Poster vs zine for a local show I promoted

I had to choose between printing a big glossy poster or a small staple-bound zine for a punk show I put on in Brooklyn last month. Everyone told me posters get more attention on the street, but I went with the zine because I wanted something people could actually hold onto and flip through. It cost me $120 for 100 copies at a local print shop, and I included set times, band interviews, and a crude map to the venue. Honestly, about 40 of them got left on tables, but the ones that went home seemed to stick with people longer than any poster would have. Has anyone else picked a weird format over the obvious choice and seen mixed results?

2 comments

2 Comments

sullivan.john12d ago

I did the exact same thing for a house show in Philly last year. Spent $80 on 70 saddle-stitched zines with a silkscreened cover and it was totally worth it. The bands loved having something to hand to their friends after the set, and I saw people reading them on the subway the next day. Posters get covered up by other flyers within 48 hours in most spots around here. If you cut the print run to like 60 copies and saved the extra cash for a small social media boost, that might help balance the leftover problem next time.

grant56913d ago

Yeah, the zine was the right call. I've seen too many posters get torn down or ignored within a day. For a local show, that physical artifact has more staying power. People will actually flip through it again when they're bored.