How To Promote a Successful Concert

Keep your concert lifted up in prayer from the beginning. Remember that this event isn't just another concert, but a life-changing night for those attending. Seek the Lord's guidance in all the decisions you make regarding it!

1. Check with other area churches, radio stations, and promoters for conflicting events
2. Confirm your concert hall in writing
3. Confirm the date and artist in writing with the respective Management or Agent
4. Confirm that the Christian Radio station will support you.  Be prepared to pay for radio advertisement

Thoroughly read artist's rider and contract and be sure you can fulfill all the terms

1. Order tour posters, mailers, tickets and flyers from a reputable source. (For more information on this, call the management of the artist). Remember that you can absorb the cost of your promotional pieces and tickets by getting a local business to use the backs of tickets as a coupon, or by placing logos on your promotional pieces.
2. Also see if your local Christian radio station would like to partner with you. Sometimes by placing their logo on your promotional items, they will give substantial discounts for on-air advertising and underwriting.
3. The most important thing you can do is to start a "word of mouth" campaign immediately. Get on the phone and call churches, Christian clubs, etc. and get the word out about your event. This is very effective and helps get the "buzz" going. Do this right away!
4. Acquire mailing labels from a company like Williams Direct (Telephone: 620-364-8431) and purchase mailing labels for a regional church mailing.  Be sure to use their CHURCH mailing list, as Williams Direct maintains master mailing lists for some of CCM's top selling artists. Their list is an interdenominational listing, which guarantees that ALL denominations will be represented in your mass mailing. Williams Direct can assist you in designing a mailing list that will be most beneficial to your concert. We recommend that you mail at least two to three times the venue capacity. If the venue holds 500, send between 1000- 1500 mailers.
5. Be sure you contact all local youth ministries and youth pastors to make sure they place your concert on their calendar of events.
6. Set up ticket sales at bookstores and churches. List them on your promotional materials. Inform all outlets that you will pick up the receipts and excess tickets no later than the day before the concert. Inform your stores that even if they sell all of their allotted tickets UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should they tell their customers the concert is sold out unless you personally tell them to do so!

1. Mail out your mailing to all the churches in your area.  Use volunteers to help with your bulk mailing or you can contact a Company like NuPrint or DSI; they offer mailing services to Promoters for a very reasonable fee.

1. Distribute a flyer advertising your concert to all major church youth groups in your area. Also, provide flyers to interested churches for insertion into their church bulletins. If they cannot insert a flyer, check to see if the churches in your area would be willing to print a brief mention of your concert in their bulletin. Flyers also need to be distributed to your ticket outlets, and a poster needs to be displayed in a prominent location in the selling outlets. Order flyers from NuPrint or DSI.

1. Venue name
2. Venue street address, including city and state
3. Show time
4. Ticket prices (specify ticket breakdown... e.g., $9groups/$12advanced etc...)
5. Local phone number for ticket information
6. The name of the radio station(s) you are doing your primary promotions with. Include the call letters and phone number. (Be sure to include area code) Also include the name of your contact at the station.

1. Distribute tickets to your outlets. We recommend that you work with Christian bookstores and churches in your area. Be sure they are adequately supplied with tickets, flyers and a poster. Make sure that the poster is hung in a prominent location where it will be seen.

1. Arrange to partner with your local Christian radio station and start running spots/underwriting announcements.... approximately 20 per week is recommended. Ask them about contesting and product giveaways. See if they would be interested in giving away tickets, CD's, cassettes and "prize packages". Most stations will jump at the chance to center a huge promotion surrounding a concert. Be sure to work with your local station. The amount of "free" promotion they give you each time they giveaway tickets on the air, will offset your expense of supplying them with a reasonable amount of free tickets. I suggest at least 20 pairs of tickets ... Product is available through management or the station can contact the Radio Promotions Department at the artist's Record company. We recommend that you begin a radio campaign at least Eight weeks before your concert. We also recommend that you air between 3-6 spots or more each day. Be sure to start your radio promotion early on .... You can always reduce spots when you sell out your concert. Also, provide the stations in your area with all the information regarding your concert. They usually call these a PSA, public service announcement for their community calendars. Please remember that waiting too late to begin your radio promotion will adversely affect your ticket sales. Although radio advertising does cost, it is an incredible means to effectively communicate with the concert goers that will attend your concert.

1. Follow up to see that your local radio station received promotional giveaway product. Including ticket giveaways.
   Contact artist's management about a radio interview. This should be scheduled by week four.

1. Start running the second "flight" of spots/underwriting announcements with your local radio station. Approx. 20 per week up to your show date or until the tickets have -sold out! Radio spots Should remain airing until the day of show unless you sell out your tickets. We also suggest sending out a second mailing to "concert goers" in your area at this time. Lists are available from Williams Direct.
2. Place concert posters in prominent locations throughout your community. We suggest local grocery stores, arcades, malls, Chick-Fil-A restaurants, and any Christian owned businesses. Be sure posters are still up at your area bookstores and in churches.
3. If you have received an In-store request from a local bookstore, please refer them to the performers Management team for processing.

1. Arrange for a volunteer to call all major local youth groups to remind them about the concert. This is a very important part of the last minute promotion of your concert. Even though you may have already contacted your local youth pastors and youth workers, please go ahead and give them another "reminder" call. Be sure to mention that you have group rate tickets available to groups of ten or more. Connecting with your local churches is a vital link to the success of your concert.

1. Be sure that all ticket monies and/or tickets are picked up from the outlets no later than the day prior to the concert. This will give you time to make an accounting of all tickets sold at advance and group rates. Group rates will not be applicable at the door nor should any tickets not already paid for be held at the door. It is uncommon for people to call, ask you to hold 30 tickets, and then not show up or appear with just a few people.
2. If you have not already discussed arrival times and last minute details with artist's road manager, call him to confirm appropriate arrangements.
3. Be sure to have hotels reserved and prepaid in the artist's name. There is often confusion at the desk so be sure that artist's name is correctly spelled out, and if possible, a confirmation # is assigned and given to road manager.

1. Be sure that your crew will be at the pre-determined time. The hall manager should have the building open and ready for set-up.
2. Brief ushers and staff on their duties and least two hours before concert time. Be sure they are aware of the fact that due to recording contracts, no tape recorders or video cameras are permitted in the hall without written approval of the record company or management.
3. Photographs are not permitted.
4. Meet with your road manager to cover details on set-up and load-out as well as sound check, etc...
5. Please have tables set up at the rear of the auditorium and several people available to help with sales of records and T-Shirts, etc.
6. Have an expense record sheet completed (door sales can be added following the concert) and receipts on hand so you can settle up quickly in percentages are involved.
7. Meal(s) for artists and crew
8. Prayer time with artists, crew and counselors usually takes place an hour or so prior to the concert. Doors usually open to the public 30 - 45 minutes before concert time.
9. Pass out mailing list cards to get the name and address of all who attended so you can send flyers to them in the future.

1. Please be sure that enough crew members are present to help artists with load-out
2. Send thank you notes to all volunteers and counselors
3. Pay all your bills

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Revised Copyright © 2006 Straight Company