DEFINE YOUR AUDIENCE
The type of leaflet you make depends on how you plan to use it.
If you’ve uncovered an important local issue, you may wish to print a flier to hand out to people on the street. Or maybe you’ve collected signatures from people enthusiastic about animal rights issues and want to invite them to a meeting with an inspiring speaker. Or you may want to urge local students to refuse to dissect animals. Once you’ve defined your audience, try to prepare a leaflet that will reach them.
MAKING WORDS COUNT
Your leaflet must answer the questions what, where, when, who, and why. It must tell people specifically what they can do to help. Include a telephone number as a point of contact.
People won’t read a long complicated leaflet, so keep your sentences short and clear. Use descriptive headings, subheadings, and quotations to get your main points across, and use three or four headings to a page so that if people only read the headlines they still get the message. Keep your flier simple, to the point, and easy to understand.
Don’t make remarks you can’t substantiate. Be careful not to make libelous statements — call the act cruel, not the individual.
DESIGNING TO REACH PEOPLE
If you’re making a flier to publicise an event, think of the flier as a small poster. Use a clear, issue-appropriate photograph or illustration to capture people’s attention. The suggestions below are for a truly professional job. Try to incorporate the best suggestion below you can reasonably afford, to improve quality. Your school, college or office may have computers or other facilities you can use.
The four main kinds of leaflets are:
Event or “Call” Leaflet: 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches; essentially a small poster that announces a meeting or demonstration.
Factsheet: one or two sides of an 8 1/2-inch-by-11-inch page. A photograph is not necessary. Factsheets should never be handed out on the street. They are only for people who request detailed information.
Leaflet: 8 1/2-inch-by-11-inch sheet printed on both sides and folded in half or in thirds. Be sure to use photographs.
Street Flier: very short and easy to read; to be handed out on the street. It is one-half or one-third of an 81/2-inch-by-11-inch sheet, often printed only on one side.
Some of the most effective leaflets we’ve used are 8 1/2-inch-by-3 1/2-inch sheets printed on one side only, with a boldfaced title, short easy-to-read text, and a good photograph or illustration.
Keep a “design file” of well-designed, easy-to-read leaflets and striking advertisements. Study them for ideas on layout, headlines, borders, lead sentences, or use of photographs.
Also start collecting a file of good black-and-white photographs. When you choose one for your flier, get it “screened” (also called making a “half-tone” or “velox”). This is a special procedure, done at photo, typesetting, or print shops, and gives you a high-quality picture for photocopying or printing. It can take a day or more to get a picture screened, so you may want to get several good animal photographs screened ahead of time for use with news releases and leaflets.
Invest in a waxer, if you are able, to use in laying out your leaflets. Use it to apply a film of melted wax to the back of the pieces of paper which will make up the leaflet: the text, headlines, and illustrations. You can easily pick up and rearrange each piece until you’re happy with the design. If you use glue, you have only one chance.
Use blank space as a design element. There is no need to fill up every square inch of the leaflet. White space, such as wide margins or space around the title, often improves the design and makes the leaflet easier to read.
Typesetting gives the most professional look to your text. Print shops often do typesetting. Get several estimates, because it can be expensive. Also make sure you get a firm due date from the print shop before you start your project so you can plan on having it when you need it. Always give yourself plenty of time to proofread everything before you get it printed. Typos can distract people from the message and make you look unprofessional.
Don’t use very small print, even for factsheets. It makes the leaflet too difficult to read, and most people simply won’t bother. Write concisely instead.
No matter how good your handwriting is, never write out fliers by hand — it always makes your group look amateurish.
If you can’t afford typesetting, try to use a good electronic typewriter or letter-quality computer printer for the text. Then use “transfer letters” for the headlines. Don’t get a style that is too fancy; it will be hard to read. “Helvetica” and similar styles are best.
Another alternative to typesetting is desktop publishing, using a computer and laser printer. If you have access to a computer you can bring your floppy disk to a computer store or copy shop and have your document printed on a laser printer. This creates an almost typeset-quality original that enables you to print much sharper copies than could be obtained by using a typewriter or letter-quality printer.
Desktop publishing has enormous potential for small groups and individuals, so you may want to investigate its possibilities.
PETA has leaflets on a variety of subjects available to activists. The leaflets are not copyrighted so your group can use information from them, instead of reinventing the wheel. Contact PETA to find out what is available.
HANDING IT OUT
Leafletting is an art. Really! Here are the skills behind it:
Don’t wait for people to approach you — few ever will. Walk up to them and hand them a flier with a friendly smile and a positive comment like, “This explains why we’re here today.” Then move on.
Make eye contact (but don’t be pushy).
Hold the flier so the title can be clearly seen by passersby.
Prepare some brief answers ahead of time to questions such as, “Who’s doing this?” or “What’s this all about?”
Take people’s telephone numbers (ask for both work and home numbers) if they seem interested, but don’t get caught up in a conversation that distracts you from your job.
Don’t waste time arguing. Say politely, “I think, if you read this material, you may change your mind,” and turn away.
Try to get someone else to leaflet with you, especially in potentially hostile territory, such as a circus or in front of the company you have a campaign against.
Pick up discarded leaflets before you leave an area.
Dress neatly and conservatively so you don’t scare people off.
You can also put leaflets through a letter slot in a door or leave them in door handles or on the doorstep.
If you are planning to solicit contributions, check local and state regulations.
POSTING FLIERS
You can also distribute fliers by posting them on bulletin boards or in public areas, such as:
• libraries
- schools
- colleges
• veterinary offices
- doctor offices
• pet shops
• student unions
• grocery stores
• retail stores
• apartment buildings
- temples, churches and mosques
Try to ask permission before you post a flier in a public spot to make sure it stays posted.
It’s also effective to post fliers in busy downtown areas on walls, poles and other places. You should be aware, however, that this is illegal in many areas and a small fine can result.
To post fliers outside, try to use wallpaper paste and a large paintbrush. Apply a coat of paste to the surface you’ve chosen, position the flier on the paste, and then apply another coat of paste over the flier. Wood, metal, and concrete surfaces work best.
