Writing an excellent copy of an event is not always easy. However, it is important to do it well.
Words, sounds and visuals make up the holy trinity of online content. It’s tempting to think that the written word has gone out of style in the era of YouTube and FaceTime.
But that’s not the case.
There are many situations where people can’t or don’t want to have sound turned on. If you’ve ever been on a bus with teenagers listening to music from your phone, you’ll know what we mean.
That’s why it’s important to write an excellent copy of the event for the websites where you post your event.
In this article, we’ll see how …
- Write for your audience.
- Offer them great value.
- Stealing from other event publications.
- Write a good headline.
- Create a compelling copy.
- Make it easy to read and do copy editing
- Optimize it for search engines.
- Include a call to action.
After reading this, you’ll be a writing superstar!
- Know your audience.
A great copy of any kind always starts with “the who”.
Unless this is your first event, you already know who your target audience is and what they expect. You know their tone of voice and the jargon they use.
The copy you write for your event list should always reflect that. It will make relationships easier and look like less of a sale.
It’s a little more challenging if you’re organizing your first event or trying to reach a new audience. In this case, social networks are a good place to start.
Find some relevant Facebook groups or Twitter hashtags to see what and how people talk about.
- Offer great value.
It takes time and money to attend an event, so make it worthwhile. That’s why we covered the audience first.
Once you know who they are and what they want, you will know how to offer them something of value. You need to do more than just state the obvious.
If you organize a cooking class, it’s not enough to simply say that you’ll learn to cook.
Try to find the deepest reason why someone would take a cooking class. You may not be able to afford a Michelin star dinner, but you still want to impress your partner.
What you offer should be something that can transform the lives of your attendees.
- Stealing like an artist.
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Good artists copy, great artists steal. Everything is a remix. Clichés are clichés because they are true.
As long as you modify it, don’t be afraid to raise a good concept from somewhere else.
You don’t have to copy your direct competition either. See the publications of events in industries other than yours and see what you can steal from them.
They may have a catchy title that you can remix into the publication of your events. Or it could be as simple as the way they structure the bullets and subtitles of your publication.
- Write a catchy headline.
The headline, along with the image of your event, is the first thing people will see. If you can’t catch their attention with the headline, they’re unlikely to read the rest.
Your headline should contain your biggest selling point: the value proposition. In other words, your headline should encourage people to read and discover how it will transform their lives.
They want to know why your event will be unforgettable or how you will grow as a person. Most importantly, the headline should make them curious to read more.
Writing an excellent copy of the event requires a catchy headline.
- Keep the reader’s attention.
A catchy headline is just the first step. Now that you have aroused the reader’s interest, you must keep their attention. Get it by painting a picture of what the event will be like.
Offer the reader testimonies from previous guests or highlights of events you have already organized. Don’t be afraid to praise the speakers or artists who will be present at your event.
Finally, you should also complement your copy with real images. Use photos and videos from previous events and show how happy the guests felt.
The idea is to offer as much social proof as possible.
- Make it easy to read.
It’s important to understand a little psychology when you write your copy. People read texts online very differently than when they are immersed in a book.
Dense blocks of text will only make people’s eyes glassy. In other words, they will read from above. That means making your copy as legible as possible.
Write short sentences.
Separate them into small paragraphs.
- Use bullets.
- Write in an active voice.
- Divide everything with subtitles.
- The easier your publication is to read, the more likely it is to read everything.
Writing an excellent copy includes short sentences and paragraphs.
- Consider SEO.
Search engine optimization is important for event publishing. It will push you to the top of the search results when people are looking for your type of event.
Start by typing a Google search. You’ll see some suggestions based on what people are usually looking for. Choose one of the suggestions and do the search.
Then scroll to the bottom of the page. You’ll see the search terms related to what you just typed.
Use as many of these search terms in the copy for the publication of your event as possible. It will increase the chances that your event will be found online.
The popularity of the event website you are using is another factor that will help you with SEO. A well-known and trusted website will have a higher rank than one of dubious reputation.
If possible, try to include a popular search term in your headline.
Finally, it is important not to copy and paste anything from your own website. Google rewards the original content, so you should make sure that the description of your event fits the platform.
- Using a Call to Action (CTA)
The last and most important step in creating a good copy of the publication of your events is the call to action. It is easy to get caught up in the description, which forgets this last crucial part.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple “Register Now” will suffice. However, it is more effective if you can add an element of scarcity or urgency to your CTA.
If you only have a certain amount of space or tickets for your event, add it to the list. If the event will be relatively soon, be sure to include that as well.
The CTA is also a good place to reiterate why people should attend your event (See #2).
Every excellent copy of an event has a call to action at the end of it.
To summarize…
Now you know everything there is to know about how to write an excellent copy of an event. Feel free to be as experimental as you like.
Just remember to cover these eight basic points and you will do well:
- Keep your audience in mind.
- Have a value proposition.
- Steal like an artist.
- Write a catchy headline.
- Paint a picture in the reader’s mind.
- Make it as legible as possible with short sentences and bullets.
- Remember SEO.
- Don’t forget the call to action.
- Let us know how your event copy turned out in the comments below!
