With over 2 billion monthly active users on the app today, Instagram offers you the perfect opportunity to connect your events with new fans and build your dream community. Of all the social media platforms out there, Instagram is one of the most versatile, with the ability to post photos, videos, and more. To ensure you're highlighting every inch of your awesome events and making the most of your Instagram event content, check out our experts' best practices below!

Instagram is a top social media platform for discovering new brands, making it an extremely powerful tool for your event marketing! Similar to your other marketing efforts, you'll need to figure out your target audience (your event's niche on Instagram) and create social media content that both resonates with them and helps you reach your goals – like selling more tickets! 

How should I build my event promotion strategy for Instagram?

Before we get to creating posts, it's important to have a strategy behind your Instagram event promotion. For one, you'll want to set goals for yourself, including how much you want to grow your account and how many tickets you'll want to sell from your efforts. Then, you'll need to determine what resources you have available. Will you be managing your event's Instagram account yourself, or will you have additional staff members helping you? In addition to creating content, is there any room in your event budget for advertising? For editing your video content, will you edit them within Instagram itself or use a third-party app like CapCut, iMovie, or even Adobe Premiere Pro?

The key to growing your Instagram account is consistency. To help with this, try dedicating time in your week to film, edit, and schedule your event Instagram posts. You could also create a content calendar to map out what kinds of posts you'll do and when. This is particularly important in building a buzz around your event's lineup announcements, exclusive ticket discounts, giveaways, and other exciting developments leading up to the big day. 

What types of Instagram content should I make?

As an event promoter, you have a wide range of content types to choose from, each connecting with your event's audience in different ways. That's the beauty of Instagram! By understanding what works best for each type of Instagram event post, you're sure to grow your following and sell more tickets! To help with that, here's a full breakdown of the four main types:

1. Reels

Exposure level: The majority of viewers are non-followers, and this appears in your followers' feeds as well.

About: Reels are short-form videos (between 15-90 seconds in length) that appear in the dedicated Reels tab, main Instagram feed, and Explore tab. Since the dawn of TikTok, these shorter videos continue to trend and are the key to gaining lots of exposure in front of new audiences. In fact, 85% of viewers prefer videos under 15 seconds, and these short-form videos get between 2-3 times higher engagement than long-form videos. According to Instagram, Reels make up over 50% of the content reshared and is the platform's fastest growing content type, making them the most likely to go viral of your event Instagram posts.

Best practices:

1. Grab viewers' attention in the first three seconds (i.e., “the hook”).
2. Use trending audio clips that encourage viewers to click the audio tab and make a Reel of their own.
3. Incorporate quick transitions, effects, and text throughout your video (especially at key scenes) so people watch your whole video.
4. Check out the Inspiration tab in your account's Professional Dashboard for content ideas related to your page and that are most popular with your followers.
5. Include 3-5 hashtags on your post, using a mix of general terms and specific hashtags to your event niche.
6. Add your location to help people in your area discover your Reels more easily.
7. Include a question or call-to-action (like “Tag friends in the comments!”) in your post's caption to help drive engagement.

(Bonus!) A few ideas for you:

1. Ask funny questions to your event attendees.
2. Find a trend or challenge and take your own twist on it.
3. Do a fun dance or challenge with your event staff.
4. Film a highlight reel from your event day.
5. Capture behind-the-scenes clips of your event.
6. Do a time-lapse or before & after of your event setup.
7. Share tips & tricks in your event's niche (e.g., if you own a farm, show people seasonal recipes or gardening tips).

2. Posts

Exposure level: The majority of viewers are your followers, although non-followers may discover this in the Explore tab.

About: Social media posts are a collection of between 1-20 photos and videos you can share at a given time in Instagram's feed and on the Explore page. Unlike Reels, you can post longer videos (up to 60 minutes). While Reels are focused on giving you maximum exposure, posts are where you can engage more with your followers. They're the perfect place to show off those event photography skills to Instagram users! Shine the spotlight on your events by posting content like crowd shots from previous events, and announcements of your lineup to get attendees excited!

