Using Instagram Stories to Promote Your Event

It might sound slightly counter-intuitive to use Instagram Stories at your live event; why would people want to buy tickets if they know you're going to put it up live on Instagram? But really, you're just using it to give people who didn't get tickets teasers about what they're missing. You're not giving away your content, you're getting more people excited for your next event. Here's the deal though, you're going to be crazy busy running your event, so if you're going to carve out time to capture things on Instagram Stories, your best bet is to go in with a game plan on what content you want to capture, and what outcome you want from posting that content. Below, we’ve outlined what we think makes the most engaging content for Instagram Stories, as well as what makes great archival footage and media for advertising your next event. If you can create a shot list and plan to get the following, you’ll reap the rewards of a top-notch Instagram Stories plan.

Planning

‍Before your event, do a little planning. Are you going to use the native Instagram Stories app to edit and dress up your Stories, or do you have a preferred third-party app that you’d rather use? What font are you going to use? Do you have the Instagram handles for the important people at your event, your event venue, your sponsors and community partners so you can tag them? Getting all of this together before your event saves you from panicking on the day of, when you’re trying to get a time-sensitive Story up on the platform. You’ll have all the information in the palm of your hands.‍

Video footage of busy groups

No matter what your event is, you want people to see that it’s jam-packed and full of happy, engaged people. While you're building your plan, think about where and when larger groups might gather - maybe it's at the registration desk before the event begins, maybe it's the marketplace at break, or maybe it's the meet-and-greets after the event. Look at your programming schedule and identify the times when you'll be able to find these great group shots.

Behind the scenes

‍Event FOMO is a real thing, and your guests won't want to miss any special experiences if they can help it. Use Instagram Stories to keep your event guests in the loop about what's coming up. Sneak peeks of your caterers preparing lunch, or the band running their soundcheck--these little moments create hype for your event audience, as well as your digital audience (who probably already have a bad case of FOMO).

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