Posted on
Promoting an event is crucial for the successful running of an event. Without promoting an event there is no way for your target audience to be aware of your music event.
How to start promoting your event
Before an event
- When promoting an event, it’s important to remember that you should start promoting a few weeks possibly months before the event occurs.
- Allow a few weeks or months when promoting an event, in order to give enough time for people to make plans and ensure as many people are aware of the event as possible.
- Local media are often cheap and free! Contact your local newspapers and radios, they may be able to offer you space for an advert.
- Contact or post on websites or forums. There are lots of listing websites such as Gumtree that you are able to add your event to.
- Social media: it’s free, it’s easy and a lot of people have it, making it an easy platform for promoting an event. Make an event on your social media platforms and invite everyone, make sure it’s shared by anyone involved, this will spread the word.
- Put up posters and distribute leaflets.
- Word of mouth is a really effective form of promotion. Engage with your friends and fans and get them to spread the word about your event.
Just before the event starts
- You’ll need to make sure you have signs put up around the event and also on routes to the event, that way you give people the opportunity to pop in and see what’s going on. Signage is one of our tops tips in promoting an event.
- Social media becomes useful again; keep updating your social media throughout the day as it will attract people who may not have decided to go. Encourage other acts at your event to also post about the event as their fans may come along too.
During an event
- Have posters up including your social media links and/or the next gig date, which ideally will be already organised.
- There is no reason to stop promoting an event just because it’s happening. So make sure to have leaflets on the tables and bars again which include your social media links and/or the next gig date. Ideally, this will have space for people to add their details too like a mobile number or email address, for you to contact them about future events.
- Sell or give away merchandise; CD’s and T-shirts are the most popular.
- Most importantly engage with your audience! If they have taken the time to come and see you, come out after and thank them. Drop into the conversation the next gig you have or get them to follow you on Facebook or Twitter.
After an event
- Flyers are a good way of making sure people still have an interest in what you’re doing, even when they’re leaving. Getting someone to hand out flyers to everyone as they leave can help to promote any future events you have. Flyers can also be kept as a keepsake so they’re worth distributing, one of our hot tips about promoting an event.
- Follow up the event by thanking fans on your social media, by emailing them or by text.
- Use the mailing lists obtained during the event to continue promoting an event, it doesn’t have to be the one you’re already promoting.
- Getting feedback is a good way of seeing what was good or bad about the event. Ask your fans for feedback and thank them for it and let them know you will bear it in mind for future events. This feedback may be useful when you’re next promoting an event.
- Upload pictures and videos of your event on your social media sites as a way of showing what exactly happened and what people can expect from future events. Stagger them out don’t release them all at once and pre-announce that you are releasing the stage pictures from last night. Also, get your fans to tag themselves in the pictures so they feel involved in the event.