One of our favorite things about working at Sickening Events is that we can help groups of all shapes and sizes sell event tickets. Building buzz doesn’t cost a lot of money. Here are our eight best free ways to sell more tickets.
1. Write a great summary of the event
You may be excited about your event, but why should the people who might go be? A good account of the event will answer that. It should be both interesting and useful (date, time, etc.). So go ahead and think of something! As you write, try to picture yourself in their place and think about how you want them to feel about the event. This description should be on your event page, your social media accounts, and anywhere else you talk about your event.
2. Put the link to your event on everything to get more people to buy tickets.
One great thing about using a ticketing tool is that it lets you make an event page that looks beautiful and professional in minutes. This means you have a unique URL that you can share on social media to get the word out about your event and make it easy and safe to buy tickets online. You can start advertising right away if you know where your audience likes to hang out online.
Put the link to your event page on X, in your Instagram bio, and anywhere else people who might want to attend can find it. If your group on Facebook is for your company, post your link there and ask your followers to do the same for their followers.
3. Come up with the right hashtag
To get more people to buy tickets to your event, a custom name can be very helpful. It helps people who are going to your event, have been before, or will go in the future find it on almost all social media sites. Pick a hashtag that stands out, is important, and people will remember. In all of your marketing, use your hashtag, and tell your guests to do the same. If they share fun pictures from your event, it will be easy to find them again, especially if you need pictures to market future events.
4. Find supporters that people will love
Don’t spend extra money on sponsorships; they just add worth to your event, which helps you sell more tickets. This means that you can charge more for tickets and people will still think they’re getting a good deal. Some sponsorships come in the form of money donations, which means you can spend more on whatever will make your audience happiest: a fancier setting, a famous guest, or a great DJ.
Donations of goods or services are another type of sponsorship. For example, a restaurant might offer free lunch or a company might send workers to help with your event. In exchange, your sponsors’ brands will be seen at your event, which will help them reach more people. Good for everyone!
5. Write a blog post about your event
In the weeks before the event, write about it on your group’s blog if it has one. In these and other blog posts, make sure to include a link to your event page. People who have blogs that their readers might be interested in your event can help you if you don’t have one yourself. For instance, if your event is good for families, you should get in touch with a nearby parenting blog. Don’t go too long on your message. Keep it short and real. Use their name in the greeting so it doesn’t seem spammy or impersonal, and only get in touch if you think their crowd would be a good fit for your event.
6. Bring people together
We already said to share the link to your event page on social media but don’t stop there. Find online groups that would be interested in your event as well. Join neighborhood/local groups, Facebook groups, and subreddits that have something to do with the theme of your event. Post about your event in these groups, but also make sure to read other people’s posts, comment on them, and talk to them. Plus, it’s a great way to meet new people and sell more event tickets at the same time.
7. Use deals that are only available for a short time
When you shop online, have you ever put something in your cart but then clicked away before you could buy it? If so, you’ll know how making people feel like they need to act quickly can boost sales. When you set up your event page, make early bird tickets that are cheaper than normal tickets and can only be bought for a short time. Get the word out on social media about this early bird deal, and don’t forget to tell people that the deal ends soon. Note: TicketLeap’s platform always has more than one type of ticket, while some platforms may charge extra for this feature. (Remember this as you look around.)
8. Don’t forget about chances to meet people in person
Sometimes, talking to someone in person is the best way to get things done. You can meet new people at events that are similar to yours or that have the same kind of people. Make sure you have business cards with your event name and links to your social media pages and event page on hand. It should only be a business card. (People are less likely to keep things that are too big to fit in their pockets.) Leave flyers in places where you know your audience hangs out, like shops or restaurants. Plus, you could use discount codes that are only good at those places (your ticketing tool should let you do that!).
