Like many of you, since the pandemic began I frequently attend online events, workshops, and webinars. In addition, I also have responsibility for the development and execution of events (which includes marketing and promoting these) as part of my consulting work for two different mission-driven organizations.

While it’s taken for granted that these events include the most obvious information such as time and date, other critical pieces of communication are often missing and can negatively impact registrations. For paid events especially, these easy fixes are even more important to increase revenue.

Here are steps you can take to make sure each event is effectively promoted to maximize the number of attendees:

First, please tell me what day of the week the event will be held, and don’t force me to look it up. Is the 14th on a Tuesday? Friday? Many of us have a different schedule each day of the week. Whether that’s because of work or family obligations, standing weekly appointments are often made weeks or months in advance. Just TELL me so I know immediately if I can attend or not. It’s such a simple fix and can greatly impact registrations.

For example, what’s better: 
September 14th, 2023 – OR – Friday, September 14th, 2023?

Second, will the event be recorded? I’ve often had to ask this question. Again, please….just TELL me, OK? If you don’t mention this in your communications, you risk low registrations because if I know I can’t make it to the live event, I likely will still want the information. Conversely, tell me if it won’t be recorded as well. Sometimes, this is a great tactic as it will increase sign-ups if people know the only way to get the information is to attend live.

Similarly, if the event is hybrid, tell those in attendance if they can access the event link. We’re often so inundated with information that we can’t absorb it all. I’ve been part of hybrid events where I was onsite and I appreciated the link so I could watch it again and either refresh my memory or pick up what I may have missed live.

Suggested verbiage: Can’t attend? Want to watch it again? No problem. 
This event will be recorded and the link sent to everyone who registered.

Lastly, we live in a global world and if your topic has relevance across cultures and countries and you’re appealing to an international audience, then please supply a link to a time zone converter. If your promotions say 12:00 PM UTC and you don’t supply a link, you’ll likely lose people. I promise you that once you include a link, your registrations will greatly increase. I’ve recently played a part in planning global events in Africa and Spain in addition to the United States. For one organization, we had a jump in registrations when we included a link. Even in the United States, there can be confusion as several states no longer change their clocks twice a year.

Here’s how to say it: The event will take place from Noon – 1PM UTC. 
You can find your local time zone here.

Implement these three easy steps and I promise you that your audience will thank you and you’ll see an increase in registrations. Make these part of your event checklist so they become part of the standard operating procedure and watch what happens.