Syracuse Ska Forum

By all means, post flyers around town, but nothing beats hand-delivering them. Go to shows and hangout spots, introduce yourself, strike up a conversation. Nobody wants a flyer from some advertising shill; ask questions, start a conversation, make friends. Then you're not trying to sell somebody something. You're their friend, and you want to share something cool. (Besides, taping up flyers feels like work, and talking to people about an awesome band's upcoming show is way more fun.)

Think about foot traffic. Pick spots where people commonly walk through (or wait in line for clubs and concerts) Do you see skaters hanging around a particular area? Punks and rudies smoking outside a bar? Hit poles visible to a casual observer from that area (but try chatting people up first!)

Ask permission, especially when it comes to inside businesses, on their walls/bulletin boards/windows or near their entrances. Most people will say yes, but the minority in the negative will rip it down after you're gone.

For indoor postings, double-sided tape is your friend. It's fast to put up and easy to clear away.

Clear packing tape works well for outdoor stuff. A tape gun or dispenser speeds up the process immensely. Pull, stick, rip, repeat.

More thoughts after tomorrow's show.

Seeing how I've been flyering for almost 10 years now, I can give you some tips too, but those are good beginning insights.

Remember everyone, posted flyers are like mini-billboards. They only work if people passing by them notice something they care about. When I used to have more time, I did super basic flyers for cars and pedestrians (because artwork is a waste of space and visibility) and then detailed artwork for close-in viewing (like Sound Garden) or hand flyers.

Hand flyers are always the best way to go, absolutely. And talking up the show before handing them out is optimal.

Yeah, we'll cover more on this later.