To Flyer or not to Flyer

Posted Leave a commentPosted in Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Marketing, Promotion

That is the question

 

Yes, it’s tiring, emotionally draining, time consuming, environmentally unfriendly and you’ll probably get soaked to the bone due to the terrible and completely unpredictable nature of Scottish weather, but yes! To Flyer is always the answer!

 

The Arts Business have complied all the reasons you should flyer, the where’s, the when’s, the who’s, the what’s and the how’s all of which will make your flyering the most effective and enjoyable it can be.

 

1.       Be Human – build up report, have a chat, some human interaction and conversation goes a long way.  You want to show off your personality, see if it matches.  If you’ve got some great banter with your flyeree chances are they will take a shot at your show.

 

2.       Never Flyer Alone – Always have a partner! Flyering can be exhausting and the constant rejection can really get to you so have someone in the trenches with you, someone who is going through the same thing, someone to rant to, someone who will be your comrade!

 

3.       Rope in the Family – no one is more on board with your show than blood relatives who will rave about you to unsuspecting flyerees! Chances are they are coming to see your show anyway and with crazy low budgets who doesn’t love a bit of free and passionate labour.

 

4.       Schedule Times – Protocol usually dictates that you should flyer in the two hours a day before your show as this will be the most effective time to draw in the punters.  Don’t over flyer: you have to keep up your flyer enthusiasm for the entire festival so better to have short but constructive bursts.

 

5.       Have Breaks – very few of us are resilient enough to flyer for 2 hours straight so start 15 minutes earlier and have that cheeky tea break in the middle where you can try to chat about anything but flyering!

 

6.       Mix it up – An entire month promoting the same thing day in day out can be boring so why not trade flyers with a company you know and trust for a day, they flyer you, you flyer them, it adds a little variety to what can otherwise become a tedious activity.

 

7.       Location, Location, Location – obviously the Royal Mile but you are guaranteed a load of competition so other areas to think about are Princes Street Gardens, Bristo Square, George Square and The Mound, especially the paved area by galleries where the Half Price Hut sits. This is filled to the brim with undecided audience members just looking for your suggestion.

 

8.       The Royal Mile – you have loads of competition here so make sure you stand out.  Another cheeky tip is to have a wander up and down in the morning and check out the pop-up stage performers for that day.  Any with a similar genre to you? Chances are those crowds who stop will also be interested in you and your show!

 

 

9.       Flyer at your Venue – basically the only place you don’t have to ask permission to flyer so get up and down their box office queue, find shows that are like yours and flyer at the beginning or end of your show! Take advantage of your space, chances are you’re paying enough for it.

 

10.   Flyer entries and exits – do your research into similar shows and ask if you can flyer either the start or end of their shows, maybe even ask them to leave flyers on chairs inside.  Remember in queues there are bound to be paying customers just looking for their next show and if it’s a similar genre to yours chances are the audience will be interested.

 

11.   Find your Audience – Take the gamble out of flyering by finding out where your Target Audience hang out.  Are you a magic show for kids? Try mummy and me clubs or creches.  LGBTQ+ Comic? Look into the gay bars and clubs of the city.

 

12.   Have a Gimmick – something that makes you stand out in the crowds, wear your costume, create a photo opportunity, carry around that puppet, give out free condoms: draw attention to you!  Think outside the box and have fun with it.

 

13.   To hire or not to hire – street teams can be pricey, but they are also time saving.  Their pros are that they know the distribution channels and the city better than you do but remember they don’t know your show as well as you and your crew!  Just do your research and figure out if the money for time trade-off is worth it.

 

14.   5 second performance – think of it like a micro show, hook them in with a fun 5 seconds, then make a plan for the next 5, then the next 5 and the next.  Reel them in and keep them hooked!  If they like you then they will most probably like to see your show.  And don’t be afraid to practice before you flyer!

 

15.   Don’t force it – sure offer a flyer out but don’t force it into their hands, let the flyeree take it from you.  If they show genuine interest in you they are way more likely to come and see you, remember one flyer gently given is better than 10 thrust into uncaring hands.  It’s more environmentally friendly to!

 

16.   Nail your Exit Line – Don’t let the goodbye be awkward, like a farewell after a one night stand it is better to be confident not weird.  So, come up with a killer one liner which will make them remember you when they’re looking for they’re next show to see.

 

17.   Stay Positive – I know this is easier said than done but at the end of the day flyering makes up a big part of everyone company’s fringe experience so you may as well have fun with it.  Remember, we’re all in the same boat so turn that frown upside-down and don’t let the haters bring you down!

 

 

Don’t worry about flyering! Be Happy!

 

 

Have you got any flyering tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments so we can add them in!