Postering

Advertising Part 2

The Art of postering can be fun and time consuming. But it is just one of the ways to let people know you have a show coming up. There are hundreds of posters going up each day, week, and month trying to get attention. The reality of posters is that they have a very short life. Often they get covered up quickly, or the weather damages them, or some one grabs it. It also takes people on average three to 10 viewings of a poster before your band name starts to sink in. Its that way with billboards and signs so don't feel to bad that it may take some time for people to catch on.

When out putting up your posters try not to cover over posters for other bands with up coming shows. You don't want to start any hard feelings before your even get started. Cover over older posters that have pasted there show dates. This way your not stepping on toes.

The typical poster size is 11X 14 inches, usually printed in one colour. You can use coloured paper to help get attention. The art work should be simple, information should be easy to read and simply to the point.
All you need on the posters to cover the basics are:

• Band name
• Location
• Date
• Time
• Other bands that are playing with you
• Ticket price or cover charge
• Your Web Site address

Simple and too the point is all you need. Adding your web site is always good incase some one wants to find out more information about the show or your band.

Now the tools you will need to have for this job:

• Staple Gun
• Staples
• Packing tape
• Small knife

Armed with a stack of posters and these tools is about all you need to get the job done and your posters up.
Look for places you can safely hang you art work. A lot of cities have spots for doing this in the trendy areas of town or around universities and collages. Always look for places that have postes already hanging, you dont want to end up getting a fine for postering where you shouldn't.
Also hit up places for window space. Places like book stores, coffee shops, record stores, maybe even the local liquor store. There are hundreds of places one can hang posters and drop off a stack of hand bills at. Always ask, the worst you can do is get told no. The shop next door might let you. So, think creatively and you might run out of posters faster then you can cover all the places on your list.