Grabbing someone’s focus is expensive. With the average attention span hovering around 47 seconds, it can be hard to get customers to look your way long enough to know what you’re offering.
In a world of flashing videos, sponsored posts, and overflowing inboxes, traditional direct marketing methods can help you get your information across in a simple, direct, easy-to-parse way. That’s where the good old business flyer comes in.
Learn how to make, print, and distribute business flyers that cut through the clutter and turn quick glances into action.
What is a business flyer?
A business flyer is a single-page promotional document that highlights key information about your small business, product, service, or event. Its job is to capture attention quickly, communicate a clear message, and drive next steps—like visiting your store, scanning a QR code, or redeeming an offer.
Flyers can spread the word about a grand opening, inform readers about the products or services you provide, or share details about a sale. They’re commonly used for location-centered businesses, whether that’s a new neighborhood coffee shop, tutoring business, or cleaning service.
You can hand out your business flyers to passersby, pin them to local community boards or willing storefronts, stick them in mailboxes, or leave them inside other businesses. While flyers are typically physical products, you can also create digital flyers to share with customers via email or social media.
How to make a business flyer
- Decide on a message
- Draft a catchy headline
- Write a compelling CTA
- Add contact details
- Solidify your branding
- Design your flyer
- Print and distribute
Follow these steps to learn how to make a business flyer that’s clear, on-brand, and conversion-focused.
1. Decide on a message
An effective flyer shares key information to engage the right people, so the first step is figuring out the message you want to promote. Include important details—like the time, location, purpose, and what you’re offering—so your flyer is easy to understand. Once you know what you want to say, channel some copywriting skills to draft a short and catchy message that’s in keeping with your brand voice and identity.
2. Draft a catchy headline
Once you decide on your core message, craft a headline to go with it. Your title can be creative, but it should also clearly convey your message and be easy to understand. Choose a font and text size for your headline that’s bold and easily readable. Keep it short like the rest of your copy.
Think about your audience, and who you’d like to notice this flyer. If you’re opening a new location or running a promo, use relevant phrases that will grab their attention, whether that’s “Grand Opening” or “Sale.” in for seven words or less, and make the benefit obvious (for example, “20% Off This Weekend”).
3. Write a compelling CTA
A call to action (CTA) is a message that directs the reader to do something about the information you’ve shared with them. Keep your CTA direct and specific— “Visit our new store on Market Street,” or “Enter Our Giveaway.” Make sure you explain exactly how the reader should take that action by providing straightforward instructions and relevant details.
4. Add your contact details
Add contact details you’d like potential customers and clients to use if they want to get in touch with you and interact with your business. Include only the essentials to reduce clutter—such as a phone number, email, website/QR code, and physical address, if relevant.
5. Solidify your branding
Use your brand identity to inform how you build out the visual elements of your flyer. Use design elements, fonts, brand colors, and images based on brand guidelines you’ve created for your small business. Don’t forget to add your brand name or logo.
Maintaining consistent color schemes and aesthetics across your channels and branding materials helps your brand stand out. As a general rule of thumb, stick with a defined color palette and one or two fonts—otherwise, the design can look busy and chaotic.
6. Design your flyer
Before you start designing, determine how large you’d like your flyer to be once printed. Common sizes are A4 (8.25 inches by 11.75 inches) or A5 (5.8 inches by 8.3 inches). Choosing a size first means you’ll have parameters to work within once you start the design process.
You can hire a graphic designer to help you with your flyers and other marketing materials or design it yourself using graphic design software with free flyer templates—some popular choices include Canva, GIMP, and Vectr. Many of these tools offer free professionally designed templates so you can easily create custom business flyers with just a few clicks using drag-and-drop functionality.
Visual elements like graphics and images are more eye-catching than text and can make your flyer more interesting. You can use your own photos or illustrations, or browse through free stock photo websites for stock images.
7. Print and distribute
After you’re happy with the content and design of your flyer, it’s time to print out copies. Print one test copy to check color, margins, and readability from a distance, then adjust before running the full batch. You can print the flyer yourself or use a third party. A print service can lower unit cost but adds lead time, so take production time into account—especially for date-specific promotions.
Next, it’s time to think about distribution. Before you do, check for any laws or regulations limiting your options on how and where you can distribute. Once you understand the rules, you can choose to send flyers through direct mail, hang them on community notice boards, pass them out in person at events, or ask to leave them in the windows or on the countertops in other businesses. You can also tweak the design and share your flyer on your website, newsletter, or social media posts to serve as a form of digital marketing. Repurpose the file for digital use by saving a web-friendly version and linking your CTA to a landing page.
How to make a business flyer FAQ
How do I create a flyer for my business?
To create flyers, you can hire a graphic designer or make your own with design software. You can choose to build a design from scratch or look for a business flyer template, which streamlines the process. Include important information like a headline, contact information, and a call to action.
How to design a flyer as a beginner?
Free graphic design software programs make it easy to design a flyer as a beginner. Keep the layout simple and on-brand. Don’t opt for any tricky or complex designs. Maintain your brand voice, colors, and fonts, and focus on one message and one CTA.
What are 5 elements that should be included on a flyer?
Five elements you should include on a flyer are eye-catching graphics, a bold headline, a clear message, contact information, and a call to action that directs readers to the next step you’d like them to take.
What app can I use to make a business flyer?
You can use free or paid apps like Canva, Adobe Express, GIMP, Inkscape, or Vectr to create custom flyers. Paid-for software programs, such as Adobe Photoshop or Canva Pro, offer more tools, templates, and design choices.
