| Another Great Marketing Dog Article Topic: Fringe Festivals Part 3: Market by Slash Coleman |
Intro
On average, you can earn a decent living "doing" the fringe circuit. Performers who have average
marketing skills will make $1,200 in ticket sales per festival. On the low end, performers will only
make about $400 and on the high end, many of the popular acts or those with some marketing
savvy, make between $6,000-$8,000. If it's your first time at a fringe, and your visiting from out of
town, don't expect to be on the high end though. Take into account that being out of town and
out of your element, can be a little unsettling even to the best marketers.
With that said, the math spells out that by "doing" the fringe circuit, you can make a pretty decent
living. Typically, doing the fringe circuit means starting on the east coast during the first shows in
March and slowly working your way across the country, including Canada and overseas until, like a
gypsy or a migrant worker, come September, you've swept across the entire world and you return
home with your pockets full of cha-ching and your heart full of swell memories. (See "Fringe
Festivals Part 2: Where" for locations)
If you decide to do the circuit you can now apply to six shows at once through the CAAF
application form. (Google CAFF to find out more about this) The CAFF application is your "one-
stop-shopping" application form! It's the bomb if you have that much dough in application fees
lying around. I mean you have to figure, six shows at about $500 a pop and.... well, you get the
picture. Truthfully, I couldn't think of a better way to invest in your career and do what you love. I
mean where else could you take $3,000 and turn it into $36,000 while doing what you love to do?
Marketing at the Fringe
There are three key areas you'll want to concentrate on to maximize your marketing efforts and to
improve your chances of being on the high end of your fringe ticket sales.
Media
The fringe should send you a media list, of contacts which will be up to date. Send out a short 1-2
line e-mail to each contact asking them if they accept story ideas relating to theater related
events. If you get an answer, send a press release and if you don't get an answer send a press
release anyway. If they e-mail back saying they don't do stories for the area that the theater is in,
personally invite them to your show anyway.
Fringe related events
The fringe is a phenomena, not an event per say. When the fringe requests your presence at a
fringe related event, say an opening night meet-and-greet or a performers show case a few days
before your first show, it pays to attend. Other performers and fringe volunteers are key to the
success of your show. When the talk you up, people listen. See, "Shout-outs" below.
Shout-outs
Most fringes will let you attend other shows for free given that the show is not sold out. Despite the
fact that you may be exhausted during your fringe run and you'd rather retire to your hotel room or
friends sofa, It pays to see as many shows as you can and to not only let the other performers know
that you liked their show, but to give a shout out at the end of your show.
For instance, at the end of your show, after your bow, you might say, "Thank you! Thank you! If you
want to see a really great show, make sure you check out Dennis Finklesteins Big Cobra
Extravaganza in this theater tonight at 9:00. It's a really great show!" or you might say," Thank you!
Thank you! I see some other Fringe performers in the audience. I'd like to take this opportunity to
allow them to tell you the name of their show!" When you give...you get. That's the magic of
gratitude.
During my first Frineg I had no idea that this was such a common ritual. In fact, I was blown away
after seeing Jimmy Hogg's, "Curriculum Vitae," when he, after his sold out show, informed his
audience members that he was staying to see my show directly following his. You can't pay for
that kind of publicity.
Take part in the Shout-out and you'll increase your ticket sales by as much as 25%.
Postcards
You need a good color postcard to advertise your show. The photo on the front should be a
decent close-up of you..like a head shot, but more revealing. On the back should be info about
the show, show quotes, etc. Jimmy had just come off three fringes in a row, so the back of his
postcard listed dates and times for all three fringe events.
Figure about 1,500 cards per show. You need to hand them out to fringe goers after other fringe
shows. Stand outside a show that's just let out and give them out. The bulk of them should be used
in this way, after all this is your target audience....an easy sell. Do this during times and during
days when your show doesn't run and even on days when your show does run.
Other postcards can be placed in cafe's that fringe audience members may frequent before and
after the shows. If the fringe takes place in the theater district of a town, give postcards to nearby
hotels and hotel shuttle drivers, so they can pass them to their patrons. Visitors to a city are always
looking for things to do.
