Your events are great, the flyer is beautiful, so what’s not working?

It’s not you, it’s just that event flyers don’t belong on Instagram or Facebook.

Event flyers date back to pre-internet. The goal was to put every single detail on one paper so if someone sees it posted or gets in in their hand they don’t need to know anything else or have any other communication to attend. Turns out that’s not the case anymore. You emailed that flyer, the deets are on your FB page, and your website & is easily searchable.

IG is a visual platform. The goal of your image should be to stop the scroll and have ppl decide that your post is worth pausing at. A flyer packed with text isn’t going to do that. If ppl have to zoom in order to see what it’s about they’re definitely not going to pause while they’re quickly scrolling past.

Of course, you want to promote your event so how can you do it in a way that fits the platform?

1. Forget trying to fit every detail in the square. What’s the headline? Is it catchy enough to stop the scroll? That’s what you want in your square. The rest of the details can do in the caption or use a carousel to share more once you’ve gained the attention of your followers.

2. Use your best photos from past events with engaging captions about your upcoming event.

3. Create creative content that relates to your event but adds general value at the same time. Ex: using a quote about volunteering before a volunteer event, sharing a unique story about the event.

4. Use stories. Stories are perfect for promoting events because you can talk about the event multiple times without it living on your feed forever. Use polls and ask questions to make sure you’re sharing what your audience actually wants to know.

So, are you ready to bid farewell to flyers on social?