From Save the Date to Sold Out: A Practical Guide to Stellar Event Marketing
- Erin Ratliff
- 8 minutes ago
- 6 min read
“People don’t attend events for information—they attend for connection.”
Joe Lazauskas
Event marketing is equal parts strategy, storytelling, and logistics.
When it’s done well, an event doesn’t just fill seats—it builds trust, strengthens community, and extends your brand’s impact long after the last attendee leaves. When it’s done poorly, even the most beautiful concept can feel chaotic, under-attended, or forgettable.
Whether you’re planning a small workshop, a large conference, or a virtual experience, these best practices will help you manage event marketing with clarity, confidence, and results.
Your #1 goal: To Fill Seats, Not Just Feeds
Start With a Clear Purpose
Before you even secure a date or venue, get crystal clear on why this event should happen.
Ask:
What is the primary goal? (Leads, revenue, community building, education, brand awareness)
Who is this event truly for? Get specific the town and the type of person. If someone has to think “is this for me?”, they likely won’t sign up.
What transformation or outcome should attendees walk away with?
What is the event promise, the value you'll provide? Give one clear reason to attend
One outcome. One benefit.
When your purpose is clear, every marketing decision—from messaging to channels to timing—becomes easier and more aligned.
Know Your Audience
Effective event marketing speaks directly to your audience’s lived experience. Go beyond basic demographics, age and job titles and consider:
What problem are they trying to solve right now?
What would make attending feel worth their time and energy?
What objections might stop them from registering?
What language and terminology does the audience use?
The more accurately you reflect their reality in your messaging, the less convincing you have to do.
Build a Promotion Timeline
One of the biggest event marketing mistakes is promoting too late—or inconsistently.
Create a clear promotional arc:
Early awareness: Save-the-date, teaser content, early-bird access
Education phase: Speaker highlights, agenda breakdowns, FAQs
Conversion phase: Social proof, reminders, urgency messaging
Final push: Countdown emails, last-chance reminders
Consistency matters more than volume. A steady drumbeat of aligned messaging builds trust and momentum.
Create A Seamless Registration Process
If it’s hard to sign up, people won’t. If someone has to hunt for key details, you’ll lose conversions. Aim to reduce or remove uncertainty wherever possible—dates, times, location, accessibility, refunds, and expectations should all be easy to find.
Best practices:
One clear call-to-action per page or email
Minimal required fields
Mobile-friendly registration
Transparent pricing and logistics
Bonus Tip: Create a sense of urgency with early registration perks and incentives. We are living in a non-commital “let's see what’s going on” culture instead of a “let’s do this on X date” mentality. People are rarely making many plans ahead of time.
Craft Conversion Copy
The best-performing event language:
Speaks to how people feel now
Promises a realistic shift
Reduces pressure, complexity, or overwhelm
Urgency & Scarcity (FOMO)
These work especially well close to deadlines or when space is limited.
Limited seats available
Spots are filling fast
Only X seats left
Registration closes soon
Last chance to join us
Final call
Register today to secure your spot
Early access ends tonight
This event will sell out
Value & Outcome-Focused
Clear transformation = higher conversion.
Walk away with [specific result]
Learn how to [solve a clear problem]
Everything you need to [desired outcome]
Practical tools you can use immediately
Turn confusion into clarity
From overwhelmed to confident
Build skills that actually stick
Curiosity & Intrigue
These spark clicks without giving everything away.
You’re invited to something different
This isn’t your typical [workshop / conference / event]
What most people get wrong about [topic]
A new way to think about [topic]
Not another webinar—something better
The conversation everyone’s avoiding
Belonging & Identity
Great for niche audiences and community-based events.
For people who are tired of [pain point]
Designed for people like you
You’re not the only one feeling this
A space for [specific identity or role]
Where [your people] gather
Finally, an event that gets you
Low Pressure / Accessibility
Especially effective for sensitive, neurodivergent, or burned-out audiences.
Come as you are
No experience required
No pressure, no perfection
Join live or watch later
Learn at your own pace
Gentle, practical, and supportive
Exclusivity & Authority
Use carefully—this works best when true.
