How to promote an event

Event promotion advice usually assumes a marketing team. Here's the version for the person doing it themselves at 11pm: owned channels first, borrowed audiences second, paid last — and a rhythm that doesn't require genius, just consistency.

Owned first: list and socials you control

• Email still outconverts everything — a 1,000-address local list converting at 5–8% is 50–80 tickets before you spend a pound. Collect addresses at every event you ever run (see attendee data).
• One primary social channel, chosen by where your audience actually is, posted to 3–5× a week from announce to doors. Instagram for most UK scenes; Facebook events still quietly dominate 30+ local audiences.

Borrowed second: partners, listings, communities

• Venue, acts and sponsors all have audiences — write the posts for them; 'here's an asset, post Thursday?' gets shares that 'please share' never does.
• Free listings compound: local what's-on guides, Ents24, community Facebook groups, WhatsApp scenes. An hour of listings beats an hour of hashtag research every time.
• Local press wants stories, not adverts — the angle ('first X in town since…', 'local person does Y') earns coverage the event alone won't.

Paid last, and only with tracking

Paid social works for events when three things exist: a converting page, a pixel measuring purchases (not clicks), and a creative that would stop you scrolling. £5–£15/day on Meta targeting your area and lookalikes of past buyers is the sane independent budget. No pixel, no spend — you'll optimise into the void.

The rhythm

1. Announce week: the what/when/where, on-sale moment, early-bird urgency.
2. Middle weeks: one reason to care per week — lineup drops, collaborators, the story of the night.
3. Final week: momentum facts, practical info, last-chance mechanics. Half your sales live here; don't go quiet.