Does anyone know any ways to get members of a society to contribute to the publicity of productions.
I have a number of good ideas for our publicity, but all I get is that the members are too busy to help in "on the road" shows etc.
Can anyone think of ways to entice them??

Well, are you providing costumes? Hey, let's face it, most of us only do this because we like dressing up..!

What methods have you tried so far?

How about some of these:

Posters and flyers (a5 size) which you can give to everyone in the group to hand out at work, put on work notice boards, if you have any students (union notice boards, school common rooms/general social boards)
Doctors/dentists/local shops/libraries/local organisations and parish/church centres (spend some time getting info off the web or the local phone directories and write letters to these groups) Dance schools/brownies etc etc. Bowling clubs/bridge clubs. Think about the audience and get your group members to distribute the material where your intended audience will see it.

Posters in windows/back of the car

Send an email advertising the production and send it to members with email to send to all their friends. It doesn't take long to do.

Dressing up - handing out leaflets.

Contact local radio stations, send an email and a letter, get an interview, give some tickets away in a competition.

online sources where you can advertise for free

Local newspaper - send a letter, photo, etc.

Sorry I might have put obvious stuff you are already doing but it might help you.
(I got quite into this with our last production) :-)


Louise

Add the information to the amdram.co.uk production database.

Write a piece about your group for amdram.co.uk's featured group. Don't however write the whole piece about the production. The information should be about the group in general and then you can mention your current production at the end.

Submit information to the amdram.co.uk's press release page. This should be more than just the production details though.

Jane

One thing I use with am Dram Groups round Berkshire (and 1 Professional group use me a lot too) is pre-show photographs...

A link to a web page with these on generate a lot of interest (esp in the funny photos) and a email is a lot easier to "post" around and quicker to do.

Examples here...

www.amadrama.co.uk/photos/

Check out EBOS Crazy For You.. loads of hits... most pre-show..

You never know, it could mean more bums on seats...

George

During the summer, we've taken part in the local Carnivals, either in costumes (the men in dresses, usual thing!) or if you have group tshirts with your name or logo on it, and handed out leaflets. Its a fun day too.
The web will usually have your local paper on it and their discussion boards cover a wide area and might let you advertise your show for free, especially charity shows. Also have a look on your local cable or other multi channel provider. They usually have a community channel with a Whats On page. I think Sky have a Community channel.
The all important leaflet drop is time consuming but you could hand them out at you local shopping centre in costume.
Louise gave some good ideas and I'll be using them too (Cheers Louise ) and some of her suggestions could suit your 'too busy' members.

Have fun

Two points for George (unregistered):

1. Your link is incomplete. It needs the complete address i.e http://www.amadrama.co.uk/photos.shtml or a connection refused is recieved.

2. Is Gordon Riley still doing the technical side of EBOS? If so, give him my best wishes.

I also support Janice's ideas about carnivals as I regularly do a local carnival (not with an amdram group though). However, one of the local groups strut their stuff on a 40+ foot trailer all around the route to some success I believe. On the downside, to do it well takes a lot of time and money.

To get back to the orignal question, how do you get the cast behind you, it's a bit like flogging the proverbial dead horse. One way is to preview the show about a week ahead somewhere local ie Retirements Homes or Schools are good options. Make sure the local press know about it and have a cameraman (sorry cameraperson!) ready. They get a free show. You get free publicity, possibly with some photo's and the chance to 'rehease' in front of a not too critical live audience. More difficult if you can't 'move' the show easily. The more Aah factor, the better!

Robin

Ohhhhh yeah. Gordon is still going at it with his hammer... *wink*
Thanks for the link thing, it's one of my first posts.... I know better now.
I'll pass your regards on...

The one thing I've seen with getting a Cast behind a production is that everyone has to want to do it... Too many "clicks" in some groups and "politics" tend to drive people away, and worse still, you get the "bitching" going on behind the backs of the produiction team... Ticket sales can go right down...

Unless the cast are behind the production and are excited by it, getting them up and selling tickets can be a task and a half...

I'd go for the "Photograph" suggestion (not because I do Show Photography either) but a Picture does paint a thousand words...

Try and get interesting "group" shots which people tend to point out to others better (esp of those people not fully behind the production - they will suddenly want it to be VERY good if they are in the front row)... Nice up close and personal is better than "Uncle Bob" with his old Pentax Auto and all you get is a blob of white faces in a dark patch of gloom...

*Thinking...*

How about "PRE-PRODUCTION PARTY" 2 weeks before the show have a disco or party evening for those in the production?

Bribe your local Radio Presenter, give money to Charity if they plug your show for you? It worked for me once, and I had a show plugged on BBC Bershire for a week before the show. I offered a competition on Radio and had 2 pairs of tickets for each night for the lucky winners. Brought in loads of extra tickets, one winner bought 8 more tickets for the rest of her freinds.

