14 Tips to Promote a Live Event

You could have the best event in the world, but if it isn’t promoted in the right way then you may not sell out, or attract as many ticketholders as possible.

Which is why it’s so important to know how to promote your live event properly to reach it’s full potential. 

Doing so will ensure that the right people know about your event and will feel the need to buy that hot ticket! 

Promoting a live event can be a complicated and lengthy process, something a live event PR agency like our team at Gala PR can help with. We’ve delivered successful live events campaigns many times over.

Hiring the right experts can help ensure your live event is a roaring success. 

Today, we will cover the importance of promoting your live event, tips on how you can do this and why enlisting a PR agency (like ours!) is a wise investment.  

Why Promotion for an Event is Important

The world is full of companies and brands all fighting for the attention of customers. 

Attention is currency, as the saying goes.

This is precisely why promoting your live event in the right way is so important. When you promote your event properly, you’re getting it in front of the right people.

Your event could be perfect for a particular person, but if they don’t see it being promoted, chances are they will either go with a competitor or miss the opportunity altogether. Visibility and talkability are musts! 

What You Need to Do Before You Start Promoting Your Event

Before you start to even promote your event you need to get a few things in order first. 

You need to set clear goals and objectives that you want to achieve with your event. Doing so allows you to aim for something tangible.

When your goals and objectives are set, you’ll be able to make decisions that are aligned with them.

You also want to identify who your target audience is. 

If you don’t know your audience then how can your event address their needs and resonate with them?

Do some research into your audience and find out ways in which your event can appeal to them. 

Doing so is going to ensure that once they see an event promotion of yours, they will more than likely buy a ticket. 

How to Promote an Event

Promoting a live event effectively involves a combination of strategies, both online and offline, to reach your target audience and generate interest and attendance. 

Here are 14 tips to promote your live event:

1. Create Compelling Content

Develop engaging and visually appealing promotional materials such as posters, flyers, banners, and social media graphics.

Your tone of voice and brand copy is also extremely important, you need to strike a chord with the people that read your marketing material.

You can do this by crafting compelling event descriptions that highlight the benefits of attending.

2. Utilise Social Media

Create event pages on social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

On these platforms, you will need to regularly post engaging content, including event teasers, speaker introductions, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and relevant industry news. 

Make sure that you deploy other tactics such as event-specific hashtags to increase visibility.

3. Email Marketing

Build an email list of potential attendees and send regular updates and reminders. 

Create an eye-catching email template that provides essential event details and a clear call to action.

4. Collaborate with Influencers and Partners

Team up with relevant influencers, industry experts, or local organisations that can help promote your event to their audiences.

You can offer them incentives or benefits for endorsing and sharing your event. Influencer marketing strategies are very effective when done right and can help boost your campaign even further in an authentic and visually appealing way. 

5. Engage with Media Outlets

By conducting media relations strategies, you can reach out to local newspapers, radio stations, and online publications to get coverage for your event.

By writing press releases and distributing them to media outlets, as well as targeted pitches, you’ll enhance the reach of your event. 

6. Utilise Online Event Platforms

There are a multitude of platforms you can use to list your live events including platforms like Eventbrite, Meetup, and LinkedIn Events.

Leverage these platforms’ built-in promotional tools and reach their user base, resulting in a huge surge in brand exposure.

7. Paid Advertising

Consider using paid event advertising on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Google Ads to target your desired audience.

In the beginning, you may not have the budget for this, but if you can afford it, it is worth it. The targeting capabilities these platforms offer are unmatched. 

8. Engage Your Network

Encourage your network to spread the word about the event. Leverage word-of-mouth marketing by asking attendees to invite their friends and colleagues.

It may not seem much but never underestimate the power of word of mouth. 

9. Create Teasers and Countdowns

Use teaser videos or graphics to create anticipation for your event. Start a countdown to the event day to build excitement and urgency.

This is one of the oldest promotional tactics in the book and it has proven time and time again to be highly effective.

10. Offer Early Bird Discounts or Incentives

Offer special discounts or incentives for early registrations to encourage early sign-ups. 

People respond well to limited-time offers, so if there is a way to use this for your event, it should be done. 

11. Offline Promotion

Distribute physical promotional materials in relevant locations (e.g., community centres, local businesses, universities).

It would also be beneficial to attend relevant industry events and conferences to network and promote your event.

12. Engage with Attendees

Interact with potential attendees on social media by responding to comments and messages promptly. 

Create engagement posts or contests related to the event to keep the audience excited.

13. Utilise Visual and Live Content

Use live streams, webinars, or video clips to give your audience a sneak peek of what to expect at the event.

Live streams have become increasingly popular in the last few years thanks to social media platforms.

They are one of the most engaging mediums to use to connect with an audience.

14. Influencers

Influencer marketing is fast becoming one of the most popular methods of promoting products and services. So it’s no surprise the effect it can have for promoting your live event.

By collaborating with influencers whose followers align with your event’s target demographic or interests, you can tap into a ready-made audience that is more likely to show interest and engage with your event.

Event Promotion at Gala PR

Promoting your event can seem overwhelming but with the correct strategy in place, you can ensure that your event is promoted as effectively as possible.

A public relations strategy for your live event is one of the most effective ways of ensuring your event is promoted properly.

At Gala PR, we know how to market events as we specialise in promoting live entertainment events using industry-leading PR strategies.
If you need help promoting your live event, we would love to assist you.