5 Event Copywriting Tips To Sell Out Your In-Person Event

Something powerful happens when you gather people in the same room, whether it is a conference, retreat, summit, or in person mastermind. How do you even put into words what just happened? 

In-person events can feel like magic to your attendees, but when you get home, you wonder: “how do you even market this?” How do you capture those intangible wins that had people quickly signing up for next year? But I’m here to say, yes, you can—in fact, it is your responsibility to do so—and here’s how. 

Can Event Copywriting Market Your Unique In-Person Experience?

First, let me tell you what sparked this. Recently, I went to an in person event here in LA, and it was one of those where you leave changed. The woman that walked into that room on day one is not the same person who walked out at the end of the last day. Something shifted. This event was powerful…on a personal level, the mindset shifts that were unblocked for me, and the professional moves that I made as a result. 

In the last session of the last day, we were sharing takeaways from our time together. And then the event host was riffing off of what someone said that was really good and made this comment: “you cannot market this.”

I don’t know if she actually meant that literally, or if she was just trying to hit home on the fact that so many intangible things happened and shifted in the room that are so hard to put in the words. It almost feels like if you tried to put words around it, it would diminish the experience. And it can feel impossible to try and describe to someone who was not there what experience you just had. That is the marker of a very, very good in person event. 

Effective Event Copywriting Is Your Responsibility As An Event Host

But the comment that “you cannot market this” really struck a chord with me, and I want to challenge that today. Not only do I think you can capture what it feels like magic that just happened in the room, but I believe that you must. It is your responsibility to have your sales page reflected in the experience that they are going to get as closely as possible. This is going to get the right people in the room and is going to curate the room to be a safe place for the right people to land. And you don’t want that one bad apple to ruin the bunch. 

And I’ve also attended events previously where the sales page did not go into detail. And while my personal experience of the event was fine, there were some bad reviews that just left a bad taste in my mouth. And part of that not-so-great review I’m thinking about is that they did not deliver fully on what they put on their sales page. 

From a marketing perspective and a copywriter perspective, I understand that your vision for the event can change as it starts to come to life. I understand that that sales page was probably written at least a year in advance of when this event happened. It was also the first year of the event, so they had never done it before. So how do you capture what’s going to happen at the event when the event has never happened yet? I get that. But at the same time, you are responsible for fulfilling and making good on your marketing. 

5 Event Copywriting Tips To Fill Every Seat

It is so important to put into words as closely as possible the true experience that people have at the event.

This is hard, whether it’s the first time or your fifth. So I want to share with you five event copywriting tips to sell out your in person event. 

Tip #1: Know Your Event Audience

I know this sounds obvious or elementary, but what I really mean is to know this particular segment of your audience. 

Who is actually going to show up at your event? 

Who’s going to travel for you? 

Who are the type of people in your audience that you want to be there? 

Who in your audience do you know needs to be there? 

What segment of your audience would get the biggest transformation out of showing up to this event? What segment of your audience has the energy that you want this event to hold? 

Because you don’t want just anybody showing up there. You want to get the right people in the room. Speak to that particular segment of your audience when you are writing your copy, whether that be your emails, your sales page, your socials, all of the things.

Tip #2: Craft A Standout Headline. 

I want to know immediately upon looking at your sales page that this event is for me and what result I can expect to get if I attend. What is the promise of your event? I don’t want to go digging through your sales page to find out. I want to know right away, above the fold, in the hero section, that this is for me. That is going to encourage me to read the rest of your sales page to see if I can find myself in the rest of your sales copy. And if I can, then I’m going to buy. And if I can’t, well, I’m just going to click away and move on. 

Tip #3: Tell Stories of What Happens At Your Event

We need to be able to describe this intangible experience that you want your attendees to have or that they have had if you’ve held this event before. One great way to do this is by telling stories.

I have a client who hosts an event on how experts can authentically connect with other experts. And the great thing is that it’s not just how to, though. That’s definitely part of it. But she actually has you do these workshops and exercises and things in the room to actually connect with the other experts who are there. And one of the crazy cool things that has happened is that attendees actually booked new clients while at the event. Like during the event. That is amazing. So that is something we for sure wanted to have stand out on the sales page. 

And on the sales page in particular, we also wanted to update the copy to make it feel safer for the introverts who really need these skills. And I mean, the extroverts do too. Let’s be honest, we all do. So we wanted to highlight in the copy how safe it is. It’s okay if you’re awkward, it’s okay if you don’t know anybody. And that’s actually the best position to be in. 

Pro tip: this is actually a great copywriting strategy in general. Take their biggest objection and make that the reason why they actually need to come to your event or why they need to buy your thing. 

For example, if you don’t know anybody coming to the event, or you don’t feel comfortable networking because you’re an introvert, or because you feel like you’re awkward, then this is actually the safest place for you to learn and practice those skills. 