By invitation only
A private session for [group]
Join an intimate group of [X people]
Learn directly from [expert/host]
Trusted by [credible audience or org]
Time & Ease
Reduces friction and excuses.
One hour. Big impact.
A simple step forward
No fluff, just clarity
Short, focused, and actionable
Make progress without burnout
High-Converting CTA Combos
Mix a benefit + action:
Save your seat and get clarity
Join us live and finally feel confident
Register now—your future self will thank you
Book your spot and start fresh
Come learn, connect, and leave inspired
Don't miss this unique opportunity
See you there!
Spread The Word
A strong event marketing strategy combines a variety of content and media types to build awareness, drive registrations, and convert interest into attendance.
Email Marketing: Send e-blasts, newsletter mentions, alerts, and announcements to your mailing list
Owned Media: Create a dedicated landing page or event page on your website with an FAQ section, ticket sales counter and CTAS
Public Event Listings & Calendars: Submit the event to public and community event calendars online (newspapers, magazines, local sites etc). Create event listings on Eventbrite, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Nextdoor
Media, PR & Partnerships: Notify local Chambers of Commerce, media outlets, and industry associations for publication. Tag and collaborate with all vendors, partners, and organizers for cross-promotion
Social Media: Consistently create and publish organic social posts, carousels, and reels as introductions, teasers, reminders and more. Tag partners and vendors for shared reach. Run a ticket or giveaway promotion on social media to increase visibility and excitement
Print & Offline Promotion: Create and distribute flyers or posters with QR codes in libraries, community centers, coffee shops, and other local hubs
Paid Promotion: Launch localized, targeted ads directing people to ticket sales or the event landing page. Pay for listings or ad space in exclusive local promotion sites or community newsletters
Build The Buzz
Social proof reduces perceived risk and builds confidence—especially for new or first-time events. People want to know: Is this worth it? and Who else is going?
Instead of broad posting, promote it person-to-person through word of mouth, industry, local or niche groups online, and even direct messages.
Use:
Testimonials from past events
Speaker credibility
Partner logos
Attendee quotes or numbers (“Join 300+ professionals…”)
Your core base of loyalists and enthusiasts, volunteers, staff, etc who are invested and excited and talking about it
Plan with Consideration & Care
When people feel safe, prepared and informed, they’re more likely to show up, engage, and return. Overloaded agendas/schedules, unclear communication, and last-minute changes create unnecessary stress for both attendees and organizers.
Strong event marketing:
Sets clear expectations
Reassures attendees about logistics
Communicates updates calmly and proactively
Uses familiar local names or places. People trust what they recognise.
Limit the attendance with small spaces and clear cutoffs/maximums. Scarcity drives action.
Extend the Life of Your Event
Your ultimate goal is to turn one-time attendees into ongoing community members or clients. So, the event isn’t over when it ends.
Post-event marketing can include:
Follow-up emails with resources or recordings
Social content recapping highlights
Surveys for feedback
Invitations to future events or offers
Measure What Matters
The right analytics and insights help you improve future events and refine your marketing strategy over time. Not every metric is meaningful, however.
Focus on:
Registration vs. attendance rate
Engagement during the event
Conversion to next-step actions
Qualitative feedback
Final Thought: Event Marketing Is About Trust
At its core, event marketing is a promise. You’re asking people to give you their time, energy, and attention.
When your messaging is clear, aligned, and human, you honor that trust—and your events become experiences people actually want to be part of.
Plan with intention. Promote with empathy. Execute with clarity. That’s how event marketing moves from stressful to sustainable—and from transactional to transformational.
Planning an event doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. If you’re needing strategic promotion, clear messaging, and measurable attendance, I can help. Let’s create an event marketing plan that actually converts interest into registrations, and brings the right people into the room.
Erin Ratliff is a holistic business coach and consultant specializing in organic growth + visibility for heart-led soul-preneurs and energy-sensitive self-starters in pursuit of personal and planetary healing.
STAY CONNECTED by subscribing or following me below and never miss another post related to mindful marketing.
