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A well-constructed event listing can help you reach more people and turn even the casual “window shopper” into a committed attendee. That's a lot to think about, but don’t worry — you got this.
Event-goers discover events in many ways — friends, local news, Google — which is why we’re here to help your event listing get discovered and stand out. Eventbrite is the most linked-to events website on the Internet, so your listing is already more likely to appear near the top of of Google’s search results. But there’s a lot more you can do, too.
An effective title gets your listing noticed and clicked, so you stand out in relevant searches and compel event-goers to read more. Here are the most important things to keep in mind:
> Provide context and legitimacy to sell your event. Include your organization’s name, how long the event has been around, and its year. Remember: you want someone who sees your event listing for the first time to understand it and click.
> Skip fluffy adjectives and unnecessary details. Your title doesn’t need to include the exact date, time, and address of your event. Shorter is sweeter for most readers, especially on mobile.
> Minimize length to maximize SEO. Use no more than 60 characters, so your title isn’t cut off in Google’s search results. In fact, the fewer the words, the easier it is for Google to match relevant searches with your exact title and the higher your event will appear in its search results. In other words, keep it snappy.
> Speaking of SEO, choose your words wisely. Use popular, relevant keywords that people are likely to use in search of an event, so Google matches these searches with your title. Google’s Keyword Planner is a free resource that can help you evaluate the best keywords for your event.
> Beware of insider terms. Using “EDM” in your event title may excite the diehards, but it can also confuse novices, so adjust your jargon depending on who you’re trying to attract.
People process images 60K times faster than text, so pick a unique and eye-catching image that captures the energy of your event. This image will serve as your listing’s cover and thumbnail, so avoid using logos and flyers, which end up looking distorted when expanded and illegible when shrunk. To make sure attendees can see your image clearly on every platform and in every format, invest in a high-resolution image — at least 2160x1080 pixels, please.
Unless your event is for a private or invitation-only group, make your listing a “Public Page” for maximum reach, so anyone can discover and share it with friends. Public events are automatically listed in Google and Eventbrite’s event directory, and shared with partner sites like Spotify, SeatGeek, and Eventful. That’s free promotion for your event! How can you say “no” to that?
People often search for events by location in Google, so providing your exact address helps your listing appear where they’re searching. Plus, you can take advantage of the 60M+ active ticket buyers searching in Eventbrite’s event directory. Not to mention once they’re convinced, these ticket buyers are more likely to rally their friends in the area, too.
Event-goers have a lot of different interests and gravitate toward the events that suit them. So you should select at least one event “Topic” or event format “Type” or your listing — for example, “Food & Drink” and “Festival” — to reach more foodies in Eventbrite’s event directory.
If you’re sharing your event listing URL anywhere — on flyers, social media, or even a mailer — customize it. This makes it easier to read, remember, and type, like “bluegrassfestival2016.eventbrite.com,” for example. We optimize your URL for Google, even if you customize it, so don’t let that stop you from making your web address more memorable.
People want to know what to expect from your event. Teasing headliners, speakers, food and beverage menus, and complimentary giveaways on your listing can get them excited and sharing with their friends. And did you know that 56% of adults use their phones to read about community events? Ticket buyers on Eventbrite’s mobile-friendly listings are no exception, so create your content with mobile in mind.
Your event description is where you can really sell people on what to expect — the vibe, venue, performers, and speakers — and set your event apart from the competition. But don’t try to include everything or you risk losing their attention altogether. Instead, leave some details to send in an email once buyers register. Here are the most important things to keep in mind:
> Highlight main attractions and activities. Do you have an impressive speaker list or music lineup to share? Is there a party for runners after the marathon? Don’t be shy about including highlights to paint a fuller picture of your event.
> Set the scene. We’ve actually found that people most often go to Google Images and YouTube after visiting an Eventbrite listing. Why? They’re looking for photos and videos to get a feel for your event — the crowd, dress code, and food and beverage options. So get visual with your description. Link to YouTube videos of last year’s event or your Instagram photos of the venue to keep buyers on your page. You can also add feeds of your social media to your event listing to increase engagement.
> Take advantage of text to boost that SEO. Don’t forget to give your embedded images a title and description. Google scans this text, so image captioning increases your chances of matching with an event-goer’s search. On the other hand, text on a flyer won’t be captured in a Google scan, so make sure to write out your event description in full. Don’t just embed your flyer and call it a day.