Tip #4: Share Tons of Social Proof 

What are attendees saying about your event? This is another great way to put into words those intangible experiences that can feel hard to describe. 

You want to be intentional about capturing this in a couple different ways towards the end of your event:

 

• • Through video testimonials is a great way to do it. Have your videographer chat with people and capture what they’re actually saying as they’re feeling that post event high. Capture that feeling of being ready to conquer the world at the end of the event.

• • Share biggest takeaways at the end of the event. When you ask your audience to share their big takeaways, that gets other people excited and thinking about it, too. Get people to raise their hands and share their experience.

• • Pro Tip: Have attendees journal about their big takeaways first for a couple minutes. Give them time to write down what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling, and what they’re taking home from this event. Have them share with their buddy at the table next to them, or have them share among their table first before they share with the group as a whole.
    That is great for the introverts to process and share so that you don’t always just get the loudest person in the room (though I’m sure what they have to say is great too!). But this will get you more thoughtful responses. You’re going to get better testimonials that way. 

Tip #5: Use Power Words For Event Copywriting (With Examples)

Incorporate these particular words to evoke emotion and enthusiasm for your event:

 

• • Exclusive 

• • Limited 

• • Unforgettable

     

    “Exclusive” sparks desire, elevates perceived value, and creates authentic urgency to secure a spot. But use it wisely! Combine exclusivity with clear event benefits. For example, promoting an “exclusive networking dinner with industry leaders” would draw in attendees who are looking to level up. You could further emphasize exclusivity by mentioning the limited number of seats available.

“Limited time” can create a sense of authentic urgency. We’re not talking about fake scarcity here. I’m going to touch more on that in a minute. But we want to create excitement and encourage people to register if they are truly the right person that needs to be at this event of yours. (More on this below!)

“Unforgettable” taps into our desire for experiences that leave a lasting impact. It promises attendees more than just attending an event; it hints at something transformative, inspiring, or emotionally resonant. This powerful word sparks curiosity and motivates people to participate in something out of the ordinary. An example headline could be “Create Unforgettable Content: Join Our Masterclass with Industry Experts.” (This emphasizes the lasting impact attendees will have on their skills). Another example could be a CTA like this: “Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create an unforgettable experience. Register now!” (This positions the event as a unique and irreplaceable experience).

The Four Stages of Event Copywriting And Marketing

So these five tips I want you to incorporate on your sales page for sure, but also throughout the whole marketing process. I’m talking about creating excitement about the event, starting your waitlist, creating participation through your early bird pricing and all the way to cart close. 

Let me dive into and explain a little bit more of what this looks like in each of the stages of marketing your in person event.

1. 1. Event Anticipation. 

Before the waitlist, create event anticipation in the months leading up to it. Tease the event on social media and in your emails. You can share:

• • Snippets of behind the scenes of you planning the event

• • About the speaker lineup and the topics that they’re going to cover.

• • What to expect (ie: if there are workshop opportunities, or maybe you’re going to have a photographer there and they’re going to givr free headshots or something like that.)

• • About the venue, why you chose it, and local recommendations where they can hang out. 

• • Highlight the benefits of attending

• • The value prop of attending your event. What are attendees going to gain by participating?

 

2. 2. Open Your Waitlist. 

What I love about waitlists – I think this is such a missed opportunity when people don’t do it – is to offer an exclusive bonus for your waitlisters. It makes it such a no brainer to give them your email address for the opportunity to grab this exclusive bonus. And there’s the power word “exclusive” there. This is a great way to use it and incorporate it. There’s no commitment there, it’s just an opportunity. Like they’re like, this is a win win. There’s no possible loss here. This is a simple way to incentivize people to get on the waitlist and get them excited about attending your event. 

And then also if you have a waitlist, make sure you are emailing them. Don’t just let those emails sit. It’s great if you have 10,000 subscribers, but if you never email them…what’s the point? So we want to make sure you are emailing your list no matter the size, and continuing to build excitement for this event and communicate the exclusivity of this waitlist bonus. Make it clear that it is only available to those who sign up early. This creates a sense of honest, genuine authentic urgency and exclusivity. 

 

3. 3. Early Bird Pricing.

Once you have built your waitlist. Now you’re ready to open up the early bird pricing. So set a clear timeline for the early bird discount. Let subscribers know how long they have to take advantage of this lower price and price that early bird discount. Strategically, you want to offer a substantial enough discount to incentivize those early signups, but obviously not so low that it’s going to reduce your profit margins significantly, taking into account the cost of the event and the marketing and all the things that go into it. 

 

4. 4. Authentic and Natural Urgency. 

As the early bird cart closes and the cart in general closes, you want to focus on authentic urgency, if this feels in alignment for you to do it. I am not talking about creating a sense of FOMO because that often gets the wrong people in the room. And you can sell out your event without doing that! 

