Promoting your library’s events and services is essential to helping you reach more of your community. Whether you’re promoting services like Libby and Kanopy or upcoming events like author talks, the following five strategies will help you effectively reach your target audiences.

#1 Print Media

Not everything has to be digital! Traditional print media like flyers, handouts, bookmarks, and direct mail remain a powerful way to promote. Consider your:

  • Design – make it clean, readable, branded, and eye-catching.
  • Location – display inside the library, at community hotspots, or via direct mail.
  • Call to action (CTA) – encourage people to visit the library, attend an event, or check out an online resource.
  • Existing resources – Download free print-ready handouts and hangables from OverDrive’s Resource Center.
Examples of print materials
(Left) Morris Area Public Library in IL promoted the Fiction and Film Tour in their newsletter as it made a stop at its library. (Middle, Right, and Bottom) Flyers promoting Libby, Kanopy, and Kanopy Kids can be found on OverDrive’s Resource Center.

#2 Email

A well-crafted email lets you communicate directly with your audience, builds your brand, and puts your events and services directly in front of the people who care most. To get started, consider your:

  • Email type – event announcement, resources and services, or newsletter.
  • Process – build your email list, include clear messaging, and determine frequency.
  • Content – highlight a specific librarian each month, curate collections around holidays and themes, invite participants to book clubs, etc.

(Left) Akron-Summit County Public Library in OH used Kanopy’s “Black History Month” digital asset from OverDrive’s Resource Center to promote Kanopy in their newsletter. (Right) Los Angeles Public Library in CA featured digital services Libby and Kanopy in their newsletter.

#3 Public Relations (PR)

Local media and strong community partnerships can be great allies in spreading the word about your library. Strengthen your PR efforts with:

  • Strong community partnerships – partner with local organizations, work with local bookstores and authors, or engage with cultural institutions like museums and historical societies.
  • A media outreach plan – send press releases, maintain a media contact list, and offer expert commentary.
  • Monitoring – track media mentions and engagement, adjust messaging based on feedback.

Christchurch City Libraries in NZ put out a press release after joining OverDrive’s Million Checkout Club and included quotes from the Head of Libraries and Information.

#4 Digital Programming

Bringing your digital collection into physical programming and vice versa increases your reach and awareness of services for your community. Think about how you can:

  • Incorporate digital services in your branch programming – Organize a Kanopy movie night, deliver an ebook and audiobook training, or use services like Craftsy during an art program.
  • Leverage your digital services to promote library initiatives and events – Feature a title, event, or donation campaign in the Libby app, share your library’s voice with shelf talkers, or spotlight extra learning and entertainment resources like Kanopy.

(Left) Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library in CA used exercise videos on Kanopy to a host quarterly “Get Fit While You Sit” event at a local senior center. (Right) Nicholson Memorial Library System in TX leveraged the featured title campaign in Libby to promote the citywide event “One Book, One Garland.”

#5 Social Promotion

Your community is online—meet them where they are! Use social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, and YouTube to highlight key parts of your library and spark conversations. Try these tactics:

  • Set clear goals – promote library resources, special events, programs, and partnerships with local organizations, businesses, and patrons.
  • Track key metrics – look at engagement, reach, traffic, and follower growth.
  • Add video into content strategy – short-form videos (<1 min.) have highest engagement on Instagram and TikTok while longer-form content (>5 min.) performs well on YouTube.
  • Remember content pillars across platforms – humor, nostalgia, library love, and trending/topical/holiday.

Huron Public Library in OH shared this digital asset from OverDrive’s Resource Center on their Facebook page.

Bonus

Check Out Your Library is a marketing movement created by OverDrive to support your library services. It’s more than promoting Libby and Kanopy; rather it is designed to promote everything your library has to offer. From ALL your digital services to your library of things like hot spots, AI equipment, fishing poles, whatever services your library provides, use the Check Out Your Library marketing movement to spread the word. Access ready to use digital assets, print materials, and programming ideas on OverDrive’s Resource Center!

Everett Public Library in WA shared the ”Customizable Ditch the Subscriptions” digital asset on their social media.

Learn More

Connecting with your community works best when you use multiple channels and asset types. By implementing these five tips, you can boost awareness of and engagement with your library, increasing library usage and return on investment.

Want to dive deeper? Our eLearning module Marketing Made Easy: Top Tips to Engage Your Community expands on each of these strategies, offering practical insights and library examples to help you maximize your impact. We’d also love to hear from you! Email us at librarymarketing@overdrive.com with examples of how you’re using OverDrive marketing materials to engage your community.