17 replies to this topic

[hexaclopsclopsclops]

Do people still pay attention to flyers up in record stores, music stores, whatever....? Do any of you think you get results from actually going around and putting up flyers? Lastly, where are some good places to put up some flyers to really get the word out....? THX!

[psykosteve]

I used to flyer over 100 locations just 5 years ago. Coffee shops, skate shops, tattoo shops everything. Now I just hit up the obvious places. I still do all the record stores and a few of the busier spots but now it is like 20 spots not 100.

I also am mostly doing national acts, for local acts that are less heard of I doubt it matters as much.


I also see it as a matter of the secondary effects. It is not just about getting a few extra people in the show it is about telling everyone else that you are working hard and out there. If your fan sees a poster they may be no more likely to go to that show, but they might be more likely to remember your around or acknowledge that you are active and doing neat stuff. Also it tells everyone else (like promoters, venues, press ect) that you are working hard.

[bob]

i pay attention to flyers. always have.

[Tony]

if somebody handed me a flyer for a show with a bunch of bands i'd never heard of i sincerely doubt that i would go. but if i kept seeing the same band on different flyers (or anywhere, for that matter) then their name gets stuck in my head and maybe i pay more attention to what they do.

so i sort of think of flyering as an investment. if you just do one round, it's worthless.

[TPStank]

AZPunk.com will accept your crappy flyer.

[jeremx]

i drop crappy (and awesome) fliers all over the valley for all kinds of people. in my opinion, posters are better. they're bigger and in a more prominent location in a retail outlet (unfortunately, good poster space is hard to come by) fliers get covered up, thrown away, etc. i end up having to do a mass cleanup every time i do a flier run. some locations are cool enough to have a place for fliers but it's not always a great location. or it's not very much room and everything is all squished together. having a flier wall was always pretty cool but a lot of places have resorted to using postcard racks and i just don't see people standing at those things spinning them around and picking out stuff they want to see. my suggestion would be to make a snazzy, eye catching flier that's clean and put it in places you know people who would be into your music/show/product/etc hang out.

and never throw away or cover someone else's product. if it's old, then it can be thrown out. but not before.

[eraser]

I still pay attention to flyers, but I think I'm in the minority.

I'm the type that will straighten up flyers (and toss the old ones) at random places just because I get annoyted (and have a little drop of OCD).

I agree with the thing said about posters. Though, as noted, space for them is kind of at a premium.

I think for single-event flyers to actually be effective they probably need to be out circulating about 4 to 6 weeks in advance of the event or show. That gives people a chance to see them in multiple places and, maybe, actually pick one up.

I think the biggest advantage of doing a flyer run is that you have a physical item on hand to give to people in person when you're talking about what you're up to. That's way more effective than just telling them about your upcoming show or relying on a MySpace bulletin or Facebook event page (though those can be helpful).

Also, I think it's pretty sweet if you do one gig and have flyers for your next show on hand. If you finish your set and people come up to you and tell you that they dug it, converse and then -- boom! -- hit 'em with a flyer.

I've seen this more in other cities: handing out flyers at the end of other / bigger shows.

The worst is people who flyer cars. Super ineffective.

[bob]

maybe in flagstaff, they're still more impactful because we don't have a shizz calendar on a silver platter, az punk. so the tiny downtown area is kind of a billboard/men's bathroom stall advertising what's happening. and i kind of thought posters were fliers, if they advertise an event, but i guess that's silly. my bad.

i love making flyers. i've come to hate putting them up. as i did last night. again. and more on wednesday.

[chadk]

i love good flyers / posters

but really most of the time when someone hands me a flyer i think they are saying "here, you throw this away"

[Jacki O.]

awesome flyers are the best
horrible flyers are the worst

[jeremx]

i don't have an artistic bone in my body but i love making fliers. maybe it's the instant gratification photoshop provides. i watched American Artifact: The Rise of American Rock Poster a week or two ago and kept waiting for it to end with something like "the death of the rock poster due to photoshop hacks ruining the craft." luckily, this never happened as i was sitting with friends of mine who are graphic artists and very talented. anyway, sometimes i think even a horrible poster/flier is awesome. i've made some pretty intentionally horrible fliers with pretty hilarious effects. i bet i can find a couple..

[johnmck6]

Back in the day we used to flyer everywhere when we promoted shows (Medical presents.)

As far as effectiveness, they can be, still, I think. But you have to figure out where your target market is and focus your efforts there. Putting up big posters at the venue, and handbills by the door there is a good combo, if your show isn't an odd ball show at that venue.

As far as brand-building, I agree that seeing a name a lot does pique my interest a bit, I may go check out their webpage if I see their name enough.

At the end of the day, though, it's about the band. You can put out a zillion cool flyers for a crappy band and it won't do much. Put out a handful of flyers for a great show, and the word will spread.

We used to have Frank Kozik do posters sometimes. Those were good times!

[JRC]

Back in the day we used to flyer everywhere when we promoted shows (Medical presents.)

As far as effectiveness, they can be, still, I think. But you have to figure out where your target market is and focus your efforts there. Putting up big posters at the venue, and handbills by the door there is a good combo, if your show isn't an odd ball show at that venue.

As far as brand-building, I agree that seeing a name a lot does pique my interest a bit, I may go check out their webpage if I see their name enough.

At the end of the day, though, it's about the band. You can put out a zillion cool flyers for a crappy band and it won't do much. Put out a handful of flyers for a great show, and the word will spread.

We used to have Frank Kozik do posters sometimes. Those were good times!

Jooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohn!

[badamson]

I still do it and still think it works, but you have to be creative. Places like Zia, Stinkweeds etc are absolutely overflowing with flyers now. It's hard to stand out, but then you don't want to seem like you're trying to stand out. I prefer to leave flyers in odd places besides just the standard stuff like Buffalo Exchange etc. And I always love the feeling you get when you see someone who looks cool and give them one. 99% of the time you know they just chuck it without looking at it...but it's sort like a reverse lottery ticket where there's a small chance you'll win a new fan.

[jeremx]

yeah... i think hitting demo-specific events is pretty key.