Name___________________________________
Date____________________
Public Service Announcement Planning
Brainstorm and Research (10 POINTS)
Storyboard (10 POINTS)
Topic of your PSA:___________________________________________________________
Subcategories of your topic:
1.______________________
2.__________________________
3.______________________
4.__________________________
(When planning your PSA, organizing the categories of facts, statistics, statements, and opinions
that you collect on your primary issue into subcategories lends structure to your final PSA. For
example, if your primary issue is poverty, the content you collect might be organized into
categories related to poverty such as countries known to have poverty like Africa. Your content
might also be organized into categories by different indicators of poverty--average salaries,
levels of education, access to technology and number of hours worked.)
In one sentence summarize the main idea and purpose you’re hoping to communicate in your
PSA:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
(Thinking through the primary purpose for your PSA early will help you to make important
decisions about the facts, fonts, images and music to include in your final PSA. Here is an
example: “After watching my PSA, I want viewers to know that life is very different in
undeveloped countries compared to the United States and people need to take action to
help those in need.”
Name___________________________________
Date____________________
What emotions do you want to communicate in your PSA?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Why do these emotions make sense for your PSA?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How will you communicate these emotions to make your PSA persuasive?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
(Every PSA is designed to persuade viewers to take action on an issue of importance. As a result,
every PSA must attempt to make viewers feel specific emotions.)
Planning your catchphrase
One of the ways you can make a persuasive PSA to influence your viewers is by repeating short,
memorable catchphrases throughout the PSA. Influential catchphrases will reinforce the main
idea and emotion that your PSA is trying to convey. Create a catchphrase that will convince
viewers to take action.
Use the following table to create your catchphrase for your PSA:
Main idea of your PSA:
Example: Poverty is an issue
we should all care about.
Your main idea:
Emotions you’re trying to
convey:
Catchphrase Examples:
Sadness, shock, amazement
Poverty’s Real. You can help.
Your emotions:
Your catchphrases:
Someone’s Starving.
Name___________________________________
Date____________________
Gathering Research
The most critical elements in any PSA are the facts, statistics, opinions and quotations that you
choose to share with viewers. Without convincing content, you will never be able to convince
viewers to feel the same way that you do about your topic.
Use the table to collect content for your PSA. Remember to find content from each of the
subcategories that you identified earlier.
Type of Content
Examples
Your Content
Facts/ Statistics:
When collecting facts and
statistics, consider making
comparisons or cause-andeffect statements.
While 98% of people in the
United States have access to
education and technology,
only 21% of the people in
Africa have access to these
resources. (comparison)
Remember to record the
source for all statistics that
you gather so that your
viewers can check your
presentation for accuracy.
Website addresses:
Name___________________________________
Date____________________
Opinion Statements:
All PSA’s are designed to be
persuasive. Persuasion
requires you to share your
opinions. Be sure to use words
and phrases connected to the
emotion that you are trying to
communicate
Poverty is devastating
countries, destroying families,
and leaving children to fail.
Website addresses:
Quotations:
Quotations from recognized
experts, celebrities, athletes, or
the people closest to your
issue can make your PSA
persuasive.
The world is very different
now. For man holds in his
mortal hands the power to
abolish all forms of human
poverty, and all forms of
human life.
John F. Kennedy
Website addresses:
Selecting Images: Since PSA’s share a lot of information in a short period of time, including
images that communicate powerful emotions and ideas is essential. Quality images can catch a
viewers’ attention and tell a story all at once. Use Google and save your image to your H drive.
Some image ideas may show the problems, cause and effect, solutions and or examples of
organizations for your main idea. Fill out the table below for your PSA:
Name___________________________________
Title of Image:
Example: A lady with
an umbrella
Short description of
why you are using the
image:
Date____________________
URL of image:
Website is not google.com
The picture shows an old http://www.flickr.com/photos/sukanto
Japanese homeless
woman. It is an example
of the solemn emotion I
want to portray.
Name___________________________________
Date____________________
Selecting Video Clips:
Since your PSA might need to show more evidence to persuade your viewer, videos are used
to communicate powerful emotions and ideas too.
You will conduct a keyword search using Youtube.com to find videos to reinforce your main
idea and engage your audience. Some video clips may show the problems, cause and effect,
solutions and or examples of organizations for your main idea.
Directions to download videos:
Find video on Youtube.com
Open another browser and go to keepvid.com
Copy the youtube address of your video and paste onto keepvid.com
Click download (on right)
When ready choose from the list below- download MP4
Save to H drive (rename video if necessary)
Title of video:
(write the title of the actual
video on youtube)
Example: Poverty in Africa
Short description of why
you are using the video
clip:
Short description of how
the video clip portrays the
emotions you are trying to
convey:
The video shows people who
are in need of food and water
to survive. This shows an
example of the problem.
It shows how scared, sad and
hopeless people are and they
need our help. It will make
viewers feel guilty and want
to help.
Name___________________________________
Date____________________
Selecting Music:
Like images and videos, the music that you choose to include in your PSA can communicate
powerful emotions and ideas to your viewers. If you carefully select a quality song, you can
reinforce the main idea of your PSA and engage your audience at the same time.
Use youtube.com to find music and keepvid.com to download and save to your H drive. Use the
directions for downloading a video but when choosing the download format choose MP3 for a
song Then click Run and download MP3. Use the table below to identify two or three songs
that may work for your PSA:
Title of song and band:
(Take from youtube.com)
Example: Fix You by Cold
Play
Short description of how the
Short description of the
song will work with your main emotions you want this song
idea:
to communicate:
This song shows how even
though you may feel broken
inside, you can be fixed.
Sadness and hope because
someone will lead you home
again and you will succeed.
Name___________________________________
Date____________________