Being a fantastic musician is all well and good, but for a gig to be successful you must remember to promote it. It can be hard to know where to start when you have to design and distribute gig posters, so keep reading for 7 easy steps to help guide you through the process!
Step 1.
The first thing you want to do is decide on the general design you want to go for. You’ll need to take into consideration the type of gig and where it’s going to be hosted before deciding on a colour scheme, images and the typography. Because most posters are looked at from a distance, going for the font Sans Serif is a classic to ensure people can read the information, whilst still fitting in with the personality of the gig.
Step 2.
Once you know how you want the poster to look, design a prototype so you can see it in the flesh before committing to it. There’s nothing worse than ending up with a ton of posters you don’t want.
Step 3.
When you’re happy with the posters themselves, you need to decide how you want to print them. Using a digital duplicator machine is a good option if you’ve got a lot of posters to print and don’t want to waste the time or money heading to the local library and printing stacks of paper.
Step 4.
Now it’s time to think about how you’re going to distribute the posters you’ve printed. If your gig is a heavy metal or rock band, it’s unlikely you’re going to pin your posters up in care homes or cosy cafes. Instead, take some time to research where your target audience is likely to be located, and head there to pin your posters.
Step 5.
Don’t stop with just pinning posters up. Make sure you distribute posters by hand, too. People will be more likely to attend an event if they’ve met the person or people who are going to be performing, not to mention that this gives them an opportunity to confirm any details with you.
Step 6.
When you’ve distributed posters by hand it’s always a good idea to print some more and head back out. It might seem like an unnecessary step, but you’d be surprised at how much difference a day or two can make. For example, if you’re targeting young teens you’d want to head somewhere on the weekend when they’re more likely to be out and about, and so can receive a poster from you personally.
Step 7.
The final step is a classic – word of mouth marketing. Posters combined with the traditional word of mouth method of marketing are sure to guarantee you a full venue on the night of your gig. Remember, no publicity is bad publicity, so spread word of your event as much as possible.
Time to rehearse!
Now you’ve put in the work of designing and distributing your gig posters, it’s time to prepare for the event itself. With these tips you’re sure to have a full and lively crowd, so make sure you take the time to rehearse and properly prepare yourself for the experience.
