People with secret creative desires are all around us. If you’re teaching a class, you want to get the word out to as many people as possible.
The language you will use to sell your teaching services will be much different that that that you use to sell your art. But once you have the right language, you can create a killer flyer and plaster the town (with everyone’s permission, of course).
Post your class flyers:
- art centers
- coffee shops
- galleries
- recreation centers
- libraries
- college art departments
- art supply stores
- book stores
- hair salons, doctors’ offices and anywhere else where people must sit and wait or where they congregate
The flyer alone won’t fill your classes, but is part of a larger promotional effort. Map your strategy with I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion.
5 thoughts on “Promote Your Art Class or Workshop in a Flyer”
You’ve said it many times about promoting our art work but keeping a separate mailing list for people who express interest in classes or have taken them in the past has been my best promotional tool. I also send out press releases so my classes get included in the various calendars and listings in the local papers.
I have an online newsletter, which I post approximately quarterly. It’s mostly about teaching, so I try to put lots of personality and helpful tips in it. The best part (for me) is that I have a list of several hundred people who have asked to be notified when the newsletter is posted. I love that, since it keeps people coming back to my website over and over! As Alyson said, marketing for teaching and marketing for product sales are not the same thing. I find it tricky trying to make my website personable enough to attract other artists/students, but still professional enough to appeal to potential buyers.
And don’t forget to keep some flyers with you. I take mine to club and guild meetings, tuck a few in my bag when I go to openings and, even, parties. “Shameless self promotion” means that when someone asks me what I am doing these days, I pull out a flyer and give it to them. My one-page flyers have an enrollment form for my weekend retreat workshops on the back, too, to make it easy to take that “sending a check” step.
Hi Alyson, On your letter about marketing teaching, my first thought was conflicted. Yes, art is a product. But we are not really selling paint on canvas or stone in a particular form. We are selling emotion. In a way, that is a service more than a product. On a recent article about using art in home shows (to sell houses), a realtor was quoted as saying something to the effect of “People always think they are buying a house for logical reasons, but it is the emotional connection that actually makes the sale.” I understood you to mean that selling teaching (classes) is selling a service, not a product (while you considered art a product). The point I was trying to make is that artwork is — in a way — a service as well (and maybe even more a service than a product because of its emotional nature/appeal). A fine line, but an interesting way to look at what we do.
Another place to post a flyer (and leave a stack behind) is the venue your workshop is being held in. The mere listing of your class in their flyer is not enough…have it available, on site, for the first time or walk-in visitor to the venue.