Event Listing
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When creating an event listing for online publications, promoters must remember the different criteria that websites require. It’s unlikely that event organisers will write a personalised listing for all the different sites. However what seems a perfect event for one site may not work for others.

This guide will help promoters get the maximum exposure for their events and make sure the editorial teams of the top listings websites take notice of your event.

Event Listing

1. Naming an Event
When naming an event, aim to keep the title between 20 and 40 characters. It’s not necessary to mention the date of the event or the name of the venue in an event name; in fact this can sometimes be a hindrance. Event organisers should never use any unusual symbols in their event title like: @!”£$%^&**() etc.

2. Adding Images
When selecting an image for an event listing, it should measure no larger than 500 pixels by 500 pixels, and using a JPEG or PNG file type will work best.
For those still struggling with how to pick the perfect image for an event, a great guide to help you on how to choose a great event image has been written by Eventbrite.

3. The Date
When setting the date for an event listing, double check that it is correct. There may not be an opportunity to change it once the event has broadcasted.
Events should always be posted at least three weeks in advance to guarantee that the listings websites will pick up the event and to maximise the marketing potential. If an event is listed through Evvnt or directly onto the events website too close to the date and time of the event, many listings websites will simply ignore it.

4. Artists / Performers / Speakers
Some sites won’t accept event submissions without an artist. So always try to add the name(s) of artists performing at the event.

5. The Event Summary

The most important description of an event is the Event Summary. This Event Summary usually has the length of about 200 characters and is the most important information about an event. If you are not sure on what to write down in the Event Summary, try to imagine pitching an idea at a totally new audience. An event description should grab the audience’s attention in the very first line. Don’t waste time on the name of the venue or the time of the event – all of this can add later.

6. The Event Description
After writing a snappy summary, event organisers can go into more detail in the Description section. This section is often just a short biography of the people playing for example. Include interesting or relevant information that a writer at editorial sites like Spoonfed or Time Out can latch onto should they want to feature the event.
N.B. Not all sites will ask for a separate Event Summary and Event Description but it’s very useful to have a short and long version of an event description that’s suitable for different websites.

7. Price
On most websites, events can be added in different price bands. For example, Evvnt allows users to add as many different price bands as they like. It’s often worth having a few if organisers are going to sell tickets in advance with different prices for ‘early bird tickets’, ‘advance tickets’ or ‘on the door’.
NB: Every event has a price, remember ‘Free’ is a price!

8. Genres
Another crucial step in the event creation process is deciding on the best genre for the event. This is particularly important for those event organisers using Evvnt. The event genre will determine which listings websites the event will submit to. It’s best to experiment with different genres to find which works best for your events. Those event organisers who promote events at venues with different types of events should welcome the opportunity to maximise exposure for the brand online.

9. Tags
As many tags as possible should be added to an event listing. The tags will help people who has interested with finding the information that they need. Evvnt’s genres are very broad and will determine the listings websites an event appears on. This is also the case for tags and genres on all our partner websites. The tags help search engines and people to find events that listed in specific genres.
For example, when promoting a comedy night users should use tags like standup, improv, sketches, comedy, Soho, West End etc. For a music festival with lots of different genres, promoters should use the genre names as tags to categorise the event e.g. indie, pop, hip hop, live music, festivals, Norfolk.

10. Tickets Links
In order to get more listing sites to carry an event, we recommend using independent ticketing services, who only sell tickets, as they don’t pose any competition to the listing sites. It’s also worthwhile using a link shortening service like bit.ly or tiny.cc to keep links short and neat.
Final Checklist
Most event organisers will only get one chance to post an event listing. Once the send button has pressed, there’s no turning back. For events uploaded directly on listing sites or via Evently, it’s crucial that all event details are correct before they are sending.
Some things to consider before sending your emails are:
– Is everything tagged correctly?

  • Do the event summary and event description really sell the event well?
  • Has the event been listed with the correct date?
  • Are relevant artists listed for the event?
  • Is the event listed under the right genre?

We recently announced New Partnerships Targeting US Local News & Media Industry. We will be working together with some great companies and are looking forward to helping you invite the world to your events!

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