handing flyers on the streets in London

[Macik]

Hi,

I'm about to start a website and would like to promote it by handing flyers (not only, but that's one of the options).
My question is - do I need some kind of permit or license if I want to do it on the streets handing them to passing by people? Im thinking about central London, like Picadilly, Oxford or Leicester square area.

Thank you for your respond!
Macik

 

[Whili_fili]

Hello, in order to hand flyers to people on the street you need to book in advance with every council i believe 2-3 weeks in advance. You need to pay for the licence as well. Fines are quite big so don't risk it. Please check for the borough you are trying some borough may allow handing free literature without holding a licence to do so.
I am currently distributing door to door in London . MS me if you need more info would be happy to work something out. I am not working for leaflet distributors but only posting my own cards - Cleaning Company. The reason - been misled too many times.

 

[Ashley_Price]

Best thing to do would be to ask the councils of the areas you want to hand leaflets out on, they'll be able to give you all the information you need.

 

[Merchant UK]

Problem being what happens when the person throws the leaflet on the floor?? There was a guy on TV using Paper Arrows to point to his shop in london, The Peoples Supermarket, The council counted about 200 arrows which were placed everywhere leading to the store, each one was a £2,500 fine, and the guy had to go and remove each one

 

[Ashley_Price]

That's not quite the same thing, I guess the council regard the arrows as "illegal fly posting", which of course isn't the same as someone handing out flyers. I would assume the liability of them ending up on the floor is shifted from the person handing out the flyers to the people accepting them.

 

[S-Marketing]

When you apply for a permit there is a question regarding what provisions you have made to reduce the risk of litter. If you want to get a permit you need a proper plan in place.

 

[Macik]

thanks guys for all your responds! I guess I need to contact London City council then.
And if you have any more advices... please let me know! I would appreciate all info in this matter!
Thanks again!

 

[arcon5]

All this talk of permits, planning, approaching councils for giving people leaflets in the street? What has the world come to

Personally, I wouldn't even give it a second thought and go do it! I fail to see how your responsible if they throw them on the floor :|. If I purchase a bag of crisps from a newsagent then throw the packet on the ground would the council fine the newsagent for not having bins nearby?

Not that I condone littering (I hate seeing people litter infact) but isn't that one of the many reasons we pay council tax? To keep our streets clean & tidy.

 

[A.McVitty]

I think another option for you would be to deliver some leaflets door to door in the area in which you are planning to work. I am not sure of how good a response you will get from handing flyers out in the street, especially in the areas you have mentioned as a lot of people seem to hand leaflets out there.

Some clever placement of leaflets in businesses (coffee shops and bars etc) around that area may produce better results. But if you are going to the effort of printing leaflets in the first place it would be a shame to see them all over the ground if people aren't interested.

 

[Macik]

thank you guys for your input!

Well delivering flyers door to door and dropping them at local businesses its not really an option since these are not my target customers. My target customers are young (18-40) people who go out. So now you see
any other ideas?

 

[Whili_fili]

thank you guys for your input!

Well delivering flyers door to door and dropping them at local businesses its not really an option since these are not my target customers. My target customers are young (18-40) people who go out. So now you see
any other ideas?

Why not try to approach universities. Don't just stand outside and hand leaflets. Most Unis will have an announcement and add boards where anyone could post a note or a poster. The other thing is once inside the yard you may as well hand leaflets as this is not a part of the borough, but the land is privately owned(am I right in saying this, please anyone confirm. Do not rely on it as you may get a fat penalty for breaking the rules:|)
If you have friends at uni just ask them to spread the word. Many students that go out would actually meet up at the Union's Bar - its cheap so people go there. If you are not allowed in find somebody that has a Union's card they can get you in.
Try and link what you are offering with venues and restaurants - is there anyway this would help them bring more business in. If there is, speak to the manager or owner arrange something together - they help you you help them. There is no free lunch! A lot of options out there, just look for them .

Pav.

 

[juliewalters29]

thank you guys for your input!

Well delivering flyers door to door and dropping them at local businesses its not really an option since these are not my target customers. My target customers are young (18-40) people who go out. So now you see
any other ideas?

Hi Mack,

We always send our clients (as a printing company) to Jogpost. They use really well presentable and enthusiastic individuals, who aim to distribute your leaflets around London and get you the best results in the industry. If you would like to read testimonials of their work go to

www (dot) freeindex (dot) co (dot) uk/profile(jog-post-ltd)_196180.html

Also you can visit their website

www (dot) jogpost (dot) com