We’ve gathered answers to the most common questions from our Summer Camp Guide advertisers below. If you don’t see what you need, email ads@510families.com. If you’re ready to submit your listing, here’s the form.
Here is a link to the Camp Guide. Sponsors have their names linked, all their details such as hours, prices, and location listed, and a logo (also linked to their website) displayed in their listing.
To be included in our January 29 launch, please complete the following by the dates below:
- Submit your Camp Guide form by January 9
- Upload a 150 × 150 logo
- Ensure your website is fully updated with 2026 camp details by January 20
For new advertisers, prepayment is required by January 23 to secure your placement. Meeting these milestones ensures your camp is featured when families are most actively planning.
We organize the guide so that families see our top advertising partners first. Camps are listed by package level, so those in the Platinum package appear at the top of the page, followed by Gold, and so on. Within each tier, placement is determined by the date the package was purchased.
In short: the higher the package, the higher the visibility — and upgrading your placement is the most effective way to make sure families see your camp early and often.
Great question — discount codes are a smart way to stand out.
Your code will be:
- Included directly in your Camp Guide listing
- Featured in relevant camp round-up articles
- Highlighted in two dedicated camp-focused email newsletters during the season
Families actively searching for camps pay close attention to these offers, especially during peak decision-making months.
Your website doesn’t need to be fancy — it just needs to be clear, current, and easy to use, especially for busy parents making quick decisions.
Here’s what makes the biggest difference:
Think “phone first.”
Most parents visiting 510Families.com (about 75%) are on their phones. The best test is simple: pull up your website on your own phone and see how it feels. Can you read the text without zooming? Do buttons work easily? Clear, recent photos help parents picture their child at camp and build trust quickly — they’ll also serve you all season long on social media and emails.
Make the basics impossible to miss.
Parents are usually looking for five things right away:
Where is the camp? When does it run? What ages is it for? How much does it cost? How do I sign up?
If they can’t find those answers in a few clicks, they may move on. A great test is to ask a friend or neighbor to find that information and tell you how easy (or hard) it was.
Offer online registration whenever possible.
Requiring printed forms, PDFs, or mailed checks creates friction for modern families. Online registration saves parents time — and often saves camps time too, with automatic rosters, fewer emails, and less paperwork. Even better, if you can show when sessions are full or offer a waitlist. A registration platform like Sawyer or Activity Hero can host your registration if you don’t have the technical capacity in-house.
Update your site early — even if details aren’t final.
Many families start researching camps in January. It’s better to say “Details coming soon” than to leave last year’s dates or prices up, which can cause confusion and lost interest.
Clearly explain your refund policy.
Parents appreciate knowing what to expect upfront. A short, clear refund or cancellation policy builds confidence and reduces follow-up questions later.
The $25 Early Bird discount for advertisers only applies if the camp submission form is received by 1/9 and the invoice is paid by 1/28.
If you’re not ready, no worries. We make updates to the Camp Guide every Wednesday starting 2/11. Your camp can be added within a week of submitting your information. Note that all new customers are required to prepay before being added to the camp guide.
In short, yes. You can purchase additional media with 510families throughout the season, and your listing placement will be adjusted if necessary. We make updates to the guide weekly. This means if you started with a Basic Listing for $350 and then come back and spend $300 more on any aspect of camp advertising, your camp will be moved above the Basic listings within the Bronze listings. Note that our 10% discount for additional newsletter and sidebar space can only be applied at the time of the initial invoicing.
We’d recommend purchasing four “Camps With Openings” text links in our weekly newsletter. Text link ads MUST be used for camps while the Camp Guide is active, between 1/30/26-8/7/26. Select four Fridays to be featured in the newsletter and submit a brief text ad with 30 words or fewer, along with a relevant URL that we can link to.
We recommend purchasing a Basic listing in the camp guide and adding on a newsletter ad (our email list is 23,000) or four “Camp with Openings” text links.
We wish there were a one-size-fits-all answer — but clicks vary widely based on a few important factors outside our direct control.
What we can tell you is that advertisers with strong brand recognition, clear messaging, and a frictionless sign-up process often receive hundreds of clicks over the course of the camp enrollment period. Smaller, newer, or more niche programs may see fewer clicks, especially if families are encountering the brand for the first time.
Our role is to put your camp in front of highly engaged East Bay families at the moment they’re actively researching options. From there, performance depends on things like:
- How familiar families are with your camp
- How clearly your offering is described
- How easy it is to take the next step on your website
We encourage you to use a trackable link so that you can learn more each summer about which of your advertising investments have the strongest returns.
Our website editor and social media creator may be looking for photos to go with stories about summer camp throughout the spring. If you contribute a photo, we would love to have it in our library to consider for future articles and newsletters (with credit, of course!). We prefer you upload them to your camp submission form. You can also email them to Carol@510families.com.
For best results, please upload a single horizontal photo of campers. The photos cannot have text overlays or words. Include caption and photo credit in the filename. (No animated files, please) Accepted file types: jpg, gif, or jpeg. Here’s an example.
You’re not the only one who would love to know! We don’t have that information. The analytics available from our website place readers in either Oakland or San Jose. The tracking is not granular enough to identify the difference between Lafayette and Oakland when it comes to web traffic, so we cannot offer a city-by-city percentage breakdown of our audience. What we can confidently share is that 510Families attracts a highly engaged, East Bay–focused audience because that’s exactly what we create content for.
Our editorial calendar, guides, and social coverage are intentionally centered on East Bay activities, schools, camps, events, and destinations. As a result, families who live in — or regularly spend time in — Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, and surrounding East Bay communities actively seek us out as a trusted local resource. We also naturally reach nearby families in Lamorinda, Walnut Creek, Marin, and other adjacent areas who are willing to travel to the East Bay for high-quality experiences.
Rather than a generic Bay Area audience, our strength is that we have committed to prioritizing families making decisions about East Bay programs.
For those who are sponsors in the Camp Guide (Basic level and above – $350) we have an Instagram add-on. Submit a vertical photo for us to share on an Instagram story with a link to your website and your Instagram handle showing. Followers can tap on your link or your Instagram. (If you don’t have an Instagram, no problem.) The photo must be an organic lifestyle photo, not an advertisement with text on it. We will label it as a “Camp of the Day”. Here’s an example.
There are eight “Camps with Openings” text links available in each Friday email newsletter. We recommend you save your spot as soon as possible, so you can be guaranteed your preferred weeks. We need your 30 words and a URL by end-of-day Wednesday before the newsletter goes out on Friday. You can use the same text link each week or change the copy. You can commit to four camps with openings throughout the camp season and still receive the price of 4 for $150. Text ads MUST be used for camps during the Summer Season between 1/30/26 – 8/7/26.
