Every business, organization and nonprofit holds an event from time to time. Events serve a number of purposes, including marketing campaigns, fundraising and member engagement. But to reach those goals, the event needs to attract attendees, which can be challenging to do without a strong event description that grabs attention and keeps it.
How to Write a Good Event Description that Drives Attendance
An effective event description can drive the attendance of your event by using specific words and phrases that stir interest and urgency. For example, if your goal is to promote a science-related event, include words that people might use when searching for the topics you’re promoting. That way, they’ll find the event on Google and other search engines when they’re looking for something relevant to your topic.
The Event Headline: Your event headline should be a snappy and attention-grabbing introduction that captures the essence of your event. This makes it more likely that someone will click on your link to learn more about your event. It also serves as a call-to-action, so be sure to use it as many times as possible throughout your event description.
Break up your writing with visual content: Pictures, GIFs, infographics and slides can break up long text blocks so that your readers can easily follow along. The addition of images also creates more context for your message, as they can help explain certain concepts and make your information easier to understand.
Humans are visual creatures, so a captivating picture can really get your audience’s attention. Whether it’s a photograph of people at a previous similar event, a picture of your speaker or a dazzling video of the event’s highlights, rich imagery can truly make your description memorable and draw people in.
Becoming a part of the tribe: When you’re hosting an event, you want to appeal to your target audience’s social need for belonging. This will encourage them to show up and be a part of your community. It also ties into your organization’s mission and values, so be sure to mention these in your description.
What to Include in your Description:
A successful event requires great planning and a lot of effort from everyone involved. A concise event description is key to making your event successful and maximizing the return on your investment. It should contain the essential information about your event, including the date, location, timing and costs, as well as the names of speakers, sponsors and other attendees.
Creating a sense of urgency:
It’s often hard to generate interest in an event, especially when it’s not clear exactly what you’re offering or why they should participate. The best way to overcome this obstacle is to be creative and offer a compelling reason why people should sign up.
If the event is for a cause, be sure to include that in your description as well. This is a strong incentive for people to participate and can help you secure more sponsors and donations.