How to Promote an Event on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Forcing an event on Instagram is not as simple as creating a few images and waiting for people to shed a glimpse; it is about following a strategy that will help take advantage of every feature offered by this social media app to make the event popular.

This guide is written specifically how to Promote an Event on Instagram, and its purpose is to take the guesswork out of using this powerful platform to increase interest and attendance in your event.

Why Instagram is Effective for Event Advertisement

Hence, Instagram has quickly grown to be an essential platform for the promotion of events, partly because of its user base of over a billion active users and the high engagement level with content in this platform.

This leads to the main benefit of event promotion through visuals, that makes it possible not only to present the event but also the spirit, mood, and tone of the event. The numbers indicate that the use of images leads to 650 % higher engagement than those posts which only contain text, emphasizing the importance of grabbing people’s attention.

Besides, in conversations, sharing information about events and activities, diversification and multitasking are also possible, such as IG Stories, Reels, or IGTV.

In Brands and Instagram Survey it was observed that brands who effectively use it for event promotion record a higher turn up, better engagement and better brand awareness; therefore, it is a crucial tool for any event marketer.

Setting Up an Instagram Business Account

First, you should create a Business account to be able to effectively promote an event on the Instagram. A Business account helps one to know their target audience and the effectiveness of the posts to the audience hence can change the type of posts it posts.

To create an Instagram Business account, first, ensure that you do not have the Instagram application; if you do not download it. Second, make a new account or add the current account to Business account on the setting section.

Some of the information that one is required to input include; name of the business, profile picture, and contact information. Your bio needs to properly fit the theme of your event and contain a link to your page on the event or the registration page for it.

Likewise, having a Business account allows access to IG, Insights – a free tool that helps monitor promotion engagement rates, target audiences, and post effectiveness.

The Different Types of Content Typically Produced to Promote an Event

Always, content creation is one of the most critical necessities for any platform, especially where most of the focus is on visuals, as with Instagram. When making event-related content, concentrate on using beautiful photographs and videos of the event in question.

For example, glimpses of how a company is preparing for an event may interest people more than a staged photo of it heading to the event venue, but sleek promotional images are essential in passing on simple details such as dates, venue and ticket availability among others.

Ideally, every post should be a script of a story and the captions you should act as the narrator for what attendees can expect hence the creation of hype. Also, it can use post from attendee or influencer that was taken during the event in what is known as user generated content (UGC).

Be honest with the participation of other people and welcome them to join you, as UGC creates community and relatability With people, try several features, such as carousel posts that might highlight various faces or aspects of the event or videos that might illustrate successful past gatherings for your audience.

How to Build Anticipation through Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are the best tool to create hype around the event. Because of their short duration, it promotes real-time dedication and participation from the would-be attendees. First of all, create a countdown sticker in your Stories to inform your followers about the event and to create engagement before the event.

Make your audience participate through polls, question stickers, quizzes, etc., and make them reveal what they are most looking forward to, etc. Moreover, using some photos or video during preparation to the event or in rehearsals as well as preview shows concerning the main speakers or entertainers should greatly increase interest.

Another effective tactic is to create a series of Stories that step by step reveal the full information about an event, and people will definitely re-Share it with their friends.

Using the Opportunity of Instagram Adverts for Event Advertising

In particular, Instagram Ads can be highly effective for promoting your events to the audience who does not follow you and are interested in event-related content. To create the adcamp on the Instagram ads, one has to identify the audiences that should see the Ads by choosing the categories ranging from their geographical location, interests, age, and behavior among others.

Use Facebook Ads Manager because Instagram Ads are created and run through this tool. Design a compelling ads image, video or carousel that you want to post in the event and ensure they have the key features of the event.

Ensure you place a keyword and strong call-to-action encouraging the user to register or find out more. Instagram also provides metrics for the ads to see how many people viewed the posts as well as how many engaged with the content, meaning that one will need to have a look at the Instagram Insights to see whether people responded as expected or not to the ads placed. A well organized ad tool maximizes the visibility of the event and motivates people to come.

Hiring Influencers to Promote an Event

Influencer marketing has now turned out to be essential for many brands, including in the event industry. For instance, working with key influencers in your niche you will be able to leverage on the large following that such an influencer has and also boost the credibility of your event promotion campaign. First of all, you should choose key speakers in your field that share vision and mission of your event.

Get in touch with them with a proposal on how you will be benefiting each other the benefit the event can offer could be tickets to their events free promotions code or offers to undergo through the event. Influencers remain able to post content in unique ways showing their enthusiasm for your event, from posts, stories, to live videos which can greatly increase on visibility of the event.

