MS Word How-To: Creating a Flyer

A flyer is an affordable way to advertise, promote, or announce something to numerous people. Creating a flyer can help you let customers know about a sale. You can make a flyer to spread the word about your theater group’s upcoming performance. You might need to create a flyer to aid in the search for your lost pet or to publicize your housesitting services. Whatever your reason, you will be glad to know that creating a flyer in Microsoft Word can be a simple and even enjoyable project.

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Think of a catchy heading for your flyer. By creating this document, you are hoping to call attention to something. Determine whose attention you want to catch with the flyer to help you choose an appropriate caption. Once you have it, place it inside a banner at the top of your flyer. Use an AutoShape and a large font to capture more attention. In MS Word 2007, go to the Insert tab of the ribbon and click the Shapes dropdown. In MS Word 2003 or previous versions, you can find

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Choose a shape from the Stars and Banners, Callouts or other AutoShapes section and place it at the top of the flyer you are creating by dragging it into place with your mouse. Right click the shape and click on Add Text. Choose a font from the Formatting toolbar in MS Word 2003 or

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Insert a text box into the flyer you are creating. In MS Word 2007, go to the Insert tab of the ribbon and click on Text Box. In earlier versions of MS Word, click Text Box on the Insert menu. Stick with a simple font, such as Arial, here and do not put too much information. You want people to gain interest and basic details, not get bored and stop reading. Center your text using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+e or by clicking the Center button. Make sure you include basic information such relevant dates, times, and contact information.

Insert a graphic into the bottom of the text box to draw more attention to the flyer you are creating. In MS Word 2007, go to the Insert tab and choose either Picture or Clip Art from the Illustrations section. In previous versions of MS Word, point to Picture from the Insert menu and click on either From File or Clip Art.

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Make any final changes you wish, and your flyer is complete. Print it out, send it off or post it up around town. Then sit back and wait for business to start rolling in!

Don't forget to take a look at the other Microsoft Word tutorials and user guides in Bright Hub's growing collection. Learn about where to find templates, how to use shortcuts for tasks like adding an accent mark, how to insert and modify graphics, and more. Check back often because more MS Word tips and tricks are being added all the time.