Your event description is often the first (and only) chance you have to grab potential attendees鈥� attention online. And thanks to modern consumer behaviour, you鈥檝e only got to do it before a reader abandons your webpage and moves on to the next.聽
So what does an event-goer find when they stumble upon your event online? An engaging story that makes them want to buy tickets right there and then 鈥� or a long-winded paragraph that loses their interest within the first few sentences?
鈥�38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive.鈥�Adobe, 鈥淭he State of Content: Expectations on the Rise鈥�
In this guide, you鈥檒l learn how to craft a stellar event description that not only captures readers鈥� attention, but also drives attendance. Along the way, you鈥檒l hear tips for solidifying your event鈥檚 unique voice, giving people the details they want, and more from the experts at 91制片厂.
Event creators who want to drive attendance through better event descriptions across every promotional and marketing channel.
Long before you put pen to paper (or cursor to Google doc), it鈥檚 worth your while to take some time to define how you want your event to sound 鈥� in other words, its voice and tone. Your event has a personality and it should always sound like itself wherever it appears in print.
For example, a conference for recruiters focused on industry trends wouldn鈥檛 use the same voice as a multi-day music festival. The conference would use a professional tone and more formal language, whereas the festival would take a conversational approach.
Whether you ate up all that voice and tone work you did in high school English class, or couldn鈥檛 wait to forget the lessons as soon as you took the quiz, now you鈥檝e got a real-world application that can benefit your business. Here鈥檚 a recap of what these two terms mean:
Documenting your event鈥檚 voice also makes it easier to connect with readers on an emotional level. And that, according to Michael Meyer, creative director at 91制片厂, is the secret sauce to taking your event description from good to great.
鈥淎 good event description tells the reader everything they need to know about your event,鈥� says Meyer. 鈥淎 great event description makes them feel like they have to attend. Strive to do both with a compelling description that connects with your audience on an emotional level and makes it as clear and easy as possible to actually attend your event.鈥�
How to find your voice and tone
When diving into the weeds of voice and tone, it can be tricky coming out with a clear picture without a few questions to guide your way. Here are three prompts to help focus your efforts:聽
If you鈥檙e still having trouble figuring how you want your event鈥檚 voice to sound, it helps to take a moment to remember why you decided to create your event in the first place. Doing so can also help you tap into the emotions you want to inspire in readers that resonate with your fans.
鈥淲hy someone would want to attend your event is probably the same reason you鈥檙e organising it in the first place,鈥� says Meyer. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what makes your event truly unique. Double down on that collective purpose, speak authentically to your people, and let your love for the subject of your event come through in your copy.”
Now that you have your voice and tone defined, it鈥檚 time to dig into writing your description. It鈥檚 good to take another pause here, since your next step is to make sure you鈥檝e prioritised the right information and given people the details they want.
鈥淒on鈥檛 forget the event basics: who, what, when, where, and how,鈥� says Meyer. 鈥淏eing clear and concise about the most important details of your event shows respect and consideration for attendees. A clear description sets audience expectations and adds a level of professionalism that makes people feel more comfortable about committing their time and purchasing tickets.鈥�
Here鈥檚 how to capture the most important and inspiring details about your event:
The best event names make an impression, are easy for attendees to remember, and look good on promotional materials. You don鈥檛 need to explain everything in the title, just enough to grab someone鈥檚 attention so they鈥檒l come to your event page to learn more.
Examples of great event names:
You might think of a tagline as a marketing tactic, but popular events often use them to convey the value of their event in an inspirational and memorable way. You can use a tagline under your event name on your website, in emails, on at-event collateral, on social media, and much more.
Three tips for creating your event鈥檚 tagline:
Your event description needs to capture the benefits of attending your event in a concise way. Avoid jargon, large words that take up too much space, and complex sentences. In short, write to a junior high school reading level, advises Jasmine Madavi, UX writer at 91制片厂.