Best practices:‍

1. Keep the colors and filters of your posts consistent with your event's branding, and take advantage of natural lighting whenever possible for high-quality photos.
2. If you're posting multiple pieces of content, make sure your most eye-catching one is first and, according to Instagram, it's best if you post a mixture of photos and videos. 
3. Add your location and/or a calendar reminder of your next event date to relevant posts.
4. Tag relevant sponsors, featured guests, partners, or other people featured in your event Instagram posts.
5. Add 3-5 hashtags related to your post's topic and event niche.
6. Write a short, compelling caption that encourages your followers to answer a question or take action (like “Buy your tickets,” “Shop now,” or “Tag a friend”).
7. Turn on “Upload at highest quality” in your Instagram account settings for the best quality photos on your posts.

3. Stories

Exposure level: Most viewers are your followers, while occasionally non-followers may click into your account's story after discovering one of your Reels or posts.

About: Instagram Stories are photos or short video clips that are only displayed for 24 hours, appearing at the top of your feed or whenever someone clicks your account's profile icon. For all the post types, stories are the most up close and personal way for your followers to get to know you and your events. As just a few ideas, you could create stories that are snapshots of your day as an event organizer, reshare others' posts of your event, or launch a fun poll to engage users.

Best practices:

1. Post at least one story a day. It's a super quick way to stay top of mind with your followers, plus these can be anything!
2. Highlight at least 3-5 collections of Instagram Stories to showcase on your profile.
3. Include interactive elements like polls, emoji sliders, and Q&As that encourage your followers to engage with your story.
4. Add links that encourage your viewers to visit your website or event listing to buy their tickets. (Besides the link in your bio, stories is the only place you can share clickable links, so take full advantage of it!)
5. Mention other accounts in your Instagram Stories (like @ticketleap!). They'll likely share your shoutout on their story with their followers too!
6. Share others' posts that are relevant to your target audience.

4. Instagram Live

Exposure level: Primarily just your followers (not easily discoverable to non-followers)

About: Instagram Live is their live-streaming platform that appears at the top of your feed in front of Instagram Stories. This feature can help your event stand out to your followers and strengthen your connections with them. You can also repurpose your Live content by posting it later. Live is particularly great for Q&A sessions with your featured guests and event staff or quick snippets of your event in action (for a little FOMO!).

Best practices:

1. Announce beforehand when you'll be going live (on your story or in a post) to hype your followers up before it happens!
2. Create a consistent live-streaming schedule, so your audience can expect when you’ll be live and keep coming back for more each week.
3. Take advantage of Practice mode to check your internet connection and do a test run before you actually go live.
4. Add an eye-catching title to your Instagram Live.
5. Greet people by name as they enter your live-stream to make it more personal to them and encourage them to stick around.
6. For fun collaborations with others, use Live Rooms to invite up to three other accounts (like a keynote speaker or performer at your events) to join your Live.
7. Encourage people to leave questions in the chat for you to answer.

5. Channels

Exposure level: Your followers only

About: Broadcast channels are a powerful way to deepen connections with your followers and turn them into loyal fans! You'll be able to send messages, like event reminders or important updates, directly to your followers' inboxes. Unlike on social media posts, you can include links in your messages.

Best practices:

1. Launch polls and create prompts to get direct feedback as well as start conversations around specific event topics.
2. Share important links (like to your ticketing page!) to drive event registration, ticket sales, and website traffic.
3. Promote your broadcast channel through your Instagram Stories and on your live-streams to get more people to join
4. Customize your channel's background to fit your brand and create a compelling space for your community.
5. Give your channel a fun name! People can see your channel name when they first land on your profile, so give it a name that makes them want to click.
6. Send occasional voice messages from you and your staff to promote an event and genuinely thank your followers for their support. Your community will appreciate this authentic touch!
7. Send at least 3 messages a week to boost engagement to your broadcast channel.

What should my event hashtag strategy look like?

Building an effective event hashtag strategy for Instagram is key to leveling up your posts by optimizing them for SEO to relevant search terms. Start with testing different variations using between 1-10 hashtags. Hint: 3-5 hashtags is usually the sweet spot for optimal visibility. Keep your event hashtag short, punchy, and aligned with your event's content. It’s also vital to consider the popularity of each hashtag; a balanced mix is key. Include hashtags with 10K+, 50K+, 100K+, and even 1M+ posts to reach both niche and broader audiences. Incorporating a variety of event-specific hashtags (#PrimaFest) and general ones (like #LiveMusic) can help you gain targeted reach while also building community buzz. And don’t forget to tap into the power of AI event planning tools like ChatGPT to spark creative hashtag ideas for your posts!

