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7 Instagram Caption Tips for Increasing Event Attendance

Want to increase event attendance? Rely on Instagram!

Whether you’re planning a yoga class or a music festival, Instagram is a perfect place to promote your event.

Here are three main reason you should market your event on Instagram:

  1. Reach your target audience. The Instagram community has over one billion active users. This means your attendees are also likely to be active on the platform.
  2. Engage with attendees. Instagram has the highest engagement rate, which means your customers are ready to start a conversation with you.
  3. Sell your event tickets. According to one report, 83% of users discover new products and 79% of people search for more information after seeing an Instagram post.

However, simply sharing an Instagram post isn’t always enough to attract potential attendees. You need to improve customer experience and help potential attendees understand what your event is about.

So, how can you do it?

By writing a perfect Instagram caption that sparks curiosity and encourages people to learn more about your event.

Here are seven Instagram caption tips to help you increase event attendance. Let’s dive in!

1. Keep it short and sweet

First things first: Instagram has a limit of 2,200 characters per caption.

While it can be tempting to write everything about your event, don’t publish long-form texts. Instagram is a visual platform. Publishing long-form captions can discourage your followers.

To increase user engagement, you need to keep your text short and sweet. For better event attendance, your caption should answer the following questions:

  • What?
  • Why?
  • Where?
  • When?

Want to tell more? Write a call to action that encourages your followers to learn more and include a clickable link to the event in your bio.

Tip: Read our guide on how to write the perfect event invitations for more ideas on revealing important event details.

2. Share something valuable

Today, people organise and promote events of all types. For attendees, it can be daunting to decide which event to visit.

If you want to stand out from other event organisers, you need to put your customers first and tell them why your event is worth visiting. How? Share something valuable.

To make a long story short, let’s take a look at an example below. This cookery school promotes courses and offers a discount to encourage people to attend all three days of a course.

Instagram caption tips: Made in hackney
Even a ten percent sales discount can attract new customers (Source: @madeinhackney)

It’s no secret that people love discounts. And if your offer is time-limited, your attendees are more likely to make the purchase decision faster.

But if you can’t afford to offer a discount, you can look for other ideas that can bring value to your audience.

Here are several more Instagram caption tips with ideas that can add value for your attendees:

  • Anticipate and answer your attendees’ questions
  • List the benefits of your event
  • Publish the event programme
  • Give away several tickets
  • Offer referral rewards

Once you’ve hooked the attention of your audience with valuable content, you can encourage people to find out more. You can also give them a solid reason to buy event tickets in-app.

Tip: Learn how you can start selling on Instagram to find out more.

3. Add a human touch

Brand content, paid ads, and sponsored posts bombard people from all sides. Modern users don’t trust companies; they crave authenticity. Event organisers should also take steps toward being authentic.

Why? Because customers want to do business with real people. To establish a connection with your potential attendees, add a human touch.

Writing an Instagram caption is your opportunity to bring authenticity. To show a human element in your caption, include the following tactics:

  • Use simple words
  • Include emojis
  • Mix in some humour

When writing a caption, remember to keep your specific audience in mind to meet their expectations.

4. Use geotags and location hashtags

With a solid number of users from all over the world, Instagram makes it easy for event organisers to reach potential attendees wherever they may be. But if you want to increase event attendance, you need to target people who live or work within your area.

Not only can these tags hint at your event location, but they can also attract attendees who are interested in events in a specific area. Thus, it’s important to include geotags and location hashtags when writing a good caption.

5. Tag other attendees or speakers

No matter how interesting your event is, it won’t be worth much if nobody attends. However, people may doubt whether your event is worth attention. It’s your job to help them make a decision.

How? Tag other attendees or speakers. In fact, “mirroring” is a common human behaviour, so people are more likely to buy tickets to your event if their friends or family are also going to attend.

When writing a caption for your event, think about influencers who will attend your event and tag them. Check out how Nickolls & Perks do just that:

Instagram captions: Nickollsperks
You can tag an influencer in your photo or caption (Source: @nickollsperks)

When you tag a speaker or influencer in your caption, you also give them a reason to share the post within their community. As a result, you make word-of-mouth marketing work for your event.

Tip: Team up with local influencers to spread the word about your event.

6. Include a strong call to action

If your Instagram caption tells readers about your event, that’s great. But if it motivates them to buy tickets, that’s even better. It’s a proven way to increase event attendance.

No matter how good your copy is, you need to include a strong call to action (CTA), a short phrase that encourages people to take the desired action.

Here are several strong CTA examples for better event attendance:

  • Learn more
  • Buy now
  • Book now
  • Get tickets

What’s more, you can keep your text short if you use a link to your event page in the bio and include a CTA that encourages followers to tap on it.

Try to experiment with various CTA copies to find out what works best for your audience.

7. Break down your caption

Good Instagram copy is easy to read and understand. And while you should aim for short sentences and simple words, you also need to make your text scannable. How? Break down your caption into several paragraphs.

Just take a look at a good example of this strategy in action from Afrodisiac Live Radio:

Afro Dis Instagram caption
Here’s what a readable caption looks like (Source: @afrodisiacliveradio)

What makes the above caption great? It’s short, scannable, and readable.

To create a similar post, choose a picture that speaks a thousand words and include a key text details in it. If you don’t have images, find royalty-free stock photos that can represent your event.

Tip: Use tools like Hemingway to improve the readability of your caption.

Caption this…

When it comes to Instagram, having an eye-catching visual is a must. But an image alone isn’t enough if you want to increase event attendance. Words are powerful, too.