However, there is real psychology at play here and we can use it in an authentic way. Here are my recommendations to do it ethically and in a way that maintains integrity: 

 

• • Focus on the experience. Instead of just saying “limited spots available,” explain why there are limited spaces (intimate venue, personalized interaction with speakers, etc.). 

• • Showcase the community aspect. As you know, in-person events are profound not just for the content, but more so for the genuine connections established by having a shared experience with someone in real life. People attend events largely because of the network and getting in the room with the right people.

• • Communicate progress of sign ups. As spots fill up, show a progress bar or update subscribers on how many spots remain. This creates an honest sense of urgency without being pushy. It’s creating excitement of “I would love to be a part of this, too!” 

Authentic and natural urgency pushes them to make a decision intentionally rather than out of a dysregulated nervous system. Nobody wants that. We don’t want it for them. You don’t want that kind of attendee coming. You can sell out your event without that. Help them make a decision, whether that is a yes or a no. We want them to know what their true decision is.  They have all the information they need to make a decision because you have a thorough and awesome sales page.

Four Other Considerations for Event Copywriting As A Host

There is much to think about when it comes to hosting an event. I want to make it easy on you by giving you the options. You can choose what makes sense for you and your audience.

 

• • Offer a payment plan: Make attending financially easier for subscribers by offering payment plan options.

• • Offer an affiliate link: Incentivize your existing audience who knows you and loves you to spread the word. This is especially powerful for in person events. If they know that they have a friend who they can sit next to or go to lunch with, that can put them at ease to be able to say yes to the event if they’re sitting on the fence.

• • Partner with complementary businesses: Who are other people in business that you know and love and in your niche, and it would make sense to cross promote your event to their audience? How would it be a win-win-win for you, for your partner business, and for both of your audiences as well?

• • Create a compelling event sales page: Provide a dedicated event website with all the details: speakers, schedule, location, FAQs, and registration options. Check out my blog 10 Sales Page Essential Elements For Coaches To Drive Conversions for more in writing your sales page.

Pick and choose which of these ideas are right for you. 

The Three Types of Buyers To Consider When Copywriting Your Event Sales Page

And consider the range of buyers looking at your sales page. When I write a sales page, I have these three types of buyers in mind.

 

1. 1. The Easy Yes

There’s going to be a top tier of buyers who are just going to buy because it’s you. They love you, they know you, they want to be in the room with you. They’ve done maybe a program of yours before and they’re so excited for the opportunity to be in person. They’re going to buy, no matter what. Even if it’s just a buy button and zero sales copy. 

 

2. 2. The Detail-Oriented Buyer

Then there’s people on the other end of the spectrum who are going to read every single line of sales page. This is actually where I fall personally as a buyer. I like to know all the things. (Enneagram five here!) I want to be able to envision myself at the event. I want to know what the experience is going to be like, so I can feel a full body yes. 

 

3. 3. The Skimmers

I would estimate 70%-80% of your audience is in the in between. They’re not an immediate yes and they’re also not going to necessarily read every single word of your sales page. They’re going to be the skimmers who read only what they feel applies to them. 

Design your sales page and format it for these skimmers intentionally. Write headlines so that if they only skim, they can still understand of what the experience is going to be like. It will be enough for them to make a decision. They might only read a couple of sections of the sales page that they feel really applied to them. Then they might skim over the sections where it’s not a big value for them. And that’s okay! A good long-form sales page caters to ALL of these types of buyers.

Maximize Your Event Sales Page ROI

I love writing the long form sales page to the person who is going to read every word while also formatting it for that majority who are going to skim. But you still need to have all the long form in there because what’s a value to someone, may not be a value to someone else. So different people are looking for different things. And a long form sales page covers all of your bases.

I love that long-form copy is coming back on trend (though I don’t think it ever went out of style!). I love that it is actually trending now here in 2024 again. So this is a great way to sell out your event. And these five tips are something that you can implement immediately. Just brush up your sales page quickly with these five tips to sell out your event.

How Will You Check Event Copywriting Off Your To-Do List?

Mastering your event copywriting is essential for ensuring your in-person event sells out and delivers on its promises. By knowing your audience, crafting standout headlines, and sharing compelling stories, you can effectively convey the unique and transformative experiences your event offers. Utilizing social proof and powerful words will further enhance the appeal of your event, creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity—without resorting to fake scarcity. Remember, your sales page must reflect the true essence of the event to attract the right attendees and set the stage for a memorable experience. Implementing these strategies will not only fill your event but also cultivate a community of satisfied and loyal participants.
If you know that you need this but just don’t have the capacity to do it yourself right now…I am happy to support you in either a done-with-you or a done-for-you capacity. Check out my services guide by clicking here.