Promoting your group

You've decided what kind of group you want to set up. You have some ideas about where you're going to meet. And who your members might be.

Now it's time to find them! On this page we look at ​recruiting through:

• Our website and local networks
• Social media
• Online networks
• Using posters and fliers

Our website and local networks

We want your group to thrive so you can now tell our MS community all about what you do on our Independent Groups listing page. 

Just email us at [email protected] with a brief description of your group and contact details for people to find out more - this can be a web or social media page, or just an email address.

We can also put you in touch with a local staff member who'd be happy to promote your group within their local networks.

Social media

If you want to use social media to promote your group there's a few options. We recommend you start with one at the beginning so you don't stretch yourself too thin. Think about where the people you want to reach are.

• Facebook page: A good option as it's public, accessible for everyone who has a Facebook account, and easy for new people to find. You can share update posts, news stories, photos, blogs and videos. If you'd prefer something private you can set up a Facebook group where you can change security settings. The biggest age group on Facebook in 2022 was people between 25 and 34.
• Twitter: This is a public channel for short posts and sharing links to your events, commenting on trending news, research news, and current affairs. The biggest age group on Twitter in 2022 was also people between 25 and 34.
• Instagram: A very visual platform, great for sharing shorter posts with an image or video. A good platform for making connections with other groups and make use of trending hashtags​. The largest age groups in 2022 were 18-24 and 25-34 on this platform. In all age groups up to 34 there were more men than women.
• YouTube: This is a channel for sharing and uploading videos. It's not so good for general chatting. The biggest user demographic on this channel in 2022 was aged 25-44.

​Explore our social media e-learning and toolkit​

Other online networks

MeetUp: MeetUp is a web site and an app. You can use it to set up your own group of interest (like a social group, walking group) on their site or search for one to join. It's free to use.

TikTok: A short-form mobile video app. TikTok is becoming the go-to app for connecting with communities of people. There is a strong community of people with MS on TikTok most of them celebrate their MS with humour and positivity​.

LinkedIn: The social network for job seekers, professionals, and businesses. People all over the world use it to build their network, find business contacts and connect with other professionals​​.

Using posters and fliers

Not everyone is online or comfortable with social media. To make sure you don't exclude anyone, it's best not to rely on social media alone.

When you're designing for print we recommend you choose one strong image and use large font so people can read it at a distance. Images that are light and bright with a positive feel work best.

Posters

Places you can ask permission to display posters include:

• your local support services or health professionals' waiting rooms
• community centres or leisure centres
• hospitals
• pharmacists
• health centres
• supermarkets
• your local shop
• your friends, families and group member's windows!

​Fliers

You can hand out flyers when crowds are leaving events or in the street. You can also ask your local stores, health centres, hospital or local nurse practice if they'll share them with patients.

Read our design tips

What's next?

We hope this page has helped you think about promoting your local group. Go back to the start page to explore next steps.