Shhhh…it’s a secret. For years, that was the mentality when it came to yearbook covers. But revealing the cover is a smart decision. Here’s why.
One of the most exciting things about yearbook is seeing the cover for the first time. All the brainstorming and ideas have finally come together in a tangible product that looks really cool. So, why do we often hide it from the world? It’s time to stop keeping that gorgeous design under cover.
Build excitement It’s a long school year. Students wait nine months to see the yearbook. Sneak peeks are a smart strategy to drum up excitement for the book. The cover is the perfect opportunity for a small reveal that has a big impact. Impress your audience by showcasing the theme and cool colors, graphics and overall look.
Increase sales Sharing the cover can build excitement and sales. Use the cover reveal as a chance to sell more books. Consider revealing your cover early in the year to increase the sales opportunities. Feature it often in email, social media and school promotions.
Deer Valley High School showcases the theme throughout the year, with staff T-shirts and business cards. Both feature the design of the cover, with the business cards providing sales information and important dates on the back.
Have fun with the reveal There are plenty of ways to unveil the cover. T-shirts showcasing the book’s color, theme and fonts are easy ways to market the book all year long. Staffs at Little Rock Central High School, Deer Valley High School and Prairie Trail Junior High School create a new T-shirt each year that mimics the cover’s look.
Each year, Prairie Trail Junior High School creates a staff T-shirt that showcases the yearbook theme.
Utilizing social media is another way to share the cover. Rock Canyon High School showcased the two cover options for the 2018 yearbook on Twitter and Instagram. Brenham High School keeps an active Twitter account, revealing their cover and other important sales and deadline information.
Bedford Junior High School’s tradition is to reveal the cover at the ninth grade awards ceremony with the editors presenting the theme and concept. “There are always oohs and aaahs,” adviser Susannah Keneda said. In California, San Elijo Middle School turns the reveal into a big lunchtime event. They play music, pass out goodies and showcase the past books for students to look at. This year, they included an additional thematic giveaway, handing out custom stickers of the sunglasses on the cover.
As part of their cover reveal tradition, San Elijo Middle School has a countdown and shoots off confetti poppers.
Another growing trend is a cover reveal video. Glacier Peak High School has been creating a video for years, featuring moments from the year, culminating with the book’s spine and front lid. They share the video at a celebration of arts assembly a few weeks before distribution, and then post it on their newspaper’s website and social media sites. Other schools, like Coffee County High School, Leander High School, Bridgeland High School and Kraemer Middle School have been sharing their own cover reveal videos.
