What I learned flyering at First Thursday

[Mo Daviau]

1) The most effective flyerers are Rollergirls who look tough and just thrust paper into people's faces and not give them the option to NOT take it.

2) If you try to hand a person more than one flyer, they get overwhelmed and combative. If you try to hand a person a full sheet of paper (ie the AIC schedule) they really don't want it. Half and quarter sheets are best.

3) It is better to walk the crowd and hand out rather than stay in one place.

4) I tended to make GGG flyers a priority because, damnit, it's my troupe. To assure that your troupe/show's stuff gets distributed, it's a good idea to send someone to represent.

5) The easiest flyers to give out were GSOT flyers. I simply profiled a number of well-fed caucasian males, asked them if they like football, and when they inevitably said yes, I handed them a flyer. A note about the GSOT flyer: it doesn't say that it's at the Hideout. Hopefully the well-fed men have internet access.

6) I think a single, universal schedule on a half-sheet will be more effective than every troupe/show providing their own flyer.

7) Thanks to everyone who came out tonight. I personally saw Arthur, Justin, Sara Farr, Kareem, Nadine, and Andy C working the crowds. And anyone else who came after Bob and I wandered off for pizza. Y'all are aces in my book.

(unrelated) Homeslice averages a half-hour wait for a table on First Thursday. It was worth it.

[arthursimone]

If you try to hand a person a full sheet of paper (ie the AIC schedule) they really don't want it.

Yes, the full sheet is inconvenient for quick flyering or pocket-stuffing at the ticket booth while waiting in line. to top it off, the calendar mentions jams, aic meetings, and saturday classes, when we should have a flyer for the general public that only lists shows.

[kbadr]

What I (actually Justin and I) learned was that if you stand by the boot, and say "non-religious flyer?", people coming from where the religious nuts were laugh, and take the flyer not even caring what it is. It worked better than any strategy I've seen (including my patented "Parallelogramophonograph?" stymie/thrust combo)

[ChrisTrew.Com]

Yeah, I shouldn't have included the full-page AIC schedules in the stack, but I went on a tear through the hideout - green room, box office, inside the podium, behind the sofa, etc. and made a big fat stack of all the flyers that were just sitting around marketing the AIC to people who either already attend shows or are members of the AIC and that was included in the stack. Note taken.

Thank you Mo for picking up the stack.

[DollarBill]

Indeed, if you can make someone laugh or smile when you give them a flier the chances they'll read take it and read are higher, I've found. Also, a small calendar on a flyer has worked wonders for us in the past.

[nadine]

... I learnt that wait time at Gueros is 2 hours!!!! During peak hours at First Thursday. Have dinner somewhere else, then come to First Thursday.

... I also learnt that you must park as legally as possible. That means facing the direction of street, away from stop signs and hydrants. I got a tix for a hydrant the first First Thrusday I went to. And last night.. I tailed the officer giving out tickets and as he neared mine, I asked if my spot was alright.. apparently it was facing the wrong way. The car in front of me got a ticket. He was nice enough to let me turn my car around.

... The religous people handing you a flyer are to nice to refuse an Improv for Evil flyer.

[acrouch]

I am gifted at very few things. Flyering is one of them. This I believe.

1) If you walk the crowd, your chances of success increase hugely.
2) You can't just hand them a flyer. And you can't just tell them what it is. You must make a personal, preferably amusing, connection with people.

My methods:

I identify a target. Since it's usually groups or couples at First Thursday I'll usually pick out one person to focus on.

I match their speed and trajectory and approach them.

a) Classic barker "Hot fresh improv comedy at the Hideout Theatre blah blah blah." Keep talking until they take the flyer AND seem to process the information.
b) Timid Russian "Hjello. Improv comedy. You like. etc."
c) Low status nonverbal. Approach as if it was extremely awkward that I'm trying to give them a flyer. I make sure they read it and if they look confused, I'll start timidly explaining it.
d) High status secretive nonverbal. Approach the as if you know them, hand them the flyer, give them a significant look and move on. Maybe explain if they look confused.
e) Charming improviser. This one is mainly for groups of cute girls.
f) Normal likable improviser. This one is for groups that look like kindred spirits that you can just talk to.
g) Not Jesus. Pretend to be religious and then reveal that it's just improv comedy.

The options are infinite, but the basic principles are likable, amusing, intriguing.

If someone seems especially perplexed or super-interested, I'll pull out a free ticket.

I point down congress at the Hideout a lot.

[sara farr]

I felt pretty successfull at fliering. I averaged a stack of (50?) fliers per 15 min and worked from 7:30-10pm. I gave out all sorts of sketch/improv comedy fliers, but I only gave them to the people whom I felt really wanted them.

I did this by making eye contact with one or two people in a group, smiling while raising my eyebrows, matching their stride, and asking in a clear, energetic voice...

- You like comedy?
[If hooked, I'd hand it to them; if curious I gave them more info specific to the flyer]

- Interested in an improvised parody of Law & Order?
[Hooked!]
- Improvised commentary over live football games? They do the commercials, too!
[Hooked!]
- Improvised musicals? They improvise the music, the singing, everything.
[Hooked!]
- Elimination style improv? Only the best make it to the end of the show.
[Hooked]
- There is a new improv/sketch comedy theater opening up on Airport & 48th & a half.
[Hooked]
- Sketch Comedy? Here is some info on a new sketch show.
[Hooked]

When they took the flier, I nodded or raised my arms and said YES! or Yay improv! or something like that -- which in turn made them laugh and made others around them curious. I had several people approach me to get fliers, too!

However, I should also mention that I was wearing my AIC t-shirt, which has shrunk and is too tight for my modesty to wear it everyday. But I wore it last night to show my solidarity. One older South Austinite man approached me while in line for Home Slice pizza to ask me what my shirt said (bc with my shelf it is hard to read the bottom, and as Christina DeRoos pointed out, the word EVERYTHING sits right on top, but the "Improv Collective" part is in shadow). Whether it was my charm, or the tight shirt, or my shelf, (or all 3) he said he'd try to get over to the Hideout to see a show.

Yay boobs! Maybe next month, anyone who comes out to help with fliering -- and who doesn't own their own shelf -- could instead, wear a stuffed bra. I'm sure it will help!

[deroosisonfire]

Yay boobs! Maybe next month, anyone who comes out to help with fliering -- and who doesn't own their own shelf -- could instead, wear a stuffed bra. I'm sure it will help!

I will loan out a 32DD or a 34DD to anyone who will wear and stuff it. For reals.

[ChrisTrew.Com]

I will loan out a 32DD or a 34DD to anyone who will wear and stuff it. For reals.

I don't even want to know where you got one of those!