How to Promote an Event: Radio, Social and Email

You've planned a great event. Now you need people in the room. How to promote an event comes down to three things: reach the right people, give them a reason to come now, and remind them until they show up.

This guide is part of our marketing trends series.

Start with a clear promise

What will people get? Learn something, meet someone, have fun, get a deal? Put it in one sentence and use it everywhere.

A countdown plan

Timing	Actions
8–6 weeks	Announce, open registration, early-bird offer, partner outreach
6–4 weeks	Speaker and performer reveals, creator invites, media pitch
4–2 weeks	Radio and paid social, email series, community listings
2–1 weeks	Reminders, last-chance offers, behind-the-scenes content
Event week	Daily reminders to registrants, live social coverage
After	Thank-yous, photos, recap, survey, next event sign-up

Channels that fill rooms

• Email to your list, the highest converting channel for many events (email marketing)
• Social media with countdowns and short videos
• Radio for broad local reach and live reads from hosts (radio advertising)
• Creators and micro-influencers (micro-influencers)
• Partners and sponsors sharing with their audiences (partnerships)
• Local media and event listings (local media)
• Community groups and associations

Reminders are marketing

Many registrants forget. Send confirmations, calendar invites and reminders by email and text (with consent). Automated reminders reduce no-shows significantly. See SMS marketing.

Calgary event tips

• Avoid clashing with major events like Stampede, unless you're building around them (Stampede marketing)
• Plan for weather: winter events need parking and transit details
• Use local venues and neighbourhood pride (event marketing in Calgary)

Track results

• Registrations by source (unique links and codes)
• Attendance rate
• Cost per attendee
• Leads and sales from the event
• Post-event survey results

Turn attendees into customers

Follow up within 24 hours with a thank-you, recap and clear next step, like booking a consultation or joining the next event. See networking events.

Mistakes to avoid

• Starting too late. Most events need weeks of steady promotion.
• Only posting on social. Organic reach alone rarely fills a room.
• No reminders. Registrations aren't attendance.
• No follow-up. The event is the start of the relationship.

Example: a business breakfast (illustrative)

A Calgary law firm hosts a breakfast on new employment rules. It emails clients and partners six weeks out, pitches the topic to a local business outlet, runs LinkedIn ads to HR professionals, and sends automated reminders. Attendees get a follow-up with slides and a booking link for consultations.

Event promotion checklist

• [ ] One-sentence promise
• [ ] Countdown plan
• [ ] Mix of owned, earned and paid channels
• [ ] Automated reminders
• [ ] Follow-up within 24 hours

Great events deserve full rooms. Promote them like a campaign, not a post. See experiential marketing.