Cohousing-L Mailing List: re: publicizing cohousing

[Joani Blank (joani]

My advice about publicizing cohousing:

1. Do not hire a public relations consultant.  That is similar to engaging
a real estate agent to sell the units in your projected community--another
bad idea IMHO. 

2. Recruiting, marketing, teaching your little worlds about cohousing is
the piece of the community's development that the members of your group can
do best.  Your personal enthusiasms about your project, and your welcoming
attitude are all the PR you need. 

3. For specific PR ideas that don't cost an arm or a leg, first be sure
you've used well the talent that is in your hardy little core group. Then
find ways to use the experience of other cohousers, this listserv, the
Journal and other materials from the Cohousing Network, and turn all that
info into doing it your own way. 

4. The cohousing professionals you are already working with (I know you
are) are as savvy about PR as they are about all the other aspects of
development, so do use them! 

Joani (Old Oakland Cohousing)