# Advertising a Yard Haunt?



## Moon00 (Oct 7, 2007)

Does anyone advertise their home or yard haunt? I was wondering because I've been tossing around the idea of making some fliers for our yard haunt this year (which is actually more of a display). My mother owns a Bakery that is located in a pretty busy shopping complex. Each year they have a Trick or Treating day so I was thinking of handing out flyers then. I don't want to attract a huge number of people (so we don't cause any problems with traffic and the neighborhood) but with all of the work we've put into our display this year it would be nice to get more ToT's than usual.
For those who have done this before what information did you put on your flyers besides the address?


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## Mobile Mayhem (Jul 4, 2007)

I put a blurb in my kid's school newsletter, due to us getting like 15 toTs every year. I was thiking of putting one in a few other schools as well. i don't do all this work for 15 kids!


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## Spartan005 (Mar 13, 2007)

I advertised for two years in a row by putting three posters down a main road and then little flyers scattered throughout some stores... (which got a LOT of people) of course that was also for a haunted house for charity. This year we're doing a display instead so I'm hoping that word of mouth will help and I'll probably put a few flyer things around the neighborhood but nothing out on the main road or in any stores ... I wouldn't want people driving like 15 minutes to come to my house, stare at it for 30 seconds and then leave lol


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## ubzest (Jul 1, 2008)

We drop off a flyer at all the neighbourhood schools and I call the school and remind them. Plus I put up flyers in all the grocery stores. Last year I dropped off a tape of our yard to the local news and they came out and filmed abit and Interviewed my husband. Last year we had about 450 tot's on halloween night and 1600 for the week. We get alot of drive bys from people who don t realize they can go thru the whole yard. as far as info on the flyer, I put hours and days people can come by to have 'sneak peeks' (daytime with no lights actors or music) and which hours are 'no mercy'. Also I put that it is not suitable for wheelchairs cause of steps and unevenground, and that a can food drive is in progress , a small map, and of course that its free!
My flyers are just handmade usually with a picture of some eyes or a pumpkin and I just print on orange paper.


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## Moon00 (Oct 7, 2007)

Great! It sounds like advertising is worth it. We've decided to go ahead and do the flyers and then put up a few signs around the neighborhood as well.


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## Moon00 (Oct 7, 2007)

Another quick question...would it be a good idea to put our haunt website on the flyers or would it make it sound too much like a pro attraction?


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

So long as the flyer specifies that it's a home haunt for funzies and not a pro haunt. And instead of just printing the web addy at the bottom, say "Come visit us at www.whatever"; give it that folksy informal sound. And then of course on the website say again that it's a free home haunt, not a pro haunt.


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## Moon00 (Oct 7, 2007)

yeah at the top of the flyer I have "Halloween Yard Display" pretty large under our haunt name. Adding the "come visit us at.." line sounds like a great idea, I'll do that. Thanks!


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## HauntCast (Jul 25, 2008)

I printed up flyers and hung them on telephone poles within a 1/2 - 1 mile radius of my house. I did it the day before Halloween. No one complained and it definitely brought in the TOTs. I put the street on the flyer not the address just in case someone caused a stink. I wouldn't put the web site.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

I used the cool poster & graphics from the skull & bone website (I think it was from their site?)to make flyers...the local photocopy shop helped me size them properly & printed them on green fluoroscent paper. I also have a charity yard & house display (no haunted house/walk thru). I hung the flyers at the local convenience stores. I also made signs...after the last political election, campaigners threw out about 10 brand new signs complete with the wire thingies to hold them up. I took the signs (laminated cardstock) and turned them inside out (so I have a white, unprinted side) and put my own eyeball logo and info on it ("The House..at dusk.." with an arrow). I only put the signs up the 3 days before Halloween, as we only make the house "run" (I have aninmated eyes in the windows that need to be "babysat") for those 3 days + Halloween. We also sent out a press release to the local tv stations & newspaper and got in the paper last year. That was the 1st year we sent out a release & we really sent it out too late (the day before)- this year, we will send the release out a few days before, as we had another paper that wanted to cover us & anther news station.too, but they couldn't get here in time.I was AMAZED that we made the media, as I really like our yard, but it doesn't have any trashcan traumas or anything mechanized that I think would make it amazing. I guess people like what we do- one family says they drive from a town 30 minutes away just to see what we do each year.
Maybe we Halloweeners DO impact people and make them smile more than we know...I know some guy who stops every day (on his way home form work?) to see what we are putting up, seeing as we are notoriously slow & only put a little bit up each day (there is so much crap to put up!!)...

d5


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## Moon00 (Oct 7, 2007)

Here is the flyer that I made up last night, these are the ones that will be handed out. Still not sure if I'll keep the website on there or not. I know I definitely won't put it on the signs for the neighborhood.

djchrisb that's a good idea about just putting the street name rather than the whole address. That's what I was going to do on the website but I think I'll do the same with the flyer.


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## HauntCast (Jul 25, 2008)

It rained on Nov 2nd and washed the paper of the poles, so I didn't have to go back out to remove them. Bonus!


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## Devils Chariot (May 23, 2007)

I'm gonna put some up for our yard haunt/display, but I'm gonna also mention everyone of the street goes nuts for halloween, and come see all of our yards. thought I'd put them around the super markets and make two big signs and put them on the two major cross streets. Haunted yards this way!


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## Papa Boo (Apr 16, 2008)

Seven blocks away, a free front yard haunt was shutdown by the city when a local haunt that charges for admission turned him into the city. It seems hw used 4X8 wood panels and hooked it to his garage. He was told to tear it down or face a $1000 dollor fine. Hint: Make sure you don't dip into city codes with your haunt. Check first.


