We know it can be challenging to get the word out about your event or festival, so we’ve put together a few handy tips for you to promote your next event for FREE. Getting the basics right can help your news go a long way!
1. Use Facebook – but use it well!
Facebook is a FREE and effective way of advertising / building awareness and targeting interested parties who will engage with family and friends about your event – but it’s surprising how many pages lack even the most basic information that could be helping to get the word out about your event. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of Facebook.
Top Facebook Tips:
- Set up a Facebook page – not a personal profile.
- Fill in your “About” section, and ensure it is up-to-date and doesn’t have last year’s dates in it.
- Ensure there is a contact number and an email address in your profile information
- Provide your location, and your event dates/times as soon as you know them.
- Pin the post with the most important information to the top of your page.
- Invite your friends to like your page, and ask them to invite their friends!
- Create an event on your page – this will notify all your followers that something is happening.
How to create a Facebook event:
- From your News Feed, click Events in the left menu.
- Click + Create Event on the left side.
- Click Create Public Event. Anyone will be able to see your event and search for it, even if you aren’t friends. Once you’ve created a public event, you won’t be able to change it to private later.
- Fill in the event name, location, date, time and description.
- Type and select keywords about your public event so it can be better recommended to people who are interested in that topic (example: Food festival).
- Choose who can edit and post in your event and then click You’ll be taken to your event where you can invite guests, upload photos, add a cover photo or video, share posts and edit event details.
2. Consider setting up additional social media accounts
Even if you don’t have the time or knowledge to use them regularly, setting up a very basic profile on Twitter or Instagram with a description of your event and a link to your website or Facebook page allows other users to tag you, and if you have your information included in your profile, it’s additional free advertising.
If your event is just a once-off, this may not be worth investing time in, but if you’re planning an annual event, we’d highly recommend doing this.
3. Write up a Press Release
A press release is probably the single most important tool in your marketing toolkit – and it’s free, it just takes a little thought!
Top Tips:
- Date your press release and include the name of your organisation in the title
- Keep it short – 400 -500 words max
- Don’t write in the first person -No I or We, – instead write as if you were writing about someone else “Ballymurphy Festival will take place on”, “The committee welcomes”
- Write a good headline – this must be short but catchy and informative, you can add a sub headline if needed giving the most important message.
- First paragraph – Remember the five” W” – What is happening? Where is it and When? Why is it happening? Who is involved?
- Add a little information about you and your location followed by the main message and key information about your event.
- Include contact information = phone number and email – at the end, and add a website ( Facebook and Twitter would also be helpful)
- End the Press Release with ENDS
- Use one good quality image the portrays your event – and the more fun and imaginative the better, no-one really wants a committee photograph!
- Send to your local media outlets with a polite request for inclusion in their next issue. If you’re giving one outlet an exclusive, let them know!
- Always BCC when sending out a press release.
If you’re sending your press release to national media, we can help here in Mayo North – just give us a call on 096 80090.
Always remember to target the right people – those who might be interested in your type of event and might pick it up for a feature.
4. Design a poster
We have some great graphic designers and printers locally in Ballina and North Mayo who will help you out with your event poster and we’d recommend this – they’ll make your event look professional and eye-catching. However, if you’re really short of cash, Canva is a great free design tool that you can use to design professional looking posters – with a bit of practice!
Make sure you have an e-copy for sharing on socials.
Distribute your poster to businesses in your area, and indeed to your Local Tourist Office and ourselves at Mayo North if the event is likely to be of interest to tourists.
5. Use local and community resources
Reach out to your local community groups to help spread the word and get involved in event.
- Mayo North East Community Journal is a free online and print publication to promote the work of not for profit Local Community Groups, Social Enterprises and Mayo North East activities.[email protected]
- The Mayo PPN newsletter (if festivals/community groups are registered with them – it’s free).
- Ballina Community Radio – will help promote community-led events. Email [email protected] or studio phone 096 20050 & 087 717 5175.
- Send to your local church bulletin
- Email a short notice about your event to the local notes section in each of the local newspapers.
- Share it to the new North Mayo Community Noticeboard page on Facebook
6. Use free online listings
- Mykidstime.com – You can list family friendly events for free, pick Business account and once you are in Add Events and upload the details and it will publish on their Events calendar.
- Discover Ireland is operated by Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, and features comprehensive information and listings for Irish accommodation, activities, events, tourist attractions and Irish holiday special offers
- RunIreland.com – to promote running events
- There are lots more options which might be appropriate for your event – Google is your friend!
7. Leverage your sponsors
If you have a sponsor on board, great! Include them when sending our your press release (be sure to acknowledge their support too), tag them in your social media posts, and get a good photo.
And enlist their help to promote your event on their channels too!
8. Start a mailing list
A mailing list is a FREE way to communicate directly with people who are interested in your event. Tools like Mailchimp integrate into your website and allow people to subscribe directly. Then you can send them emails with updates.
9. Run a competition
A competition for tickets for your event, combined with a meal or an overnight stay is a great way of getting reach on social media.
10. Follow up after your event
Your post-event follow-up is just as important as your pre-event work and builds the groundwork for next year – if there is a next year!
Top Tips:
- Thank all persons who helped out on and before the day (this can be done nicely on your social media posts and gives you additional content).
- Have a post-event review (gather committee and discuss how the event went and how can it be improved in the future).
- Post photos of the day (bear in mind parental consent for photos of children)
- Ask for feedback on your event!
- Start planning next year’s event – Hopefully, the experience left you with new insights, better understanding of what works, more knowledge about your attendees, and great ideas about what to do next.
If you’d like any more advice on promoting your event, just give us a call on (096) 80090 or email [email protected]. Best of luck!
