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60 mins
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KA3 Workshop Part 1: Designing the Promotional Document

Plan a promotional document by defining your audience, where they will see it, key message and required content. Study four main promo style patterns with callouts (plus an optional thumbnail pack) and one worked plan, then complete your KA3 Plan for the Something Real project.

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    1 - Introduction ~5 mins

    {{img:img_promo_poster_concept}}

    Warm-up (about 30 seconds)

    Write one line naming your Something Real (product, event, service, or Work Experience / placement task). If you do not have one yet, pick a simple school or club example for today's plan only (for example a GAA fundraiser stall or a placement open evening). Keep that line beside you while you plan.

    Think of the last promo that made you stop: a club poster, an Instagram post, a shop flyer, a school screen. What made you pause for even two seconds? Hold that answer while you plan your own piece.

    Welcome

    Today you design the plan only for a promotional piece: who it is for, where they will see it, what it must say, and which format fits your Something Real project.

    ICT2 KA3 asks for a promotional document that mixes graphics, text and images. It can be a poster, flyer, carousel, thumbnail pack or digital display. It does not lock you into one app or one paper size.

    If you have no Project Portfolio open yet, your teacher will get you into it before the build.

    Important: This plan supports ICT2 KA3. The promotional piece you build in the next lessons is the KA3 evidence. Today you only save {{code:08_ka3_plan_v1}} as planning evidence in your portfolio.

    By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

    • Explain that ICT2 KA3 can be a poster, flyer, carousel, thumbnail pack or digital display, as long as it mixes graphics, text and images
    • Define audience, where people will see it, key message and required content
    • Study four main promo style patterns with callouts, plus an optional thumbnail pack, and one worked plan
    • Complete a KA3 Plan page for your Something Real promo

    2 - Key Concepts ~6 mins

    KA3 is about communication with a real audience. Get the plan right and the build in the next lessons becomes much easier.

    ConceptWhy it mattersExample
    KA3 format is flexible — any display piece that mixes graphics, text and at least one image can count You pick the place your audience already looks, as long as the mix is still there A club Instagram carousel, an A4 clubhouse poster, a school-screen slide, or a Centra counter flyer
    Audience and place — who should act, and where they already look A strong design aimed at the wrong people, or stuck in the wrong place, does no work Parents at a GAA fundraiser see the clubhouse board and club WhatsApp, not a LinkedIn carousel
    Key message — one clear sentence a stranger grasps in seconds Promo pieces are scanned, not studied; clutter kills the action you want "Custom club stickers and cases: stall open Sat 11–2 beside the tea hatch"
    Must-haves — three things the piece cannot ship without They keep the build honest and protect the text + graphics + image mix 1) product photo 2) price band 3) where and when to buy
    Format choice — the container that matches audience and place Format follows audience; picking a trendy app is not a plan Club Instagram before match day → 3-frame carousel; parents in the corridor → A4 poster
    Key point

    Remember in one line: who, where, one sentence, three must-haves, one format.

    Pair share (about 20 seconds): turn to a partner and name one place your promo could actually appear.

    What "good enough to build" looks like

    • A strong KA3 Plan names a specific audience, one primary place, one key message, three must-haves, and one primary format.
    • Secondary formats can wait. Today you lock the decisions so the build has a job to do.

    3 - Study Styles and Walk a Sample KA3 Plan ~15 mins

    First read a full sample KA3 Plan, then glance at four main promo style patterns with short callouts (plus one optional extra). You are training your eye before you write your own plan.

    Worked example: Aoife's side hustle

    {{img:img_ka3_plan_sample}}

    Aoife sells custom phone cases and stickers tied to her local GAA club colours. She wants footfall at the club fundraiser stall this Saturday. Read her plan as a model for structure and sharpness, not as content to copy.

    Plan fieldAoife's answer
    Target audienceClub players, parents and volunteers aged roughly 14–50 who already follow the club online or attend home matches
    Where they will see itPrimary: club Instagram. Secondary later: one A4 poster on the clubhouse board
    Key messageCustom club cases and stickers at the fundraiser stall, Saturday 11–2 beside the tea hatch
    3 must-haves1) Real product photo on a phone 2) Price band (€8 stickers / €15 cases) 3) Stall time and place
    Chosen formatInstagram carousel (3 frames) as the KA3 primary piece
    Why this formatHer buyers already scroll the club Instagram before match days; a dense letter would never reach them
    Key point

    Notice what Aoife did not do: she did not pick five formats, she did not write a paragraph-long message, and she did not say "everyone who likes sport".

