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Create a hashtag around your event 

Tips for creating a hashtag: 

School abbreviations + event name + year (#ttubrownsugar2020) 

The more unpopulated, the better. You don’t want to use a hashtag that is already overpopulated. Not only will your content get lost, but your brand may become associated with unsavory posts from other sources. 

Make it short and easy to remember. It can be as simple as using your event name and the year. Whatever you decide on, it should be easy for your attendees to remember so they can easily recall and use your event hashtag in their posts. 

Building suspense for the event 

Tips for teasers:

• Post about your entertainment and speaker lineup. When you book a headliner act, use that as an opportunity to post a sneak preview of your lineup.

• Do a lineup countdown. Generate excitement by creating a series of posts counting down until you announce your event talent lineup. 

Host contests and giveaways to boost attendance 

Here are some potential actions your followers can take in order to enter to win:

• Like and share your post. 
• Make a related post with your event hashtag.
• Tag friends in a post or comment on one of your posts. 
• Follow your Instagram account. 
• Tag your account in a story. 

Giveaway Ideas: 

Giveaway 1: If 2 friends come, your winter conference is free 

Giveaway 2: Win a free fall retreat by sharing this post on your story and mention 1 friend you’d love to see come with you!

Contest Ideas: 

Contest 1: Quiz on IG story (if you get all the answers right you get free Cru merch or gift card)  

• Must come to the event to get your gift 

Contest 2: Find the fall retreat sticker around campus to win your free seat! 

• Gather in teams of 5 (two people cannot have come to fall retreat before) 
• See what team can find the sticker first. 

People aren’t sold, they buy 

What specifics should you give? 

Cost

Length: Start and end time 

Location 

Transportation options 

• Tell people upfront if there is a way for them to get there if it requires needing a car. 
  • Make a poll that asks: do you need a ride? 

Vision (what they’re going to get out of coming) 

Incentives

• Food/ T-shirt / Water bottle / Sticker / Donation 

Speaker 

How to share a story from archive 

Make your posts look natural 

Example: 

• Show the background of what is making this event worth coming to. 
• Show the planning team meeting to come up with ideas for the event 
• Show a staff buying the supplies for the event 
• Show your team coming up with the stickers you are going to offer
  • Do a poll for which sticker you should do 
• If your team has a dilemma, ask students which one they’d prefer

Follow up posts 

Event Closed & Thanks – It is important to state your event is over and to thank all the people who attended it. Consider doing a highlight reel of some of the best moments during your event to recap the experience for your followers. 

Final Numbers – Share your success with your followers by posting about final attendance numbers and fundraising totals for the event. 

Media Attention – Make sure to share any local media attention received during your event. 

Lessons Learnt-  Take the opportunity to review social media posts about your events and note comments or issues. It is important to document and acknowledge both the good and the bad so you can learn from others’ experiences.

These follow-up posts are going to be content that you can post next year to invite students. 

Event Promotion Timeline 

Quiz for this Training