Also, think of having the pre-event meet up or an influencer event to ensure that influencers share their experience on their social media platforms.

Hashtags and Event-Specific Hashtags

Promotion of your event on Instagram is highly dependent on the use of hashtags. As for hashtags, it is important to choose both universal hashtags trending within the niche, less popular hashtags to ensure a standalone prominence, as well as event-related hashtags in case if the Association is planning on participation in events or has already planned an event, which will attract the attention of targeted clients.

There are the hashtag that everybody knows and the hashtag that is somehow connected to the event you are planning on organizing will address a different audience altogether. Organizing an event hashtag can also increase community engagement because the attendees can use such tag to share the content connected to the event.

When promoting your event, add these hashtags to all your posts and Stories, but don’t go overboard with them. Ideally, use 5—10 hashtags per post to keep the look of your profiles neat, and still hit the mark with the targeted audience. Also, check on the hashtags your business is using and whether there are better performing hashtags to the one your business uses out there.

How to Run an Instagram Contest and/or Giveaway

Presenting people with incentives of winning through competitions and free items are perfect events engagement boosters. Marketing ideas are races such as the ticket giveaway in which users have to follow the account, like the post, and tag friends in the comments section. It does not only enhance reach but also drive interaction and sharing or referring to others of the content.

Participants can also be given an opportunity to repost your post on their own stories and this affords another chance at reaching out to as many individuals as possible.

The contest should relate to your event and its purpose; ensure you state out the rules, different means of entry and the recommended time limits while making the post. Following the end of the competition, make a post focusing on the winner, then probably post pictures and perhaps some accounts from the event to keep the engagement going.

Following up The event on Instagram

What a lot of people fail to remember is that getting their audience to interact even after the event is as crucial as getting them to take notice before the event takes place. Continuing a discussion after an event can be beneficial for developing people’s loyalty to the event.

First, what about the best moments of the event? These may be some professional photos, but it’s better to diversify and showcase not only that but the photos and videos the participants took. Instead, it is recommended that you invite the attendees to also engage by sharing their opinions and moments through the comments section or by posting them on Stories, under the event has been created for.

Also use feedback survey in your Stories in the event to get some feedback from the attendees on the event and what can be done to enhance it.

You can also express positive feedback on the event on Instagram, including thanking attendees, sponsors and partners, while this can be done through direct messages, it will create an audience for the persons or organisations to see which can be powerful. After event, people are contacted to keep them informed of future events so they consider being a part of it in future.

Strategies to Follow Before Marking Your Event On Instagram

Creating buzz and anticipation leading to the actual event on the gram is usually a critical piece in the promotion strategy. This can greatly affect how many people show up to your event, or how well people participate throughout, which is why it pays to think about this carefully.

Begin as soon as you can by referring to the event in passing—using glimpses to raise expectations about the speakers, other activities, or guests that will be attending the event. To capture someone’s attention, post interesting images, which should be accompanied by even more interesting comments.

Regulary post some information about the event, perhaps new trilling feature or maybe special offer of the tickets or any other giveaways. Promote broader community involvement by asking your audience what they are most looking forward to, and they should use friends’ tagging.

Another way, which Stories can help in brand promotion is using countdowns before the event’s date comes closer. This way, you can always make your target audience buzz and get them engaged in a way that they will actively participate.

Most of Instagram Bio in Terms of Event Promotion

I think your Instagram bio may be the first material your target audience finds when they come across your Instagram page for event information. A properly designed bio offers an activity description at first glance, helping people understand your event.

Begin with the event’s name and the date so that people can see at once what the page is about. For example, always add the keywords related to the event to make the post more discoverable at first sight, for instance, ‘’networking”, “workshop,” or “festival”.

Remember to add a call to action and ask people to come to your event registration page or website and when including links, make sure to use a URL shortener so that your email looks neat. Using them will make the bio more presentable and the use of emojis to divide the text makes it easier to read.

Moreover, it is possible to draw attention to the main or priorities such as speakers or engagement activities inclusively, to get people interested in knowing more about them. An optimized bio works hand in hand in a process of capturing the attention of your audience thus increasing traffic to your event.

Applying Instagram Interesting Stories as a Part of Event Promotion

Thus, Instagram Highlights provide an opportunity to save and present more essential event characteristics than Stories do in 24 hours. With Highlights, you can create special sections that are exclusively related to your event and place all information that a potential attendee might need into yourها.

To get started, create Highlights for the different sections of your event like Event Details, Speakers, Tickets, and even the Bloopers.