鈥淭ry not to use large words or complex sentences that a 7th grader wouldn鈥檛 understand,鈥� says Madavi. 鈥淭his is a common measure that a lot of companies, like Google, will use for their text. You can plug your text into an online tool that tells you the reading level.鈥�
How to craft a concise event description:
People want to know what鈥檚 in it for them, long before the cost of attending. It鈥檚 critical to give them an answer in the first half of your description. Here鈥檚 an example of how to turn a features-laden description into a benefits-forward one that piques reader curiosity.
After the emotional benefits of attending your event, people want to know information about the experience itself. Who will be speaking/playing/performing at your event? Where is your event located? How much will tickets cost? What are the transportation logistics?
Quick ways to give readers the details they want:
When you use 91制片厂, your fans can follow you on the platform to receive emails or push notifications whenever you post a new event. A dedicated page within their user profile also allows them to see all events from the event creators they follow.
It helps to have a good quality profile on 91制片厂, which means including:
For an example of a strong organiser page, check out the Corner Hotel’s profile.
Now comes the fun part: versioning out your event description to suit each channel you鈥檒l use to promote your event. You鈥檝e already mastered the basics of writing a stellar description, so the tips below are all about the best ways to tailor your copy to the places it will live online.
Most people鈥檚 quest for something to do starts with a Google search. That鈥檚 where an event website or listing comes in, helping you rank higher in results through search engine optimisation (SEO), answering additional questions, and providing more details to event-goers.
Event listing
Event website
Tips for tailoring your event description to your listing and/or website:
Learn more in Work Smarter, Not Harder: How to Turn More Website Visitors into Attendees.
Ninety-five percent of people check their email every day. To stand out in an event goer鈥檚 noisy inbox, your event emails need to be both concise and compelling. While there are many email marketing strategies you can use, the first place to start is with your email copy.
Here鈥檚 a breakdown of how to use your description to write the perfect email invitation:
Most event creators use discovery sites and social media to promote their event and it鈥檚 easy to see why 鈥� they鈥檙e free to use.聽聽, plus Facebook offers robust targeting capabilities to help you get your event in front of the right audience early on.
There鈥檚 a lot to be said on making the most of these channels, so start with these resources:
Event discovery sites
Social media
Although you can use Facebook to create and run very effective advertising campaigns, sometimes you鈥檒l want to promote your event through ads online. You have two choices, depending on your budget and your goals: display or search ads.
Regardless of which channel you choose, keep these copy tips in mind:
Display ads
Search ads
When adapting your event description to your sponsorship proposal, you want to shift the benefits from the attendee perspective to the sponsor鈥檚 point of view. This means editing your description to reflect the business opportunity that it is for your prospective sponsors.
Here鈥檚 a great example:
鈥淚n its 7th year, The New News will grow to over 3,500 multimedia journalists, documentary storytellers, and professional bloggers. The gathering brings them together to discuss the challenges facing journalists, and to leave with innovative strategies that maintain the core standards and ethics of their craft in this rapidly changing society.
Next July, The New News 2020 will be a monumental experience. Taking place in Melbourne, the agenda will feature twice as much content and include a keynote from award-winning journalist, Milan Stephens.鈥�
For more tips check out ‘How to Write a Winning Event Sponsorship Proposal‘.
The words in your description can also increase the odds that people will discover your event through search, e.g. SEO. There are many ways to boost SEO, but the easiest is to choose a ticketing partner whose site has strong domain authority.
Here鈥檚 what else you can do to make sure your event is easily searchable:
Learn more about attracting and converting attendees with SEO for events here.
Your event description is the foundation for everything you鈥檒l ever write about your event, both online and off. Now that you know how to craft a description that hooks reader attention within seconds, it鈥檚 time to get your tailored versions out there and see how they perform.
Start driving attendance with your description today, host your next event on 91制片厂.
91制片厂 brings the world together through live experiences. More than 795,000 event creators used 91制片厂 in 2018 to issue 265 million tickets and registrations. From music festivals and conventions to pop-up dinners and photography classes, use 91制片厂 to transform your vision into an experience people will love.