For Panto esp - get the cow or leads to get into a Shopping Area (or Tescos) and lark around for a few hours on a Saturday... Kids love it... Watch out for any "prats" though...

just a minor point some might find useful - your local library may be part of an interlibrary leaflet scheme, ours took 400 flyers off us and handed them out around libraries across Merseyside. Very useful

hth


Ged

I forgot to mention that all the cast and production team are given 10 tickets for each night of the production, which they are encouraged to sell. This is in addition to the box office on the door and pre production sales via the ticket secretary. Tickets which are unsold by the group members are returned on the appropriate nights to be added to the box office or they are given to the peoole who manage to sell more tickets.

Another advertising trick is something I tried in October. I got a lot of a5 handbills and asked in charity shops and second hand books shops to leave a handful. I left my number if people wanted more details and found that putting them in oxfam bookshops had been a great success. Don't forget to go back and see for yourself if the handbills are displayed and if they will take some more.

I think the photography ideas are good too. (posted by other members) but it depends on your budget, on size of group and scale of the production?

Best wishes

Louise

The photography can be very cheap, with a digital camera, nearly every group has got at least 1 person with one. Take a load of shots (even if they are staged) and get them on a site. then email around...

To add to the "giving 10 tickets to every member"..

How about selling tickets to Memeber at 8 pounds a ticket...
And they can sell them for 10 pounds a ticket!!!
you sell more tickers and memeber mak a little money...

Hmmm wonder what the rules are for that if there are any..

good god you charge 10 quid a ticket? this is for musicals i take it?

anyway, return to topic

what kind of timeline do you use for publicity?

when should press releases go out?

leaflets?

anyone got any clever tricks they'd like to share?

re Deadlines for publicity:

I have nothing set in stone but this is based on my experiences doing pr last year and in the past for another group.

Once the production is up and running, the posters are produced at a later date (say half way through the schedule) and to accompany these, a small handbill with the general blurb, dates, venue details, ticket prices and how to reserve tickets. These are mass produced and then the members of cast and group are encouraged to take as many as they can to distribute to friends, family and where else they can advertise freely. The handbills are sent out to the theatre and the people on the mailing list in good time for advanced bookings.

The publicity team (ie me last time) take more leaflets and decide where to try and target potential audience and then send off posters etc with nice letters inviting people/organisations to join the list/buy tickets. (see earlier messages) and this is an on going job once we know what the production is. Sooner the better.
I kept a list of all the places I had sent publicity material to to send it there again.

Press releases - our local paper requires a week's notice so we write in a fortnight sooner to be on safe side and also send email and complete the from in the newspaper to post an ad.

We get the Metro newspaper on the buses (South Yorkshire) and they require an email about 3 days before so that's another bit of press in the free listings. Also the websites which provide free listings need enough time to post your details in time.

Other tricks? Well it's a bit sneaky but I had a friend who was on the lookout for posters for other groups doing things the same month/week as us and she told me where she'd seen the posters and I sent out our posters! ie dance schools, playgroups, local parks cafes etc.

Louise

Well I like to get publicity underway as soon as I have the show dates - in that way you're poster design is available at or onthe first rehersal. Because we're all friendly around here (ish) we sometime advertise in other groups programes.

Really great eye catching poster design is a must - and I'm afraid you can only get so far on photocopies.

It's been said that 50% of publicity is a waste of time - unfortunalty you don't know which 50%. I tend to agree .. that said I always make sure that the pblicity dept has a big budget.

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Whatever else you do, for goodness's sake be careful with your photographs. Don't just get 'harry who's got a digital camera' to do some because they will look like snaps and no newspapaer or magazine will touch them. They also downgrade your production values.
Publicity is of course a black art and if we could all do it every time then we'd be running Covent Garden with full houses every single night. Too many amateur companies see it as a 'tag on' to the production. It isn't. As with all aspects of the play/musical including front of house, backstage,programmes,acting, costume etc. it is an integral part of the whole.
Steve Quick
p.s. ?10 quid per ticket? Wow!

We find that we have enough expertise with a camera to take good enough photos. Where we've saved money is having someone in the group who is pretty good on Photoshop and can produce profresional posters/flyers without incurring the set up cost. We then get them produced by a printer in glossy A3/A5 which results in a good look for a lot less than we would have.

One way we have found of increasing 'bums-on-seats' is to try and get as many new people in the cast as possible. When you are new you tend to be able to pursuade more friends and family to come along, whilst all the old hands have usually used up their favours with most people other that close friends. Obviously, this in itself is not enough but every little helps.

Btw, I have to agree, ?10 a ticket seems to be a bit steep. We do ?6.50 for Fridays and Saturdays and ?5.50 for Wednesdays and Thursdays. Mind you, I suppose it depends on the venue, you can charge more for say Epsom Playhouse, The Harlequin, Reigate or The Victoria, Woking (some larger venues nearer me) than say smaller studio theatres or churck/school halls. Depends whether you manage to get people in really.

but if I were to ask when's too soon and when's too late for flyers and posters and press releases what would you say?