On average, you can earn a decent living "doing" the fringe circuit. Performers who have average
marketing skills will make $1,200 in ticket sales per festival. On the low end, performers will only
make about $400 and on the high end, many of the popular acts or those with some marketing
savvy, make between $6,000-$8,000. If it's your first time at a fringe, and your visiting from out of
town, don't expect to be on the high end though. Take into account that being out of town and
out of your element, can be a little unsettling even to the best marketers.
With that said, the math spells out that by "doing" the fringe circuit, you can make a pretty decent
living. Typically, doing the fringe circuit means starting on the east coast during the first shows in
March and slowly working your way across the country, including Canada and overseas until, like a
gypsy or a migrant worker, come September, you've swept across the entire world and you return
home with your pockets full of cha-ching and your heart full of swell memories. (See "Fringe
Festivals Part 2: Where" for locations)
If you decide to do the circuit you can now apply to six shows at once through the CAAF
application form. (Google CAFF to find out more about this) The CAFF application is your "one-
stop-shopping" application form! It's the bomb if you have that much dough in application fees
lying around. I mean you have to figure, six shows at about $500 a pop and.... well, you get the
picture. Truthfully, I couldn't think of a better way to invest in your career and do what you love. I
mean where else could you take $3,000 and turn it into $36,000 while doing what you love to do?
Marketing at the Fringe
There are three key areas you'll want to concentrate on to maximize your marketing efforts and to
improve your chances of being on the high end of your fringe ticket sales.
- Media
- Fringe related events
- Shout-outs
- Postcards
Media
The fringe should send you a media list, of contacts which will be up to date. Send out a short 1-2
line e-mail to each contact asking them if they accept story ideas relating to theater related
events. If you get an answer, send a press release and if you don't get an answer send a press
release anyway. If they e-mail back saying they don't do stories for the area that the theater is in,
personally invite them to your show anyway.
Fringe related events
The fringe is a phenomena, not an event per say. When the fringe requests your presence at a
fringe related event, say an opening night meet-and-greet or a performers show case a few days
before your first show, it pays to attend. Other performers and fringe volunteers are key to the
success of your show. When the talk you up, people listen. See, "Shout-outs" below.
Shout-outs
Most fringes will let you attend other shows for free given that the show is not sold out. Despite the
fact that you may be exhausted during your fringe run and you'd rather retire to your hotel room or
friends sofa, It pays to see as many shows as you can and to not only let the other performers know
that you liked their show, but to give a shout out at the end of your show.
For instance, at the end of your show, after your bow, you might say, "Thank you! Thank you! If you
want to see a really great show, make sure you check out Dennis Finklesteins Big Cobra
Extravaganza in this theater tonight at 9:00. It's a really great show!" or you might say," Thank you!
Thank you! I see some other Fringe performers in the audience. I'd like to take this opportunity to
allow them to tell you the name of their show!" When you give...you get. That's the magic of
gratitude.
During my first Frineg I had no idea that this was such a common ritual. In fact, I was blown away
after seeing Jimmy Hogg's, "Curriculum Vitae," when he, after his sold out show, informed his
audience members that he was staying to see my show directly following his. You can't pay for
that kind of publicity.
Take part in the Shout-out and you'll increase your ticket sales by as much as 25%.
Postcards
You need a good color postcard to advertise your show. The photo on the front should be a
decent close-up of you..like a head shot, but more revealing. On the back should be info about
the show, show quotes, etc. Jimmy had just come off three fringes in a row, so the back of his
postcard listed dates and times for all three fringe events.
Figure about 1,500 cards per show. You need to hand them out to fringe goers after other fringe
shows. Stand outside a show that's just let out and give them out. The bulk of them should be used
in this way, after all this is your target audience....an easy sell. Do this during times and during
days when your show doesn't run and even on days when your show does run.
Other postcards can be placed in cafe's that fringe audience members may frequent before and
after the shows. If the fringe takes place in the theater district of a town, give postcards to nearby
hotels and hotel shuttle drivers, so they can pass them to their patrons. Visitors to a city are always
looking for things to do.
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If you feel like you've been
spinning your wheels with your art
career, this book will give you
practical steps to make changes
that you will see instantly >more
spinning your wheels with your art
career, this book will give you
practical steps to make changes
that you will see instantly >more
| © Slash Coleman 2006 |