> Anticipate questions. Including FAQs in your description leaves attendees feeling confident about their ticket purchase — and saves you time answering calls and questions. Add between four and five Q&As at the bottom of your description, keeping in mind that “Will there be food at the event?” is more important to answer now than “Where can I find the food trucks at your event?” Don’t know what might stump your attendees? The chapter, “Confirm Purchase with a Custom Message,” includes a list of the most commonly asked attendee questions.
> Show them how to get there. Attendees will want to know what type of transportation is available. Provide options for urbanites, families, and out-of-towners, including where to park. This should complement the map that is automatically generated on your event listing when you share an address.
> Clarify your refund policy. Choosing a refund policy helps potential buyers feel more secure about their purchase. Eventbrite will honor your refund policy and help you process full and partial refunds and chargebacks.
> Go easy on the eyes. Effective event descriptions are informative but skimmable, so break up your text with sections and bolded or underlined headers.
Attendees can see what types of events you’ve hosted in the past and follow your upcoming ones on your Organizer Profile, so take the extra few minutes to set it up. Your logo and description on your profile also appear on your event listing — another great way to get your brand out there.
Building up your social fanbase can help you create buzz around your event and brand, even after the event is over. Share links to your Facebook and Twitter pages on your listing, so attendees can follow along. We automatically include social sharing buttons on your public event listing too, so attendees can share your event with friends in one click.
Attention spans are shorter for mobile readers. The last thing you want to do is lose someone over a cut-off title or never-ending description. Your listing is already optimized for mobile screens, but you should still check it out on a mobile browser to ensure a great buyer experience.
Convincing attendees to buy tickets takes a lot of work. But once they’re ready to buy, you can rely on Eventbrite’s easy, mobile-friendly platform to usher them through the purchasing process as quickly and painlessly as possible. That said, there are a few things you can do to ensure a smoother experience and more ticket sales, too.
With Eventbrite Professional, you can offer ticket tiers and discounted options to capture every level of interest and maximize your ticket revenue. For more tips on how to think about ticket price and promotion, jump to our next chapter, “Set Up Tickets.”
Create a sense of urgency for buyers by turning on the “Remaining Ticket” feature with a few of your tickets remaining. This is a great way to move the last of your inventory. But don’t tally too early in your sales, or you risk your event looking unsold and unpopular.
Each time you redirect buyers to a third-party payment website, you risk frustrating — or worse — losing them. Eventbrite Payment Processing keeps buyers on the Eventbrite site and minimizes the number of steps in the purchasing process, which increases your chances at higher conversion. Our last chapter, “Get Your Money,” includes instructions on how to set this up.
Limit the number of questions you ask ticket buyers on your payment page and make it easy for them to cross that finish line — more on that in the chapter, “Confirm Purchase with a Custom Message.” And don’t forget: you can always send out a separate survey to learn more about your attendees.
With Eventbrite Analytics, you can track how many people visit your event listing and purchase a ticket. But how did they get there? Use Google Universal Analytics to track visitors and understand what drives them from your website to your listing. Make sure, though, to add your Google Analytics ID to your event page before you make it live.
At any point, you can hit "Save" and return later or "Preview" to see what your event listing looks like so far. It won’t go live until you select the “Make Your Event Live” button at the top of the page, but even then, you can update details at any time.
If your event takes place over multiple days (e.g., a three-day festival), you can list each available date of your schedule on a single event listing. Ticket buyers can select their preferred date and you don’t have to worry about managing multiple pages at once. To set up your multi-day event with Eventbrite Professional, create a separate ticket type for each day on your schedule.
If your event repeats on a regular basis (e.g., a weekly yoga class), you can list each available date on your event listing too. To set up your repeating event, select “Schedule multiple events” under the “Start” and “End” section on your event page, choose how often the event should repeat (e.g., daily, weekly, or monthly), and fill in details — no separate ticket types necessary.
Ever create an event page you’re really proud of? Amazing! Let’s reuse it for a future event. You can quickly and easily copy any event listing, which is especially useful if you run similar events regularly, like an annual fundraiser or concerts at a venue. But don’t forget to update the original “Start” and “End” dates for your new event. These will only change when you edit them.
Each ticket buyer is unique, and the price they’re willing to pay varies. By giving them the opportunity to pay for tiered experiences, you’ll boost sales — and attendee happiness, too.
Not all ticket buyers are willing pay full-price, while others are willing to pay more for a premium experience. So why not offer both options? With Eventbrite Professional’s multi-tiered pricing, you can target different levels of ticket buyer interest and maximize your revenue (translation: more money for you).