Choose attractive cover images that will complement the rest of the branding of the event. In each Highlight it is recommended to put Stories that are important for people, for example links to tickets, venue, frequently asked questions, etc. This makes it easy for the users to scroll down and locate everything they want they do not have to move to other sub sections.

It can also used as a platform for sharing not only views of other people who attended other events, and history of interesting and motivational stories from previous occasions which would add more credibility and enticement to the occasion. By using Highlights properly, you generate an easy to navigate, visually appealing, list of events that can attract people’s attention.

How to Create an Event Countdown on Instagram

Using the features Instagram provides a good strategy is to create an event countdown to lure audiences and make them more eager to attend the event. One feature is the countdown sticker in Instagram Stories, which will help you set the time before the event and make your subscribers excited about it. To set up a countdown, go into the stories camera, swipe over to the stickers and set up the countdown by typing your event details.

Add your event name or an inspirational phrase you want to resonate with the event to the label. Promote the countdown and ask friends to tap on the competitor’s reminder each time it becomes nearer to the date. Using count down message mostly, once in a while not only help the audience remember the certain event but also adds some level of excitement.

It is advisable to combine countdowns with the content that generates an audience’s interest in the promotion since the countdown promotes audience interaction. One thing that can greatly improve anticipation and attendance is when a countdown has been done properly.

How to ensure attendees increase the number of people reached by sharing your event on Instagram

It important to this end to persuade the attendees to post your event on Instagram adding value to your promotions. To this end, produce items that the attendees can forward and post on their profiles. This can be used to create graphics which can in turn be used to present the event name, date and/or location among others. Prompt the attendees to share information about the attendance to the official event account or when creating special tags such as the particular event powder.

This not only builds the sense for people to be connected but also helps to look for events to attend. Try designing the promotion to have a form of share to win event information and free tickets or merchandise for people who repost events, and share their joy.

Also, you should be involving your attendees more and more; you can repost all the content that they share in your Stories, thank them for doing it, and prompt the others to do the same too. Thus, by creating the culture of attendee engagement you increase chances of your event being mentioned and spread across the platform.

Event Branding Using Instagram Filters

Instagram filters are perfect for your event branding strategy as they allow people to have fun while enjoying your content. Custom filters can also be branded to match the event’s theme or even contain elements of your logo that attendees can take to social media. To create a branded filter, you are free to use Instagram Spark AR Studio since it gives an opportunity to design effects that can be used in the Stories or reposting.

Remind your followers to apply the filter before posting their messages or feelings regarding the event leading to it. When a user downloads the product as a filter, there is an added bonus of brand promotion together with promoting user-generated content, which attendees share with the filter active.

Such an engagement will further reach your event as followers re-post these to their friends and relations, creating more awareness of your event. User-Generated Content or UGC is the process of creating content for or by users in order to support an event.

UG is a powerful addition to your event promotion plan because it harnesses the inspiration and passion of attendees into inspired and realistic content. It is one thing to have people show up to your event but it is another thing to have them share with others what they went through, what they thought about, and to even post pictures of themselves at the event. For the purpose of UGC, it is recommended for hosting company to provide a specific event hashtag that people will use when sharing their experience.

Make use of this hashtag in the build up to it and during, asking participants why they are looking forward to it / their experiences in short micro videos. Further, think, can I suggest attendees to post about the event and reward the best ones with a prize or anything like that?

Featuring the attendees’ content on your page, or even directly on your profile through reposting or using in Stories, is two-fold – it keeps the attendees engaged but also brings an acknowledgement of their presence to the event. When you include UGC into your advertizing mix, consumers have a new perspective on your event as they are drawn to a narrative in which they can easily relate to and are honest.

Conclusion

Marketing can involve a lot of techniques, engaging, and creativity power especially when marketing an event on instagram. Through the utilization of the different components on the platform like Stories, Reels, and partnering with influencers, one can easily create excitement, engagement and ultimately turnout to the event.

Whether creating attention-grabbing graphics and perfecting the copy for those pictures, sharing fun puzzles and quizes with your fans or giving them a sneak peek into your daily routine, there is no end to it.

As you go through the process of post and promoting your events on Instagram take some time to become closer with your audience. Your audience is not just in pursuit of a ticket for an event they want to attend, but an experience that chimes with their needs and beliefs.

But by ensuring that your event focuses on the distinct features of the event, and the people around the event, you will be in a better place to make people feel part of the event even if they are not going to make it on the D-day.

FAQ: Related How to Promote an Event on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners