It may seem a simple premise, but posters are a key marketing tool that will lead audiences to your show; they need to be compelling, conspicuous and clear.
Check out our previous article on Marketing to get a clear understanding of marketing principles.
Keep It Simple
All too often, posters tend to be overly busy, with poor colour choices that make them hard to read. Use clearly contrasting colours and consistent fonts so you don’t distract from the message:
“Playing here, at this time, come along.”
See the bad example of a poster – it may seem obvious, but you do see posters like this. Here’s some useful tips:
- Use clear contrasting colours
- Use a relevant image
- Use quality looking imagery
- Keep it simple and make it easy to see key information
- Use similar fonts
Use Mobile to Create Your Posters
There are various apps you can use to create a poster. A good tip is to use Instagram or Facebook stories—you can post a photo, list information on top of it, and even tag venues or social handles.
Use a portrait aspect ratio (9:16) to make them story-friendly, or landscape if you choose to use a post.
This example uses the Add Text App, a design app that allows you to import images and shapes as well as text. It has many great features, such as different fonts and image cropping, and is free to download!
Basic Information
To convert your viewers into an attending audience, you need to be very clear on your posters. Don’t assume your audience knows your local or regular venue. Be sure to include these five details on every poster:
- Artist Name
- Venue Name
- Postcode (as some venues share names)
- Date
- Set Time
You could also include a QR code or social media handle to provide more information about your act!
Use High-Quality Images
High-quality images suggest a high-quality performance. Believe it or not, people will form a subconscious bias about your show based on how well you present your poster.
Try to get hold of some professional photos of your act. A great tip for this is to visit shows such as the Music & Words Club and The Whip & Collar in Windsor or the Corn Exchange in Newbury. Often, these songwriter nights have a photographer in attendance who will tag or send you high-quality images after your performance.
Have a look at our events page to see what’s coming up!
Convert Your Logo or Font to PNG Format
A PNG (Portable Network Graphic) is an image format that supports transparent areas. If you have a logo, save it to this format and place it over the top of your poster. It looks professional and can be used consistently, which is a great marketing technique.
Another tip is to use the the logo of the bar or venue you’re playing at – you can often find PNGs of their logo online, or try to replicate it on your design app! Try to get as close a font as possible.
Strictly speaking, it is not your responsibility to make a poster for the event, and some venues may make them for you. However, it both promotes you and the venue, who will appreciate your efforts to draw people in.
At the end of the day, having control over those posters will allow for consistency and help raise awareness of your brand/act. The more people know about you, the more you grow!
We’ll delve into more marketing details in future newsletters—sign up now to learn more!