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## DarkShadows (Feb 6, 2006)

See if there's a website with a big list of haunted attractions around your area. For instance, I'm listed on hauntedillinois.com

Also, See if there's anyone around your area that does the yard haunts like yourself. Talk with them and see if they wanna be included in a flyer. Take down thier adress, times, dates and so on.. Then create a big list on a sheet of paper and have everyone pass them out to peopel that check out thier hosues. For instance, say someone checks out your yard, while thier checking it out, give them a flyer and tell them to check out the other local haunts. And email the flyer to the other people signed up so they can do the same.. Thats what we got going on in the south chicagoland area with about 30 or so haunts and it works realllllllly well!


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## GothicCandle (Mar 26, 2007)

i put a halloween themed picture, the address, and a map to the house(thanks google) last year we got 70 something TOTers. The year before we got 42. so handing out the flyers must have helped. I put one at the local library.


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## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

sure flyers would help ..make sure you tak ethem down after the big day too.

debbie5 maybe the guy wants to help you


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## Texan78 (Sep 25, 2008)

It really depends on how long you have been doing it. Like for me I have been doing it for 15 yrs and I am the only one in my neighborhood that does this or even close by that I can think of. So word of mouth will spread as people see it through out the month and from year to year. So I really have no need to advertise as everyone knows by now and I also do a huge Animated Christmas display so a lot of people know my house and they see the information on the web site from that. 

Just be careful if this is your first time doing this or advertising. You can draw more then you actually want or can handle and you could run out of candy and that can get expensive on its own...LoL I know everyone wants to get their work out there but the best way is word of mouth and let things catch on from year to year. Before long you will be wishing you could turn some away. I have so much traffic now and people coming from across town and other places the police actually shut me down each year at 9pm. Of course with Halloween being on a Friday it will make it even worse with no school the next day. Good thing I am taking this year off...LoL


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## Moon00 (Oct 7, 2007)

Texan78 said:


> It really depends on how long you have been doing it. Like for me I have been doing it for 15 yrs and I am the only one in my neighborhood that does this or even close by that I can think of. So word of mouth will spread as people see it through out the month and from year to year. So I really have no need to advertise as everyone knows by now and I also do a huge Animated Christmas display so a lot of people know my house and they see the information on the web site from that.
> 
> Just be careful if this is your first time doing this or advertising. You can draw more then you actually want or can handle and you could run out of candy and that can get expensive on its own...LoL I know everyone wants to get their work out there but the best way is word of mouth and let things catch on from year to year. Before long you will be wishing you could turn some away. I have so much traffic now and people coming from across town and other places the police actually shut me down each year at 9pm. Of course with Halloween being on a Friday it will make it even worse with no school the next day. Good thing I am taking this year off...LoL


Yeah I'm definitely being very careful about just how much I advertise so we don't attract more people than we can handle. This is actually our 5th year doing a display but only our third time doing it in the neighborhood we live in now. Although our first year here was very scaled back since we had just moved in and didn't have the time to set up much. So people are still getting use to us here, my plan was to advertise a little this year and maybe next year as well and then just let word of mouth take care of the rest.


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## Texan78 (Sep 25, 2008)

Sounds like a good plan especially if you are in a new neighborhood. You will be amazed at how fast word of mouth spreads.

I guess the one good thing I have going for me is I live on the main street that runs through my sub division. Also I have the middle school just 3 blocks from me so I get a lot of drive by and walk by traffic from the school and just general traffic. So all those kids talk that see it each day and you know how fast kids can spread things when they think something is cool...LoL


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## Denhaunt (Aug 18, 2006)

I have a small home haunt every year called "Eerie Hollow". It's always only been a glorified Halloween party. Everyone's invited and all are welcome. Have the usual booze and creepy finger foods. But the past few years have seen a change. We no longer call it a party but an "Event". the crowds get bigger every year (and more expensive to feed and booze up). People come just to see the props and to be a part of what they consider as something special. I make the worlds coolest flyers. If you want to see one - heck, maybe you'll even get a chance to stop in and say hello. PM me - I'll send one over.

Den


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## Departed_Studios (May 18, 2008)

*I'm confused...*

I'm confused.. Why does it say "Oct 26, During Trick or Treat"?? Do people trick or treat on oct 26 there? lol, I dont get it. I've never heard of Trick or Treating anytime except on the 31st.

Great poster by the way!


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## edwood saucer (Aug 21, 2006)

In our town the kids TorT on the 30th and go to a town parade on the 31st... I have no idea how long this has gone on this way - but think it may be a hold over from the 70's.


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## Moon00 (Oct 7, 2007)

Departed_Studios said:


> I'm confused.. Why does it say "Oct 26, During Trick or Treat"?? Do people trick or treat on oct 26 there? lol, I dont get it. I've never heard of Trick or Treating anytime except on the 31st.
> 
> Great poster by the way!


lol Yes, Trick or Treat in our area for some very strange reason is always on the last Sunday of October rather than actually on Halloween (unless it falls on the last Sunday). As far as I know of we're the only ones who do this, all of the other surrounding towns and city's have ToT on Halloween. Which is even more disappointing this year since Halloween is falling on a Friday and then next year on a Saturday.
Oh and thanks for the comment on my flyer!


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## OpenTrackRacer (Sep 20, 2008)

I'm going to put up fliers in the neighborhood this year. Our neighborhood has lots of short streets broken up by a major four lane road. We get very few ToTs and with all the effort I go through I would like to have more.

Working on a name...


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## SweeneyFamilyHorror (Aug 14, 2006)

We put our display out the second weekend of October. Sometimes the first. A few years back I had three or four lawn signs printed up. I put them up around our neighborhood. Works great. It's worth it because we get a lot of pre-Halloween traffic to see our display and loads of TOTs on the big night. Can be a little pricey for the signs but they last forever and are impervious to weather.


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