How can I use Instagram Shop to drive more sales?

With 70% of users making purchases from shoppable posts and 50% more likely to buy directly from Instagram, the Instagram Shop feature is a powerhouse for creating an additional revenue stream and expanding your event business. By turning your profile into a digital storefront, you can sell products like your event's merchandise, homemade products, or other branded items while also promoting your ticket sales. For example, a university could offer an easy way for fans of their sports team to buy gear or for students to shop for their favorite campus merch.

Think of Instagram Shop as an extension of your website, interacting with your community every single day. You can directly link featured products to your posts, making it easier than ever for people to buy what they see and love. Plus, your Instagram page provides a holistic view of your brand so your customers can really get to know who they're buying from. To set up your shop, you’ll need to own your domain URL, have a free professional business account on Instagram, and then build out your catalog of products. An important note: you can't sell things from a third-party site (like your tickets) through Instagram Shop, but you can still promote those links in your bio, on stories, and in your broadcast channel! With Instagram Shop, you’ll have a powerful, integrated sales channel that streamlines the shopping experience for your audience and increases your revenue potential!

Should I use Instagram ads?

Instagram ads are a powerful tool for promoting events! This is ideal for event marketing campaign goals like driving ticket sale revenue and selling merchandise. As an event organizer, your Instagram ad goals should be to drive people to your event page to sell more tickets and to earn at least $5 for every $1 spent in ads. If you use ads to just boost the view count on your posts, it’s not as effective in giving you a return on your investment.

Photo and video are the two types of Instagram event ads you can create. While it's good to do a mix of both, we recommend focusing on video ads, since they tend to capture your audience's attention more than photos. In fact, it's so powerful that revenue from short-form video ads is expected to surpass $10 billion over this past year! Plus, with seamless integration into the Meta Ads Manager, you can efficiently launch event ads on both Instagram and Facebook, amplifying your event's reach with ease.

Is influencer marketing on Instagram right for my events?

Influencer marketing on Instagram can be a game-changer for promoting your events, especially if you partner with micro-influencers (between 10K to 100K followers) and nano-influencers (between 1,000 to 10K followers). These avid content creators often have highly engaged and loyal audiences, making their recommendation of your events more authentic and impactful. To make influencer marketing work for your event, recruit influencers in your niche to create buzz-worthy content like event previews, host giveaways for free tickets or VIP perks, or share behind-the-scenes footage to build excitement leading up to the big day. Plus, influencers with a smaller, dedicated following are not only effective but also a budget-friendly way to expand your event's reach!

Don't forget that your event attendees are influencers of your brand too! As a key to your event's success, they're the ones who invite friends and family to join them at your unforgettable experiences year after year. Encourage them to take photos and create short videos, then tag you on Instagram in their posts and use your branded event hashtag. This user-generated content is not only free promotion for your event, but it also has a genuine way of resonating with potential attendees!

Next level tips for growing on Instagram for an upcoming event

With your content strategy solidified, there's some extra things you can do to help set your Instagram up for success! One of the biggest tips is to engage with other accounts. According to Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, Instagram's algorithms tend to favor accounts that more frequently interact with their followers and push their content more. So, don't be shy when liking, commenting, sharing, and messaging other accounts! 

To help level up your content, see what's performing the best for other accounts in your Instagram event niche and let that give you ideas for your posts too. Encourage your attendees, guests, and staff to tag you in anything they post about your events. This is an extremely powerful way to get your event in front of new audiences and hopefully gain more followers.

You'll also want to keep your account's bio updated often and use the link in your bio to direct people to your event ticketing page, your website, or a third-party service like Linktree that lets you post multiple links at once. Your ultimate goal is to convert your Instagram followers into excited event-goers, so you'll want to make it as easy as possible to buy their tickets.

Become a master of Instagram event promotion

Now that you know how to promote an event on Instagram, it's time to get creative with your posts. And remember, don't overthink it! Social media is an art, not a science. Have fun making content that showcases your events and experimenting until you find what works best for you. The key is to stay consistent with it.