How to make this go public

[badlander2000]

That's right go for the grass roots, in fact, we can work together on this. I know the Elmwood strip would be an amazing market for us.

[txaschainsaw]

try myspace, facebook, twitter, etc.

freewebs website

flyers

posters

pass them out at your local schools, i do that, teenage kids are always looking for a good haunted house.

[The Forsaken Crypt]

Well thats all good ideas, Yes I am accepting donations for ROswell BUT should I charge like 1 or 2 dollar admission and make it manditory? TO raise more charity money? I mean in my honest opinion its a good haunt but its not THAT big so I am debating weather to charge or not....

[txaschainsaw]

I think you have to be a pro haunt, or have a business license or something in order to charge.

Im not exactly sure. Im a home haunt myself, ive never charge and entrance fee.

If i were you, id take it up with the city, or something like that first.

Because if i remember correctly, you have to have a license, or approval of some sort to charge for entrance.

[The Forsaken Crypt]

Yeah your right, I think i'm just going to accept donations, Like I said I don't think its large enough to make people charge

[badlander2000]

Good choice! Charging for a home haunt is financial suicide!!!

[hsmag]

Set up a Myspace page and hit EVERYONE you know. It's cheap and effective...

Any of the social networking sites can help you spread the word (myspace, facebook, twitter, etc).

To expand on "flyers out the wazoo" (as it was so delicately put), contact local fast food chains and see if you can get your flyers or coupons at their locations in exchange for a sponsor spot on your site and flyers. You can also check with your local coke or pepsi distributors and see about getting ad ad/coupon put on their cans in exchange for a sponsorship spot on all your marketing materials and website if you have one (The more places you have for them to put their logo the better your chances may be of getting them to agree). You figure how many people drink sodas everyday in any given region and this is a no-brainer. Maybe even try local pizza places and see about having flyers glued onto every pizza box. Also contact local Halloween stores and see if they'll either let you put stacks of flyers at their counters or let you tape a flyer to the front window. I know the Halloween Express here has flyers for haunted houses taped in the windows every year.

Since you said this is a charity haunt it may increase your chances of success.

[badlander2000]

I'm telling you Matt, paper the Elmwood Strip like there is no tomorrow!

[shawnc]

I'm telling you Matt, paper the Elmwood Strip like there is no tomorrow!

I'm assuming that's a local street? If so, that could be a very bad idea, depending on your definition of "Like there is no tomorrow." No one is going to complain about fliers and posters, until they start blowing around the neighborhood. Then you might start getting visits from city officials agbout littering if nothing else.

It's better to target your distribution somewhat. One per pole or window or car is plenty. Nothing irks me like seeing things plastered all over the place, especially knowing that they aren't going to be removed when the event is over. This can be an important lesson in community relations: You won't get credit or good publicity for taking down your fliers, but you will get a bad reputation if they are still up in December.

[The Forsaken Crypt]

Yes I appriciate all the help, I was going to post them in all the shops down town since they are mostly boutiques and such. I really need to get the word out for this, I hope this all works

[The Forsaken Crypt]

I was also strongly keeping this public only in the town of lancaster because I do not have much room for people to park and if I am getting people from towns over (which I highly doubt would happen) they would be parking on both sides of the street which could get me in some trouble with the police. WOrst comes to worst they could shut us down and that would be bad. I would advertise on elmwood but i'm staying as local as I can but at the same time getting a healthy bunch of people to scare

[shawnc]

I was also strongly keeping this public only in the town of lancaster because I do not have much room for people to park and if I am getting people from towns over (which I highly doubt would happen) they would be parking on both sides of the street which could get me in some trouble with the police. WOrst comes to worst they could shut us down and that would be bad. I would advertise on elmwood but i'm staying as local as I can but at the same time getting a healthy bunch of people to scare

You also want to be sure they know what to expect when they get there. It'd be bad if someone drove from a nearby town expecting a big pro haunt and then made a scene because they were disappointed. Not everyone pays attention to all the details in a flyer/ad. They just get it in their head that something is what they think it is and blot out the details that tell them otherwise.