How to Promote a Concert

You have a band and you've booked a gig. Now it is extremely important to promote your concert so people will know to come! Whether you are just starting out or have an established fan base, promotion is essential to success.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Delegate. Have friends or family members help with any transportation, calling or printing you need.
2. Budget your promotion funding wisely. Know what you can spend. If you can't afford a huge newspaper advertisement, that's alright. You are better off spending money on two or three smaller promotions than one large one.
3. Make fliers with your band's name and general concert information either on your computer or by hand. Use black type on colored paper, or colored type on white paper, for best results. A photo of your band and the type of music you play will also be helpful if you have not played the area much or at all. The more professional and readable the flier looks the better chance people will see it and pay attention.
4. Distribute fliers 4 to 6 weeks before your event. Ask local businesses, malls, coffee shops, music stores and bookstores if you can post a flier on a bulletin board or window. Find places your target audience might shop.
5. Post fliers at the concert location. The establishment may also be willing to put money towards posters or handout reminders at other concerts.
6. Contact local media 4 to 6 weeks in advance. College newspapers are always looking for entertainment news. Send a press release or call the entertainment editor and ask if there is an interest for a preview story or a concert review. Local newspapers, magazines, radio stations and television stations are all great places to send your information and ask for publicity. Many often have free advertisement sections for events happening around town.
7. Post concert information and song samples on your band's Internet sites. Websites such as MySpace have specific sections for musicians. The Internet is a great resource for concert promotion.

Tips & Warnings

• If your band has a website or MySpace page, add the web address to all your promotional materials.
• Make sure all basic information—venue, date, time, band information and ticket information—is present on all promotional materials.
• If you are posting fliers for your own band, stop and talk to people nearby. Let them know who you are and invite them personally to come see your show. Word of mouth spreads fast and is the best publicity.
• Take down posters and fliers once your show is over. Businesses will remember if you are courteous and allow you to post information in the future.