How to distribute flyers

You’ve sorted your design and messaging, placed your order, and your Flyers are all good to go. But how to hand out flyers the right way? Use our leaflet distribution tips to get the best out of them.

The best way to distribute flyers will depend on your budget, your business, and what you’re hoping to achieve. Try a few of these options to see what works best for you.

Location, location, location: the best places to distribute flyers

One of the easiest and least laborious strategies is the stack-attack – i.e. you prominently position a stack your flyers somewhere people regularly visit. It might be a coffee shop, community centre, library or even a bar or pub. If you can cross-promote (hooking up with another business to jointly promote your products or services), even better, as you can share out the work of flyer distribution.

Wherever you choose to hand out flyers, make sure you have the owner’s permission to leave a stack on their premises. Most will be very happy to help out, but it’s always worth being polite. After all, you’re marketing your business courtesy of theirs.

It’s also important to stay on the right side of the law, so as well as asking the owner, we recommend looking into the local leaflet distribution rules.

Piggyback on a publication

Another way of tapping into a captive audience is inserting your flyer into an industry publication or newspaper. Tailoring your content and call to action (what you want people to do after they finish reading) to an engaged reader can really pay off.

Like the stack approach, this flyer distribution technique requires a bit of collaboration with the owner of the publication, and might involve payment. Scope out the options by arranging meetings with some local media and publishing owners. (Don’t forget to carry a Business Card with you – or 50.)

Distribute flyers the good old-fashioned way

Handing out flyers on the street is great for promoting something local, whether it’s a business nearby or a home-grown startup. With this method, time and location are crucial.

If you’re opening a new cafe, you might want to give out flyers to people on their way to work, and invite them to join you for lunch. Or if you’re providing a business service, the best places to distribute flyers will be near a concentration of offices during the working week.

Whether you decide to take to the streets yourself or recruit a street team, remember that the delivery can be as important as the flyer itself. First impressions count for a lot. A confident and well-versed team is the best way to distribute flyers effectively, and if they’re wearing branded t-shirts or uniforms, even better. No budget for clothing? Branded Stickers worn on a sweatshirt or top will do the job too.

There will always be those who avoid people handing out flyers, but that’s OK. The savvy distributor keeps an eye out for people who look like they might really be interested in the product or service – and isn’t too pushy if they aren’t.

Letterbox love: door-to-door flyer distribution

Finally, there’s always the good old door-to-door flyer distribution method. Once you’ve delivered your flyer to the customer’s home or place of work, it’s ready and waiting for when they take a few minutes break. If your service isn’t right for them, you’ve also got the potential to reach other household members, friends and visitors.

So, how to distribute flyers door-to-door? As with leaving your flyers somewhere, this approach needs a double-check on the flyering rules in your local area, since you’ll be distributing them on private property. If you don’t have time to go door-to-door, or your audience is spread out across a rural or remote area, you could go for the postal route by mailing Postcards to selected addresses, such as restaurants or local stores.

Flyers get the word out there – get inspired by these businesses and when the creative juices are flowing, order your own set of Flyers to hand out.