To help you think about the promotions you’ll need for your own event, we created a mock promotions timeline — emphasis on the “mock”: feel free to add to it or take certain elements away (we won’t be offended, we promise).
Note: in this version, email is the main source of promotion, but we dig into more event promotion tactics below.
On average, events have a promotion cycle of about about 8 weeks, but every event is different. If it’s a larger or paid event with thousands of attendees, you’ll likely need a longer promotion cycle with more emails.
If it’s a smaller or more intimate event, the promotion timeline may look shorter than this (i.e. 4 weeks or even 2 weeks). Make sure to keep that in mind when putting your own timeline together.
Second invite email: this email can go to the same list as your first invite, or you can segment your audience and send a few different versions that are tailored to each specific group. If you do decide to send to that same initial list, make sure the email looks and feels different (design-wise and copy-wise).
Announcement: we like to think of this email as a reminder disguised as an announcement. In this one, reveal a new piece of information about your event – for example a new performer, speaker, or a venue change. You might actually have new updates since your last email, but it’s also good practice to save a detail or two for these emails ahead of time.
Even when you start promotions two months out, a lot of your RSVPs will end up coming in the last two weeks. So, don’t stress if your guest list feels light in the beginning of your promotional cycle – and also, don’t skimp on the reminder emails.
Need quick tips on event promotion? Our CEO shares 20 of his best event promotion tactics in under 2 minutes in the following video:
Need to figure out the sweet spot for how many comp tickets you should give out for your event? Input your numbers into this downloadable template and find out.
Set up tracking links so that you can see where your RSVPs are coming from – you can create a separate tracking link for each promotion channel, and even give each sales rep a unique tracking link so you can track their progress and award top performers.
Want to learn more about sending beautifully branded emails in Splash that will take your event promotions to the next level? Check out this interactive course of our Email Sender feature.
Crafting the perfect event email is both an art and a science. Here’s our best tips for writing emails that help drive attendance:
Above all, the number one thing to remember is that your promotions should convey your event’s value, and what a guest is going to get out of attending.
Worried about your emails making it into your guests' inboxes? Here's some email deliverability tips to help avoid the dreaded spam folder:
Still having trouble? We've got a ton more email deliverability tactics.
Email may be your go-to promotion channel, but there are a lot of other ways to get the word out there about your event (to supplement your email strategy). Some great promotion tactics that we live by include:
If you decide to throw a ticketed event, pricing and timing can be the difference between no sales and a sold-out event.
Here are some of our favorite ticketing strategies:
Want more ticket pricing best practices? Our CEO Ben talks building an effective ticket pricing and promotion strategy here.
If you're throwing a huge conference, giving away tickets for free can actually be a more profitable tactic. Comp tickets can help you fill the room with higher-quality guests and generate more sales opportunities from your events.
But remember: every company is different, and things like your opportunity-to-close ratio, average opportunity value, and sales cycle will affect your results.
Want to get the details? See our tried-and-true comp ticket strategy.
Your mind might be on your guests, but don’t forget to evangelize your event to the rest of your company, too. You’ll want to over communicate (and start early!) about your event, including: why you’re throwing it, what your goals are, and how everyone in your company can help.
Then, make sure you give them everything they’ll need: sharing materials, action items, a detailed schedule of all the activations, etc.
One of the most obvious external promotion channels is paid and organic social (see how the CEO of Cannonball Productions leverages Facebook paid ads), but there are a lot of opportunities to think outside the box. Consider:
Remember to monitor your promotion performance and iterate as you go. Avoid using the exact same promotion tactics for every event, unless you know it really works.
RSVPs are flying in, but how do you make sure guests actually show up? Use our GIVE checklist to get people there on the big day.
Also consider sending a Save-the-Date or a teaser email to really drum up buzz. Positive side effect: this can help you test any issues with email deliverability before the big send.
Now that you've got them to your event, how do you make the on-site experience as seamless as possible? Lucky you - we share best practices in the next chapter.
