Fringe Marketing 101: Print Edition

Hello Artists! 

This June, we’ll see over 350 show premieres in Hollywood at over 25 venues in LA and while everyone’s been getting ready for their productions, the question of “How do I market my show?” may have entered your mind. Well, no fear! We’ll touch on just some of the ways you can market your show in print media! 

However, before we dive in, we have to talk about rights, licensing, and branding.

You must own, have permission to use (copyright-free counts here) or have a license for every element of your show (music, sound, script, visuals, promotional materials/printed and digital images, etc.).

An additional reminder: We strongly encourage placing the Fringe logo on your print materials to indicate your show is a part of the larger festival. All those branding images can be found here: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/branding

Any materials dropped at Fringe Central without this logo will be filed and available for pickup until the last day of the festival, when it will be recycled.

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s dive into all the ways print media will possibly come into play with your Fringe experience! 

Guide Ads

The Hollywood Fringe Festival will be releasing a festival guide, which will feature all of the shows that registered by April 15th. The Guide ads are the only way to have an image of your show in the Guide. Once a show is registered (i.e. paid the registration fee $300) you will get access to discounts on the guide ad pages as well! To check out last year’s 2024 Guide, check it out here.

For information on how to purchase an ad for our guide check out https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/market

More information on specs, Canva, and Photoshop templates can be found here!

Postcards & Posters

Distributing postcards, posters, and/or other creative marketing products is a great way to market your show. And keep in mind, based on last year’s 2024 festival, that 12.7% of surveyed festival audiences made decisions on which show to see based on a show’s poster & postcards. Here are some rules (and tips!) regarding your printed goods.

You MUST…

• Print the Hollywood Fringe logo on your materials. 

• You can download the logo at hollywoodfringe.org/branding (if you forget to do this, you can print stickers of the Fringe logo and place them on the flyers).

You MUST NOT…

• Leave or adhere your promotional materials anywhere without permission, especially in public places. The city can issue a fine for unauthorized posters/flyers. If you have a relationship with a local business or would like to put up your posters at a local business, you MUST always ask first!

You SHOULD…

• Use creativity to make your materials stand out from the crowd!

• Make sure the main text is legible, even from a few feet away.

• Include essential info: What, Where, When, and How Much are the most important details. Don’t leave this out, but also don’t include so much text that it overwhelms your materials.

• Spell check, spell check, spell check!

• Offer your materials to people you don’t know, but make conversation first. Be engaging!

• Place your postcards in Fringe Central (where we’ll only be able to take 40 postcards from each production, and we’ll only accept posters no larger than 11×17 inches). Please bring them to any Fringe Office Hours (Wednesdays), and Fringe Staff will collect your materials for Fringe Central.

You can also ask Fringe Venues & Hot Spots (make sure to talk with the venue or establishment manager first). Let them know you are part of the Hollywood Fringe, and they’ll let you know where you can display your materials if they have space.  

You SHOULD NOT…

• Move/cover up other postcards with your own. The Fringe staff won’t hesitate to remove your flyers if you do this. If you’re having trouble finding room, consult with the venue’s manager.

• Hand out postcards to an audience walking out of a show unless you have permission. 

• Print more flyers than you need – please be mindful of the environment.

• Leave flyers at any business without permission

Finally, Discounts! 

Make sure to check out our participant packet (found at https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/participants) that also has some wonderful discounts from local businesses and artists on such services like media packages, graphic designers, and printing!

So go out there, be brave, be kind, and market the hell out of your show!