flyerYou spend a lot of time making music right?  Weeks, months or even years of practicing, and now it’s time for you to premier your hard work to the world! It is as important for you to book the show in the first place as it is for you to get people through the door.

Promotion can be tough, but think about it— you wouldn’t spend hours planning a party and neglect to invite anyone… would you? One of the best ways to promote your event is through a great show flyer!

Note: You don’t have to be a brilliant artist to create a noticeable and effective show flyer. Creating a flyer that will catch people’s attention and communicate the message is much easier than you think and (for those of you old school cats) you don’t even really need a computer!

1. Start by compiling the basic information about the event. Often times, you only have the reader’s attention for a quick second, whether it’s a glimpse of a phone pole or a flash on your MySpace page, so don’t overload them with unnecessary details. List the bands involved, the date, the location, the show time and the cover charge. It can’t hurt to add a few catchy statements about the event, i.e. drink specials, record give-aways, etc.

2. Come up with a logo or an illustration. The best flyer will have some visual pop to catch the eye. This part can be the most daunting to someone who doesn’t consider themselves an “artist” per se, but here are some suggestions:

a. Find someone with drawing skills that can create a freehand illustration to add personality to a flyer. Even hand-drawn letters stand out in this age of fonts and clip art.

b. Cut out an image from a magazine or book as a central element, but add  your own spin to it.

3. Create a layout and play with the order of the lettering and design. Make sure to keep the band names large and near the top.

4. When your flyer is perfect, glue the details in place and bring it down to a local printing shop. In most cases, you can create 50 black and white pole flyers (standard size is 11 x 17) for under $5!

5. If you are going the environmentally friendly route, use a scanner at the print shop and scan the image in. Once the image is scanned in you can upload it to your MySpace or Facebook page.

Do you have a creative concert poster you’d like to share?  Post a link to it on the comments section below!