Chances are if you read this blog you’re either in a band or know people in bands. And whether the band is a “working musician” cover act or all-original, promotion is part of doing the whole band thing.
One of the best ways to promo a band is to make your fans walking advertisements; that may sound evil, but it’s not. And the best way to get fans to advertise your band freely is by giving away free t-shirts at every gig.
Here’s something to remember until the day you die: Everyone loves free t-shirts. A free shirt is something nobody ever refuses (as long as it’s not in a dorky color) and it always works. Repeat: IT ALWAYS WORKS.
“But printing custom t-shirts is expensive…”
If you hire a printing company to do it, then yeah, of course it’s expensive. But you don’t have to do that. Instead you can just buy blank t-shirts in bulk and spray paint your band’s logo via a cutout stencil instead.
How? Like this:
[youtube]https://youtu.be/vG5v_LUWKds[/youtube]
Remember: You don’t have to do anything as intricate as what the above video showed. You could just buy a cheap stencil kit from your local stationary store with pre-made letters and have just words on your shirt instead of a character. As long as what’s on your shirt can be read from a distance, that’s all that matters.
Also remember: To get cheap bulk tees, use eBay. The best way to find these is to search eBay for blank unisex t-shirts, and get them in XL or XXL size (meaning a “one size fits all” type).
ALTERNATIVELY, The Adair Group sells plain white bulk tees for as low as $1.49 per shirt when you buy a minimum of 12. And yes there are other colors besides white, but you’ll have to pay more for those (usually around $2 a shirt).
For smaller logos/letters, stamps work too. And I’m talking about having a rubber stamp made that has the band’s small logo, web site address, email and/or phone number on it. For the itty-bitty info that you would place under the back of the neckline, the stamp is what you want for that.
If you think free t-shirts don’t work, believe me, they do. Easy and cheap to buy, easy to stencil, easy to give away, easy promo.
It is totally worth the 20 bucks for 12 shirts and the paint to create your stenciled shirts to give away at shows. Your fans will love getting free stuff and will happily wear it.
No, you don’t have to give away shirts at every show. But if you’re looking to expand your band’s name and presence, t-shirt giveaways work amazingly well.
On a final note, for you guys and gals out there that know a tattoo artist or two, if you’re willing to spend a little extra, they can create a design for your shirts that will really look ultra-pro and cool-looking. They might even be willing to design the shirt for free if you let them advertise their tattoo parlor on your shirts (it never hurts to ask!)
What type and/or brand of spray paint?
Krylon, Montana, works nicely. Let the dry for a good longtime outdoors or in a room you don’t mind have that spraypaint smell. Handwash is a must. American Apparel T’s absorb the paint on a few passes and are primo shirts to start