Live gigs are pretty much essential in getting people to notice your band, and a key factor in how successful a gig will be is the promotion work you put in leading up to the event.

Posters and fliers, whether distributed offline (in the town, in pubs etc) or online (on your website, on Facebook invites etc), are a key promotional tool.

The idea is to create a flier that works: clear, informative and easy to read text, with interesting and eye-catching graphics.

Here are my top ten tips…

1. Spend some time planning the wording. Make sure you highlight the selling points of the gig e.g. is there anything special about the lineup or venue?
2. Think about the information fans and gig goers are seeking from your flyer e.g. venue address, start time, admittance.
3. People love the word FREE, so if you’re not charging for the gig, make sure it’s very clear!
4. Create some alternative posters/fliers/banners. Don’t stick with the same old design every time – mix it up and get attention.
5. Design your flier to A6 (102mm x 152mm), postcard size fliers as these are easy & cheap to print. You can fit four A6 fliers on an A4.
6. Don’t leave the design work until the last minute. Planning, creation, print and publicity is the order to work to.
7. Avoid common design mistakes that make the flier too busy e.g. using to many different fonts, sizes or colours.
8. Speeling mattrs. Keep proofing your work, then check it again. Once it’s printed, there’s no going back.
9. Get a good, reliable printer. Your hard work will be wasted if it’s still sititng in the print queue come gig day.
10. Get your work out there. It doesn’t matter how well designed it is if people don’t see it so hit the streets (and the net). Carry fliers with you to hand out to everyone you know and change your social media profile pics to reflect your latest promo.

Of course, if you’re not the designing type, it’s far easier to get a professional graphic designer to do the work for you leaving you free to shout about your gig and get the word out about your music. Get in touch with me about your project and get committed to creativity!