# Menu or promo? How to choose what plays on your TV · Letrero

> A menu is your whole board with every item and price. A promo is one full-screen ad for one item. See the difference, which to make, and how to put both on the same TV.

- Page: https://letrero.tv/menus-and-promos
- Language: English (Español: https://letrero.tv/es/menus-y-promos.md)
- Updated: 2026-10-26


## Menu or promo? Here's the difference.

A menu shows everything you sell. A promo sells one thing, big. Most shops use both on the same TV. This page shows you which to make and how to put them together.

## Two kinds of slides

### Menu: Your whole board

Every item you sell, grouped in sections like Sandwiches or Drinks, with prices. It's what people read to decide what to order.

- Many items in sections, each with a price, sizes, photo and labels
- Layouts: Classic, Columns, Price chart, Deals, Photo grid, Build your own and more
- Discounts, sold-out items and a QR code for your online menu
- Long menus turn pages by themselves

Examples: Breakfast menu, all-day menu, drinks board, catering list

### Promo: One item, full screen

A big ad for one thing: a photo, a headline, a price and a badge. It grabs attention for a moment, then hands the screen back.

- One item with a headline, price and a badge like “2 for $20”
- Three looks: Hero, Split and Poster
- First and last day, hours, and an “Ends in…” countdown
- Built from a menu item, so price and photo stay in step

Examples: Lunch special, new drink, holiday combo, weekend deal

Simple rule: if people need to compare and choose, make a menu. If you want them to notice one thing, make a promo.

## What do you want your TV to do?

- **Show everything we sell and the prices:** A menu. Create a menu, add sections and items (or build it from photos of your printed menu), pick a layout and publish it.
- **Push one item or a special this week:** A promo. Create a promo from the item, add a headline and badge, and set its last day so it stops by itself.
- **Keep the menu up but show a special now and then:** A menu and a promo, taking turns. Add both to the TV's playlist. The menu plays, then the promo for a few seconds, then the menu again.
- **Show a special without ever hiding the prices:** A promo beside the menu. Add both to the playlist and set Promos to “Beside the menu”. The menu keeps most of the screen and promos rotate in a side panel.
- **Show breakfast in the morning and a lunch deal at noon:** Menus and promos with their own hours. Give each playlist entry its hours. Each one only plays during its time, so the TV changes by itself through the day.
- **Fill two or more TVs side by side:** A linked TV wall. Pair each TV, then link them as a wall. One menu spreads across all of them, and promos can sit beside it on the last screen.

## Four ways to combine menus and promos

A TV plays a playlist. Put menus and promos in it, in any order, and choose how they share the screen.

1. **Take turns.** Menus and promos play one after another, each for the time you pick (8 seconds, 15, 30…). Each promo gets the whole screen for its turn. (Displays › your TV › Playlist › Promos: Between menus)
2. **Promo beside the menu.** The menu stays up on most of the screen and your promos take turns in a panel beside it, so people in line can always see prices. (Displays › your TV › Promos: Beside the menu)
3. **By time of day.** Give each menu or promo in the playlist its own hours and days. Breakfast in the morning, the lunch special from 11 to 3, dinner after. (Displays › your TV › Playlist › Set schedule)
4. **Across a TV wall.** Link 2 to 4 TVs into one wall. A long menu spreads across them, pages turn together, and promos can sit on the last screen. (Displays › Link TVs)

## You never start from zero

Promos and menus share the same items, so you can build one from the other in a tap.

- **Make a promo from a menu item.** In the menu editor, tap the megaphone on any item. A new promo opens with its name, description, price and photo already filled in. (Menus › open a menu › item › Make a promo)
- **Start a menu from promos.** Already have a few promos? Pick them in order and they become a Specials menu, one item each, ready to edit and publish. (Menus › New menu › Start from promos)

## Setups that work

- **One TV at the counter.** Your main menu with one or two promos beside it. Prices are always up and the special keeps moving. All-day menu → Lunch special → Fresh OJ
- **Two TVs behind the register.** Link them as a wall for one big menu, or give each TV its own playlist: the menu on one, rotating promos on the other. All-day menu (TV 1) → Promos (TV 2)
- **A tall TV by the door or window.** Promos only, turned portrait. One big photo at a time pulls people in from the street. Lunch special → Fresh OJ → Weekend combo
- **Breakfast, lunch and dinner.** A menu for each part of the day with its own hours, plus a promo that only plays at lunch. Breakfast · 6–11am → Lunch special · 11am–3pm → Dinner · 3pm–close

## Put both on a TV in three steps

1. **Make your menu.** Menus › New menu, or build it from photos. Pick a layout and publish.
2. **Make a promo.** Promos › New promo, or tap Make a promo on a menu item. Add a headline, badge and dates.
3. **Add both to a display.** Displays › your TV › Playlist. Add the menu and the promo, then pick Between menus or Beside the menu.

## Questions

### Do I need a menu to make a promo?

No. A promo can stand alone with its own title, price and photo. Building it from a menu item is easier, though: its price and photo stay in step with the menu, and it hides itself when you mark the item sold out.

### Can a TV play only promos?

Yes. Put only promos in its playlist. That works well for a portrait TV by the door or in the window.

### How long does each one stay on screen?

You choose the time per page on each display, from 6 to 60 seconds. A long menu uses that time for each of its pages.

### What happens when a promo ends?

After its last day it stops playing on every TV by itself, and the countdown, if it's on, shows people how long is left before that.

### Which plans include promos?

Menus are on every plan. Promos, discounts and schedules come with Standard and Pro.

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