How do you get hesitant buyers to commit? Grab them with a limited-time offer — before a distraction comes along and you lose them for good. Early-bird discounts incentivize those on-the-fence to “buy now,” helping you drive early sales and generate positive buzz. Just make sure the regular ticket price is visible during your early-bird on-sale, so buyers can see the price increase and jump at the deal.
VIP packages, reserved seats, and other add-ons can get attendees excited and paying more. In some event categories, we’ve seen VIP experiences generate 25% of ticketing revenue, while only accounting for 10% of ticket sales.
If you haven’t already, upgrade to Eventbrite Professional, then select one (or more) of each of the below ticket types:
> “Free”: These don’t cost you or your attendees anything to register.
> "Paid”: The price you enter is the ticket cost for attendees, excluding fees.
> “Donation”: Allow attendees to donate what they wish.
Select the “Ticket Settings” icon and add ticket details:
> Highlight differences between ticket types. Enter important details about your ticket type to set attendee expectations for each. What can you get from a VIP experience that General Admission attendees cannot? This information will appear in smaller text below the name of your ticket.
> Choose your online and on-site sales channels. If you plan to sell tickets or allow registration online and at your event, select “Everywhere” as your sales channel. Even if your event is free, you still want to turn on “Online sales,” so that attendees can RSVP through your ticketing page.
> Pass on or absorb fees. You can pass on your fees to attendees and avoid incurring the service fee and credit card processing costs, unless you’re using a third-party payment processor. Of course, you can also pay the fees yourself by absorbing them into your ticket or registration price.
> Set ticket sales start and end times. To control your sales schedule, you can customize the start and/or end time for each ticket type. Early-bird tickets should start and end before regular-priced tickets go on sale. You can even program your regular-priced ticket sales to automatically start when early-bird sells out, so tickets are always available for purchase on your ticketing page.
> Hide ticket types. You control which tickets attendees see on your event listing at any given time, so hide the ones unavailable to the public. You can even automatically hide a ticket type when it sells out — like early-bird tickets, for example.
> Restrict tickets allowed per order. Set the maximum number of tickets that can be purchased in a single order to prevent anyone from buying up all your inventory.
> Want to offer discounted tickets using a special offer code? Jump to the next chapter, “Manage Access for Special Guests,” to learn how to add a discount code to specific ticket types.
Our Britepaper, “Your value-based pricing strategy,” can help you determine the perfect price for your event.
To encourage groups of friends to attend your event, set up a group discount in two easy steps. Create a separate ticket type (e.g., “Discounted Group Package”) and set the minimum and maximum tickets or registrations per order to match the number of attendees allowed per group. Make sure the price reflects the individual price of a ticket at the group rate, and identify the limitations and amount discounted in the “Ticket description.”
Similar to group discounts, you can create a “Buy One, Get One Free” ticket type with a minimum and maximum of two tickets per order at a discounted price.
During your on-sale, you may consider changing ticket prices to help you sell more, depending on buyer demand and your remaining ticket inventory. Other ticket settings — name, quantity available, description, sales channels, fees, min/max amount, and start/end dates — can also be edited at any time. If you make any changes to your tickets, they’ll be reflected on all tickets of that ticket type going forward but will not affect tickets already purchased.
Eventbrite makes it easy to manage VIP access to tickets and event entry, so you never have to worry about leaving your most loyal fans without tickets or your most important guests waiting at the door.
Stress less over your special guests by using Access and Public Discount Codes to deliver exceptional treatment.
Thank your loyal fans, close friends, clients, sponsors, and volunteers for their support with early entry, easy check-in, backstage passes, and comped tickets. Your invited guests can enter a private code — created and discreetly shared by you — on your ticketing page so they can access the tickets reserved just for them. To set up ticket tiers specifically for your VIPs, you’ll need Eventbrite Professional.
You may wish to offer a more affordable ticket price to students, senior citizens, children, or military veterans, so they can attend and you can drive additional sales. Make reduced pricing available for these groups by offering a Public Discount to any existing ticket type, with any Eventbrite package. No promo code is required to activate this type of discount, enabling the most seamless purchasing experience. But make sure you can verify your attendees’ eligibility with a government- or school-issued ID at check-in. Since wee're on the topic, if you require an ID for entry, give attendees a heads-up in your event description and Order Confirmation email — more on that in the chapter, “with custom message.”
To extend your reach and generate buzz about your event, regardless of your package, you can offer reduced pricing on tickets to anyone with your shareable promo code. Your event listing will automatically drop the ticket price by the discounted amount when ticket buyers in the know enter this code on your ticketing page.
You can create a “New Code” for either a “Coded discount” or “Coded access to hidden ticket types” (a.k.a. “Access Code”).