To make your message hit home, you must write a great caption. The above Instagram caption tips should help you do just that. Yes, it can take time, effort, and practice, but the payoff is huge.

Do you have any other Instagram caption tips that can help increase event attendance? Share your tips and tricks in the comment below.

Author: Val RazoAuthor: Val Razo is a freelance SMM consultant with 5+ years of digital marketing experience who helps SMBs grow online. Val claims that Instagram has great sales potential, so she recommends both big and small brands to use this platform for business growth. Follow her on Twitter to stay tuned for more.

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7 Reasons Why People Attend Events (+How You Can Benefit from Them)

We spend a lot of time discussing event planning, but do we know why people attend events in the first place? Also, isn’t everything happening on the socials these days?

Nope.

Turns out that—although the web has made online events possible—people are still social creatures that prefer human contact from time to time.

That’s why the events industry is steadily growing with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. If anything, technological advancements have enhanced rather than replaced events.

Who saw that coming?

Let’s look at why people attend events in the flesh. Although there are many individual motivations, we’ve boiled it down to seven main reasons.

1. Networking

Video calls have replaced the need for many physical meetings. But real face time is still important when it comes to bonding with industry peers and making valuable connections.

How organisers can benefit from it

The more connections your attendees can make during your event, the more valuable they’ll perceive it to be. Make sure you facilitate networking breaks, drinks, lunches, and dinners.

Tip: Read these tips on how to facilitate networking at your next event.

Why Do People Attend Events: Make sure that your attendees make valuable connections.
Make sure that your attendees make valuable connections.

Types of events best suited for networking

Trade shows, conferences, and workshops are typically known for networking opportunities. But other event types, such as classes, can also benefit from a separate networking segment.

2. Education

You can learn pretty much any skill online. But events offer an interactive environment where people can learn new skills that will benefit them in their life, studies, or future career prospects.

How organisers can benefit from it

Your event will permanently be lodged in the minds of your attendees if they walk away from it with a brand new skillset. Make sure that you offer them an opportunity to grow as a person.

Tip: Use this guide to help you integrate learning into your existing event format.

Types of events best suited for education

Seminars, classes, and workshops are among the most educational types of events. But a wine tasting event could also teach attendees about the different grapes and glasses, for example.

3. Inspiration

Inspiration can be found in many places, but an event takes it to a whole new level. Being inspired as a group fosters a mutual bond and can also be a call to collective action.

How organisers can benefit from it

Few things can inspire people like a talented performer, speaker, or coach. Having such a person at your event can create an electric atmosphere that lingers for a long time after.

Tip: Learn how to put an inspirational spin on an otherwise dull event.

Why Do People Attend Events: Book an incredible speaker or performer to inspire attendees.
Book an incredible speaker or performer to inspire attendees.

Types of events best suited for inspiration

Speaking engagements, music concerts, and other performances can easily inspire a crowd. But you can add an inspirational element or speaker to any event as an opener or closer.

4. Recognition

If inspiration fuels creativity, then recognition fuels confidence. Most people appreciate being recognised for their efforts, particularly if it’s for something they’ve worked really hard for.

How organisers can benefit from it

Organise an award ceremony or include a small element of recognition in your event if it has a different focus. Your attendees will leave your event with a sense of achievement and pride.

Tip: Use some of these ideas for how to show employee recognition during an event.

Types of events best suited for recognition

Apart from the actual award shows, any type of event can incorporate a small challenge with a prize at the end. Think cooking classes, trade show contests, and community event competitions.

5. Treats

There’s no such thing as a free lunch…unless it’s included as part of an event that your boss paid for you to attend. Sometimes, a free treat or a goodie bag might just be the reason why people attend events.

How organisers can benefit from it

Industry events can be tedious for employees, so make sure you include a nice meal, plenty of drinks, and free swag that your attendees can bring home with them to remember the event.

Tip: Check this Pinterest board with ideas for treats and snacks you can serve.

Types of events best suited for treats

Exhibitions and trade shows typically have goodie bags. But any event with long speaking sessions could also benefit from the odd appearance of snacks, drinks, and other treats.

6. Escapism

Anywhere can seem like a great escape from the 9–5 office rat race. Many employees would welcome the opportunity to see somewhere new and exciting without any cubicles.

How organisers can benefit from it

Choose a location that is as far removed from the settings of everyday life as possible. If the venue is otherwise bland, then spice it up with a theme and decorate to your heart’s content.

Tip: Find some tips on how to make an otherwise boring event more fun.

Why Do People Attend Events: Use an alternative venue or space to host your event.
Use an alternative venue or space to host your event.

Types of events best suited for escapism

Music festivals, yoga retreats, and tours are the epitome of escapism. More mundane events could potentially be broken up with a quick tour to another place using virtual reality.

7. Marketing

Although perhaps not applicable to the average attendee, events are a great way for business owners and sole traders to market themselves to their target audience.

How organisers can benefit from it

As with networking, it’s important that you facilitate marketing at your event. You could, for example, allow attendees to make small presentations or leave a stack of business cards.

Tip: Look at tips for promoting yourself at events so you can help attendees achieve their goals.

Types of events best suited for marketing

It’s mostly relevant to business professionals, so think conferences, trade shows, seminars, industry meet-ups, and round table discussions.

Time to capitalise

Any savvy events organiser knows that knowing is half the battle. If you can tap into the inner motivations of your target audience, you know exactly which treats to serve them.

So do you know why people attend events like the ones you put on? Spend some time researching their reasons and optimise your events to deliver the right experience that makes them come back.

Know of any reasons that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below!