    Four main promo style patterns (quick callouts)

    {{img:img_promo_poster_concept}}

    1. Printed A4 poster (clubhouse or school noticeboard)

    • Big headline stops the walk-past
    • One strong photo; short body text
    • Time and place locked in a bold strip at the bottom

    {{img:img_promo_carousel_concept}}

    2. Instagram carousel (3–4 frames)

    • Frame 1: hook image + short line to stop the scroll
    • Frames 2–3: proof or detail (not a wall of text)
    • Final frame: only the action (when, where, how)

    {{img:img_promo_flyer_concept}}

    3. One-page flyer or leaflet (counter, kit bag, Work Experience venue)

    • Clear offer + one image
    • Contact or next step easy to find
    • Does not retell the whole project history

    {{img:img_promo_display_concept}}

    4. Digital display graphic (school screen or community page share)

    • Landscape or square, high contrast, few words
    • One image that reads from a distance
    • Not a dense Word page pasted onto a slide
    Tip

    Optional fifth: thumbnail pack — a small set of matching stills (for example event title card, product shot, time/place card) for a school app, Teams post, or social grid. Same text + graphics + image mix, just bite-sized. Only choose this if it clearly fits where your audience looks.

    4 - Common Issues ~4 mins

    Common Issues

    IssueSolution
    I wrote "everyone" or "people online" as my audience Name a real group you can picture (for example first-year apprentices at your placement, parents at under-14 training, regulars at a local café). Then name the place or app they already use.
    My key message is a whole paragraph Cut it to one sentence a stranger could read in about three seconds. Put extra detail into the must-haves, not the hook.
    I want a poster and a carousel and a flyer all as the main piece Pick one primary format for KA3. You can note a secondary surface, but the plan and the build should centre on one piece that mixes text, graphics and images.
    I am not sure my format still counts for KA3 Check the SEC mix: graphics + text + images, made for display. A carousel, poster, flyer, thumbnail pack or digital screen graphic all work if that mix is there.

    5 - Portfolio Build: KA3 Plan ~20 mins

    Portfolio build

    Your goal: Lock a sharp KA3 Plan for your Something Real project so the promotional piece you build next has a real audience, a real place to appear, and a message worth displaying.
    Time: ~20 minutes
    Task: Wait for your teacher to open or create {{code:08_promo}} with you, then follow the Word Online or Google Docs steps for your class. Create {{code:08_ka3_plan_v1}} inside that folder. Build a simple two-column table (or six short headings) and fill every field for your own project. Keep it tied to your Something Real line from the warm-up and to a place a real person would actually see it.

    Stuck on audience? Picture one person you would actually hand this to after training or at your placement — write for them first, not for the internet.

    Coach tip: First drafts of audience and message are often too broad — that is normal. Sharpen them before you worry about layout.

    Before you finish: compare your six answers to Aoife's table: same sharpness of audience, place and message, different project content.

    Success criteria:
    • Your plan names a specific audience and the place or app where they would actually see the piece
    • Your key message is one clear sentence a stranger could understand quickly
    • You list three must-haves, and at least one is an image or graphic you can source (portfolio file, phone photo, or simple hand-drawn price/time card)
    • {{code:08_ka3_plan_v1}} is saved in {{code:08_promo}} (Word Online keeps the .docx extension on that stem; Google Docs title is exactly {{code:08_ka3_plan_v1}}) and the chosen format matches where the audience will see it

    Copy these six fields into your document (table column 1, or as headings). Fill column 2 / the lines under each heading with your own answers:

    1. Target audience
    2. Where they will see it (platform / surface)
    3. Key message (one sentence)
    4. 3 must-haves
    5. Chosen format
    6. Why this format

    Sentence starters

    • Audience: "People who… at…" / "Parents and players who already…"
    • Key message: "[What] at [where], [when]…"
    • Why this format: "They already look at… so a … will reach them."

    Must-have ideas if you have no old files yet: a phone photo of the product or venue; a clear price or free/donate line; stall or event time and place; a contact line or QR you will add later; a simple club or school colour block as a graphic.

    Remember: Save {{code:08_ka3_plan_v1}} in {{code:08_promo}}. Your teacher banks this as planning evidence. The built promo in the next lessons is the KA3 piece.

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