If you apply an Access Code to a ticket type, make sure you’ve hidden that ticket type from the public on the “Edit” page of your event listing.
> Code Name: This is the code you'll give attendees to use when they order. Skip this step for Public Discounts, since they don’t require one.
> Discount Amount: Set a fixed amount or percentage to be taken off of the full-price ticket.
> Uses per Offer: Allow the discount to be used an unlimited number of times or enter a set number of tickets that the promotion can be applied to.
> Start: Set the start and end date of the promotion to control your discounted sales.
Once you’ve saved your code(s) and started selling, track the use of each with “Manage Your Codes" — the page that appears after you’ve added your discounts on the "Manage" page of your event listing. This is especially helpful if you’re managing multiple active discounts at once.
Our blog post, “How to Use Discount Codes to Increase Sales,”, can help you maximize sales and generate buzz about your event.
Offer and manage discounts across any combination of your events with ease. You can drive sales on the week’s recurring off-nights or reward returning customers with redeemable codes for any of your events in the upcoming season.
To better manage your ticket inventory and revenue, set a maximum for the number of times a discounted ticket can be purchased. If you’re offering comped tickets, for example, set aside only enough for your specific guest list, so you don’t lose track of them during your on-sale.
By asking attendees for their information, you can learn about them — how they want to be communicated to and treated as guests — before they even walk through your door.
Engaging with attendees and learning from their behaviors and preferences will help you delight them and keep them coming back for more.
Your attendees’ contact information is one of your most valuable assets and should be treated with care. Share updates about upcoming events to drum up excitement, and offer them early access or exclusive offers to make them feel special. You want to turn your attendees into brand advocates, so they’ll share their good feelings about your event with their friends and family.
Knowing your attendees — their ages, genders, cities, and job titles— will help you craft an experience specially for them. For example, you should only bring on partners and sponsors that sell a compelling product or service to your target demographic. That way you know they can provide an event experience that resonates with your attendees. Attendee information can also help you develop a promotions strategy to reach and influence their like-minded peers.
Don’t see the question you’re looking for in our Order Form? Not a problem. With Eventbrite Professional’s "Custom Questions" feature, you can ask your attendees anything you want. Just be sure not to complicate or lengthen the checkout process with too many questions — it may discourage people from completing their purchase.
“Order Form” refers to the form that buyers fill out to purchase a ticket.
Whatever option you choose, limit the number of questions you require to enable an easy checkout.
> “Basic Information”: The form will automatically ask for the name and email address of the ticket buyer only.
> “Buyer Only”: You will prompt the ticket buyer for his or her information only. This option is only available with Eventbrite Professional or Premium.
> “Each Attendee”: You will prompt the ticket buyer for his or her information and the information of his or her friends. This option is only available with Eventbrite Professional or Premium.
Questions default to “Optional” and can be skipped by attendees, unless you select “Require.” The same applies to all “Custom Questions,” detailed below.
If you'd like to add a question, select "Create a Question," and enter it into the field under “Question Prompt.” For example, you might ask the ticket buyer for his or her t-shirt size or dietary restrictions. You can also choose to ask a question only when someone buys a specific ticket type, under “Optional Settings.” Depending on the question, select an appropriate response format:
> Text: Collect short, free-form answers to questions like "What speaker would you like to see at a future event?"
> Paragraph Text: Collect longer free-form answers to questions like "What do you hope to learn?"
> Multiple choice - Select One: Collect an answer that you’ve created, like "What T-shirt size would you like?"
> Multiple choice - Select Multiple: Collect multiple answers that you’ve created to questions like "What dietary restrictions do you have?"
> Ask a “Conditional Subquestion”: This follow-up will only appear if a ticket buyer selects a specific response to a previously asked question. For example, if you ask, “How did you hear about us?” and the ticket buyers respond, “On a website,” your Conditional Subquestion might ask them for the website’s name.
If you’re asking a lot of open-ended custom questions, consider giving your ticket buyer more time to checkout. By default, they’ll have eight minutes to complete their purchase, but most basic orders take less than three minutes on average.
You can ask the same questions on your Order Form for people buying tickets at your event with Eventbrite’s Organizer iOS mobile app.
Attendees often change their minds and may want to upgrade their ticket or attend a different day of your event. If you use Eventbrite Professional and collect information from “Each Attendee,” you allow ticket buyers to swap their tickets for a different ticket type or date on their own, saving you from doing this manually. To enable these transfers, you must be using Eventbrite Payment Processing too — more information on this in the last chapter, “Get Your Money.” With all that said, weigh these tradeoffs against the impact on conversion rate during checkout, and make the call that’s right for you. Remember: the more questions you ask of ticket buyers, the less likely they are to complete the purchase.
