The short version
- A grand opening post needs four things: the date and opening time, the full address, a reason to come on the day, and a way to find out more.
- Start announcing about four weeks before the opening and build towards the day with a short countdown.
- The address should be written as people search for it, with the street, the area and a landmark if the street is hard to find.
- A printed A5 flyer at 1748×2480 pixels and an A4 window poster at 2480×3508 pixels reach neighbours who don't follow you yet.
- The opening post, flyer and window poster should share one look so people connect the shop front with what they saw online.
On this page
A grand opening post has to answer four questions before anyone scrolls past: when do you open, where exactly are you, why should I come on the day, and where can I find out more. Put the date and time in large type, the full address underneath, one reason to visit on opening day, such as a free coffee for the first fifty customers, and your handle or website. Then post it more than once, as a countdown, because one post a day before you open reaches almost nobody.
What every grand opening post needs
Common mistake
Common mistake
Common mistake
Write it like this
Common mistake
Write it like this
Common mistake
Write it like this
Common mistake
The reason to come matters more than it looks. People are curious about new places, but curiosity rarely beats a busy Saturday on its own. A small, specific offer on the day, a first look at a new menu, live music, a free class, gives them a reason to come this week rather than one day. Keep it honest and say if numbers are limited.
The main feed post: the news, the date and the address in three tiers.
A countdown story: the same look, a changing number and the opening day offer.
A four week plan for opening posts
A new location needs time to find its audience. This plan builds from a first announcement to opening day without repeating the same post. It works for a shop, a gym, a salon or a second branch of an existing business.
- 1
Four weeks out: the announcement
"Something new is coming to Market Row." Show the building or the street, give the month and invite people to follow. A coming soon post covers this stage.
- 2
Three weeks out: the date
The full opening post with date, time and address. Pin it. Put an A4 poster in the window the same day.
- 3
Two weeks out: behind the scenes
The fit out, the team, the first test bake. Behind the scenes content makes people feel they know the place before it opens.
- 4
One week out: the reason to come
Announce the opening day offer and any event. Hand out flyers on the street and to neighbouring businesses.
- 5
Final days: the countdown
One story a day: 3 days, 2 days, tomorrow. The countdown post guide has layouts.
- 6
Opening day and after
"We're open." A photo of the first customers, with permission, then an event recap post the next day.
Grand opening flyer and poster sizes
Your nearest customers often don't follow you yet. Print reaches them. Design the flyer and poster from the same artwork as the feed post so the window, the flyer and the phone all match.
A5 flyer 1748×2480
1748 × 2480
A4 poster 2480×3508
2480 × 3508
Instagram post 1080×1350
1080 × 1350
Facebook event cover 1920×1005
1920 × 1005
Google Business 1200×900
1200 × 900
A few practical points for print. Export print files as PDF with bleed so the printer can trim cleanly. Keep the address and date at least as large on the flyer as on the post, because people read flyers at arm's length and posters from across the street. If you list the opening as a Facebook event, the 1920×1005 cover needs the date and name in the middle, since invitations and event lists crop it tighter; see Facebook event cover size. The same opening as a Google Business post shows up when locals search for the area.
Make the shop front and the feed look the same
The most useful thing an opening campaign can do is teach people what you look like. If the window poster, the flyer through the door and the Instagram post all share one background and one typeface, a neighbour who saw the flyer recognises your post, and someone who saw the post recognises your door.
Avoid
- Balloons, confetti and a ribbon clip art
- A different style on the flyer and the post
- The address in tiny type at the bottom
- No opening time
- Posting only on the day
Do
- Your own colours and type from day one
- One look across print, window and feed
- Date and address as the two biggest details
- "Doors open 9am" on everything
- A plan that starts weeks before
If you are building a look for the new place from scratch, small business branding and local business marketing cover the basics. In Gradiently you can pick a Mark as the background for the whole opening, design the feed post once and, with Pro, resize it to the flyer, poster, story and event cover in one step. Pro also adds print PDF with bleed and crop marks for the printer.
Questions people ask
What should a grand opening post say?
The date, the opening time, the full address, what kind of place you are and one reason to come on the day, plus where to find directions or more information.
When should I start posting about a grand opening?
About four weeks before. Announce, then share the date, show behind the scenes, reveal the opening day offer and count down in the final days.
What size is a grand opening flyer?
A5 is a common flyer size, 1748×2480 pixels at 300 dpi. An A4 window poster is 2480×3508 pixels.
How do I get people to come to a grand opening?
Give a specific reason to visit on the day, such as a free item, a first look or a small event, and reach neighbours with flyers and a window poster as well as social posts.
Should a grand opening have a Facebook event?
It helps, because people can mark themselves as interested and get reminders. Use a 1920×1005 cover with the date and name kept in the middle.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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