Ged, it's never too soon to get the artwork and the production of posters started. However, you don't want to actually distribute them too early.

If you start advertising months ahead then people either get bored with it or they just don't want to plan so far ahead. We tend to get our posters/flyers out to local shops, libraries, clubs etc, about a month before the show starts.

We then do a mailshot and an emailshot about 2 weeks before. This ensures that the show is still relatively fresh in peoples minds for the opening but not too close that they will have already made arrangements (hopefully).

If you are doing a mailshot, I've been told to send it out in order for it to arrive Saturday morning as people are more likely to take their time reading their post then than during the week. I don't know whether this is backed up by extensive research or just common sense but hey, you decide. We have found our mailshot is getting smaller and our emailshot is getting larger, that's technology for you.

I think (although this is not my department) that press releases go to the local paper about 3 weeks before the show. You would be better liaising with them as to their deadlines to ensure coverage the week before rather than the week following the show.

we're finding emailshots preferable to snailmail simply because of ease and cost. We're trying to be careful not to spam tho, cos if it annoys potential audience as much as it annoys me....

Hi All,

Been away for a while so just read through all your messages!
We do do most of this already as I mentioned on another post we are a large society who have been running for a very long time, so most ideas have been done and are set up (on the note about leaflet printing etc. We get ours done before the end of the previous show and hand them out to the audience, a little in advance maybe, but ideal catchment!)
My main question was how to get members to help out - there seems to be a core group of aroung 5 people that are always the ones trapsng up and down the high street with leaflets and posters etc.
Everyone complains when we don't get full houses but no one seems to want to help - I guess briberey is my only option!!


Thanks again for your help and keep the suggestions coming!!

p.s. we charge ?12.50 per ticket on a Saturday night!! (not set by us though, by the theatre - and always the first night to get sold out!)

I'm not sure that you can solve that one. The ones that are willing will usually always be willing and the ones that aren't will always think of ways of getting out of things. If you end up getting someone to help out relunctantly then they usually need babysitting which is a waste of someone else or they don't do the job properly. C'est la vie.

One of the problems I've come accross is at the get out, where all the cast feel that they can go to the after show party and leave the crew to pack up (and clean the dressing rooms!!)


For the next show (which will need all hands to pack up) the committee have approved a scheme where all cast members prior to rehearsal must hand over a post dated cheque for ?30. If they don't come to the out they lose their deposit (obviously there will be exceptions)

Draconian?? I guess so - but then again I don't expect to have to cash any cheques...............

I think that's a good idea.. I sometimes get really frustrated when people just stand around chatting.. when if they helped for a little while everyone can stand round and chat afterwards.... luckily most of our members are quite helpful.. and we don't have much stuff after our shows - but then that's even worse if they can't be bothered to help!!!

our design and production team have gone against recommendation and bought 3m plywood flats. come the get out they're on their own... I like having toes and no ruptures too much...

meanwhile, back on topic

we're trying the old fundraising trick of asking for a pound but putting the tick box for 5 pounds right next to it - we ask people to hand out 10 flyers but then say well if you dropped off a poster and maybe another 10 flyers...

We've also been starting to use a local leaflet distribution company - we give them 13 quid they drop off 1000 flyers... if the members are happy to give money rather than time...

What a fantastic idea!

I had never considered things from that sort of viewpoint.

I think that is something that we will consider for our production of "The King & I"

Thanks!!

I think that where possible people will rather part with cash than give up some time - I'd rather give ?10 than stand in a drafty building with a jumble sale

Martin

I was going to invite you to our very special winter fayre but as you've said you'd sooner send money, I will accept your tenner. Heh heh!

I can't quite figure out what you're suggesting here but think I probably should as it sounds like a good idea. Can you please clarify?

Thats not too bad until the deliver boy decides to bin the leaflets he was supposed to be delivering!

Don't think it doesn't happen because I know it does......................

No Names Mentioned

Back on topic again, I still feel that the best way to get financial help is to create a show fee right from the start.

The best way to get 'bodies' out there, is to already have your entire marketing structure worked out before rehearsals start. At auditions warn them that there are a series of publicity things they'll be helping out at if they get in the show, then at first rehearsal get your producer/stage manager/spare bod to have a chart prepared and get every person to put their name in one of the available slots.

e.g. handing out leaflets on xyz day at a certain time (get people on 1 hour shifts in groups of 3 or 4); doing a Sunday morning car boot sale in pairs; stuffing envelopes for a mailshot on xyz day; and so on.

Got lots more ideas if you want to email me directly so I don't clog up this forum!

Anne-Marie

Please feel free to post your ideas on the forum, that's what it's for

Alternatively, if you have tons of ideas, why not put together a page and I can add it to the site.

Jane