlandstateuniversity
- #welcome2psu
- #remoteviks
- #PortlandStateAlumni
Facebook
Facebook Events
A Facebook Event is a feature that allows organizers to create a calendar-based page within the Facebook ecosystem with information about an in-person or virtual event, collect RSVPs, send out automatic reminders, share updates and allow attendees to post comments or questions. It’s also a useful way to reach potential audiences and attendees, as a supplement to your Syndicated event posting on the PSU website. To create an in-person Facebook Event, see Facebook’s step-by-step instructions.
A Facebook Live Event is similar to a regular Facebook Event, but for live-streamed events, and attendees view the livestream right on the event page. Learn more about best practices in the Hosting a Live Virtual Event section for more suggestions and instructions.
Instagram
Instagram Collaboration Feature
If you are hosting an event with another group/department on campus, or possibly have an exciting speaker or guest attending, consider using the collaboration feature on Instagram. You can now collaborate with up to 20 accounts. This will allow your post to show up on both your account, and theirs, thus expanding your reach and audience.
- When uploading your photo, hit “Tag People”
- Select “Invite Collaborator” (At present this function is only available on the mobile app version of Instagram, not the desktop version.)
- Search for their name or handle
- Hit “done”
- An invite will be sent to the collaborator’s account to approve. Once approved, the same post will appear on your both profiles.
Share Your Event in the PSU Team Instagram Group
There is a team of communicators on campus who are part of a PSU Team group chat in Instagram. Once you post an event to your own grid, share it with the group and encourage others to share in their Instagram Stories. Not only will this help get the word out, but sharing is a great form of engagement for your post and will increase the likelyhood your event (and future posts) will be seen by a larger audience.
- Once posted, click the paper airplane “share” icon in the bottom left of your post
- Use the search feature to find the PSU Team
- Click the circle to the right until it becomes a blue check mark
- At the bottom of the screen, write an optional message to the group
- Hit “Send”
If you are not part of the PSU Team group chat, send @portlandstate a DM to request an invite to join.
Hosting a Live Virtual Event (Facebook Live, YouTube Livestream)
Events can be livestreamed on social media through several major platforms. While Twitch — a site often associated with online gaming — is the most popular streaming site, for a general audience YouTube Live and Facebook Live are often the easiest to share on, as users are more familiar with them. Events on these platforms can be shared with non-users as well as with those who have accounts.
Keep in mind that the way to have a successful live event is to promote it ahead of time on your social media platforms, websites, marketing materials and emails, and invitations. Both YouTube and Facebook allow you to set up a live event page ahead of time so the link can be shared in your promotional materials.
To produce a YouTube Live event, see YouTube’s instructions on streaming live. Don’t forget to establish your YouTube channel and be sure it is verified at least 24 hours ahead of your streaming.
To produce a Facebook Live event, see the instructions found on Facebook’s website.
Tip: It’s always a good idea to do a practice live event beforehand. One suggestion is to do an unscheduled, short live event discussing or promoting your event to test your tools and accounts. This can be as simple as someone sitting in front of the camera and reminding users of the upcoming event. It allows you to see how a live event works before you try to do it for a large audience.