Effective and Free Ways to Promote Your Upcoming Event
So, you’ve got an event coming up, and you’re wondering where to focus your time and energy to get the best turnout possible. With so many options out there to promote your event, it can be tough to figure out what will work best. Based on my experience, I’ve put together a list of practical strategies to help get the word out. I recommend starting these at least a few months in advance to give yourself enough time to get the word out and ensure your event is a success.
Key Actions for Event Promotion
Design and Distribute Flyers/Posters: Start by designing a poster or flyer for the event (common sizes include 8.5x11 or 11x17). Canva is a good tool for designing these with easy templates to start from. Be sure to include the event name, date, time, location, description, sponsors, age restrictions (if applicable), and a QR code to learn more. Once designed, distribute these around town. Call around first to make a list of local places that accept posters/flyers. Additionally, give a few to any sponsors or partnering businesses so they can distribute them as well.
Where to bring flyers: Check with local hotels, visitor centers, coffee shops, restaurants, bars, shopping centers, boutiques, colleges/schools, city buildings, libraries, gas stations, retail shops, tattoo parlors, bus stops/hubs, farmer's markets, hair salons, theaters, museums, bakeries, apartment complexes, convention centers, skywalks, state parks, etc. (think about your target audience and where they might be).
Imagery: For the Facebook event and for submitting it to local calendars, you’ll need an event cover image. Choose something that represents what attendees can expect at the event—perhaps an image from a previous year or one that captures the essence of the event. The best size for these images is typically 825 x 450 px, as this works well across most public event calendars and Facebook event cover images.
Submit the Event to Local Calendars: Submitting the event to local calendars can greatly increase visibility. For example, here are some public event calendars I found online for Rochester, MN:
If you're in another city, a quick Google search for "events in (city, state)" or "events near me" should lead you to public event calendars. Most will have a form to submit your event, and if not, you can look for an email address to reach out about adding your event.
Send Out a Press Release: Draft your press release in Google Docs, create a Google Drive folder, and upload it along with any images for the media. ChatGPT can be very helpful in creating a starting point for a press release. Copy the share link to the Google Drive folder and gather a list of contacts/email addresses for sending your press release.
Add the Event to Your Website: This is where you can include the full details about your event, including any information that you couldn’t fit on the flyer. This could include dress code, what to bring, what is not allowed, if it's pet-friendly, the cost of the event, or a link to purchase tickets if applicable, age restrictions, and all the same basic event information that you included on the poster/flyer. Make sure to add the event to your website by creating a dedicated event page and adding a pop-up on your homepage to promote it. This approach is better for your SEO than creating a separate website for your event, as it brings all visitors to your business site, where they can also learn more about you and your business while they're learning more about your event.
Social Media Promotion: For social media promotion, create a Facebook event and add any sponsors and other partnering businesses as co-hosts to reach their audiences in addition to yours.
Adding a Facebook Event: Go to your business Facebook page → Events → Create Event → Upload your event cover image → Enter all of your event details → Add sponsors or other involved businesses under "Add co-hosts" → Create Event.
Adding an Instagram Event: On Instagram (this can only be done on the Instagram app on a mobile device), create an event post. Before you post it, select “Add reminder,” enter your event name, start time, and end time. You can also add collaborators by tagging them.
Content Calendar: It may be helpful to write up a simple content calendar ahead of time and plan out the weeks/months leading up to the event. This can help ensure you are spreading out the different types of content. Post varying types of content. In your calendar, you can label which post falls under which category to ensure these are spread out evenly over time: Educational, engaging, promotional, announcements, inspirational, entertaining, behind-the-scenes, sponsor shoutouts, trends, FAQs. ChatGPT can also be really helpful in coming up with ideas for social media content.
Posting Frequency: There is no one-size-fits-all or one correct answer to how often to post on social media. If you have the time and the content, you can post once a day. If you don't have a ton of content, try to space it out and post at least once a week leading up to the event and once a day the week of the event. If you have enough relevant, interesting content to post multiple times a day, then do that! Focus on sharing fresh, valuable content that engages your audience.
Promoting on Existing Pages: Your event can be effectively promoted using the following you’ve already built on your business social media pages. By leveraging your existing audience, you can reach a broader audience than starting from scratch with a new social media page just for the event. It’s easier to promote the event alongside your business on your established pages.
Include the Event in Your Email Newsletter: If you have an email newsletter or an email list of attendees from previous years, a list of previous/current sponsors, etc., send the event in an email newsletter to them. I recommend using a platform like Mailchimp to design and send out the email blast. Provide a promotional graphic advertising your event to your sponsors and other partnering businesses so they can include the event in their email newsletters as well.
Capture Content During the Event: The more content, the better! This is one place you should not skip over. Be sure to post the day of the event throughout the event and take loads of content. There is no such thing as too many photos/videos, especially if your event is going to be an annual event and you can use that content for all of your promo material for the following years.
Gallery and Visual Content: Afterward, add a gallery of images to your event webpage or website. This will allow potential attendees to see what the event is like, which can help boost attendance in future years.
Add the Event to Google My Business: If you have extra time, another place to promote your event is on Google. You can add the event to your Google My Business account for free, and this will appear in Google search if someone searches for events in the area.
Adding a Google Event: Go to Google My Business → Add Update → Add Event.
Add the Event to Your Email Signature: As an added bonus, if you have time and want an extra place to promote your event, consider adding a small graphic to the bottom of your email signature to help get the word out every time you send out an email. This can be a simple and helpful additional way to promote your event. Canva can also be a great tool for designing a graphic for this.
Sponsor Involvement and Recognition
Sponsor Booths/Tables: It’s important to involve and recognize your sponsors in various ways. Offer them a booth or table at the event, giving them a direct way to connect with attendees and showcase their products or services. This not only adds value to your event but also makes your sponsors feel special and ensures they are getting great exposure. When sponsors feel they are truly valued, they are more likely to support your events in the future.
Raffle Participation: Encourage them to participate in raffles by donating items, which can boost interest in their brands. Offering raffle opportunities provides additional exposure for sponsors and adds an element of excitement for attendees.
Gift Bag Contributions: If you’re giving away gift bags, allow sponsors to contribute promotional items like coupons, flyers, stickers, or pens. This not only provides value to your event attendees but also gives sponsors a direct way to reach their target audience.
Social Media Acknowledgment: On social media, create posts thanking each sponsor individually, tagging them to increase their exposure. This recognition helps build a positive relationship with your sponsors and shows potential attendees the level of community support behind your event.
Website Recognition: Add their logos with links to their websites on your event page or website for additional visibility. Featuring your sponsors on your event page enhances their exposure and shows visitors that your event has significant backing, making it appear more prominent.
Event-Day Recognition: During the event, publicly thank your sponsors—especially if there’s a stage or central area to make announcements. This simple gesture goes a long way in making sponsors feel appreciated and seen by the audience.
Printed Materials: Include sponsor logos on all printed materials like flyers, posters, and programs to ensure their brand is consistently represented. This consistent visibility across all promotional materials reinforces the value of their sponsorship and increases their chances of being noticed by attendees.
Adding all of your sponsors to these materials and promotions is not only great for them but also beneficial for your event. It shows potential visitors that your event has strong community support and encourages more people who have connections to these partnering businesses to attend.
Follow these steps to achieve the best turnout for your event. Keep in mind your target audience and think about where to reach them. Tailor the steps to what will work best for your specific event and audience. Focus on the strategies that will give you the best return. If you need some extra support in completing these tasks, reach out to marketing@jessicanaber.com for help from myself or any members of The Growth Collective.