You’re almost ready to sell tickets! But don’t call it a day just yet. There are a few more things you can do to help your attendees prepare for the big day.
Customizing your confirmation messages with important event details can drastically reduce confusion for attendees — and free up your phone lines, too. Attendees look for information in the Order Confirmation email and on their tickets, so it’s important to provide valuable answers here. And if you’re getting the same questions over and over, update your event listing description or send a follow-up email to attendees to include relevant answers to these questions.
1. What’s the refund policy?
2. If my name is on the ticket, am I the only one who can use it?
3. Can I transfer or upgrade my ticket to a different session, date, or event?
4. What perks does the VIP ticket include?
5. What is the dress code?
6. Are there any age restrictions?
7. Does my child need an admission ticket?
8. Will my student ID qualify as proof of my identify?
9. What can or can’t I bring to the event?
10. Do I need to print my ticket, or can I pull it up on my phone?
11. Are tickets for sale at the door?
12. Is there a waitlist (if sold out)?
13. When do doors open?
14. What time does the band play?
15. How can I get there by public transit?
16. How can I get there by car?
17. Is there parking, and how much does it cost?
18. Do you have a website where I can learn more?
You can customize your message to attendees in three places:
> Order Confirmation page: After attendees register or purchase a ticket, they see this browser page, confirming their order was processed. This is a great place to drum up some post-purchase excitement and direct attendees to more information about the event on your website.
> Order Confirmation email: Attendees receive an automatic email confirming their order, which they often store for future reference. Customize your email message with event details, like start time, dress code, refund policy, and parking instructions.
> PDF ticket: Duplicate information from the confirmation email is also included on the ticket itself for easy reference.
“Order Confirmation” refers to the three messages attendees see once they’ve completed a purchase — on the webpage, in an email, and on their ticket.
You can preview by selecting "View example order confirmation webpage.” Want to send different confirmation messages for different ticket types? You can do that!
Attendees can send any questions they may have to this email address.
Even if you don’t require tickets for entry, we still recommend sending PDF versions of them. Without it, some attendees worry they don’t have what they need to get in.
You can’t create two different messages for the email and ticket, but this message can, and should, differ from the Order Confirmation webpage.
Running a multi-day event (e.g., a 3-day festival) and want to send specific instructions to attendees by day? You can! If you set up your days as separate ticket types you can send a customized Order Confirmation message to each.
Collecting money from your attendees can be a headache. Luckily, we take care of all that for you, so you can get on with throwing an awesome event.
Rely on Eventbrite Payment Processing to make it as easy as possible for your attendees to pay and for you to get your money.
When you use Eventbrite Payment Processing, ticket buyers can purchase tickets in a few easy steps with their credit or debit cards. They can also use mobile-only options, like Apple Pay and Android Pay. Buyers never have to leave Eventbrite’s website to purchase, and the experience is completely mobile-optimized, helping you convert their interest into more dollars as swiftly and seamlessly as possible.
Ticket buyers want to know their credit card information is in good hands. Give them peace of mind by working with a PCI-compliant service provider like Eventbrite that handles their information securely. And you should feel confident knowing that Eventbrite has processed over $8 billion in ticket sales to date.
Need to pay the venue, the caterers, and your staff before your event even begins? You can get most of your money as you sell tickets with our Advance Payouts program. Based on your needs, we can schedule your money to be sent to you once or twice a month, at no extra cost. Contact us for more details by email to apply for the program. Note: To help you process refunds and chargebacks, we hold a small percentage of your money until five days after your event, so you don’t have to pay fees on any refunded sales.
You can have your money deposited directly into your bank account or receive a check by mail. Unless you’ve requested Advance Payouts, you will receive your money four to five business days after your event ends.
Give your attendees a seamless checkout experience and full access to our tools and capabilities.
We allow you to process payments with PayPal, which enables you to collect money in currencies that Eventbrite cannot process. However, you won’t be able to transfer tickets, set up group registration or reserved seating options, sell tickets via Eventbrite’s mobile Organizer app, or pass on Eventbrite’s fees to attendees if you choose PayPal.
Provide the necessary information for:
> Direct deposit (the recommended, fastest way), or
> Mailed check (we need an actual mailing address — no P.O. Boxes, please)
Select the “Make It Live” button at the top of the page, and start raking in those ticket sales in no time.
