Betty Sebrow is a Lawrence, New York-based relationship coach, matchmaker, and community advocate who has spent decades connecting people through education, media, and event leadership. Since 1982, she has worked as a matchmaker and shadchan for Baila Sebrow Events, LLC, helping individuals worldwide find compatible partners, and she has also served as a dating and relationship coach. In 2007, she founded Neshoma Advocates, LLC, where she organizes educational summits, workshops, and training services that address mental health, child abuse, domestic violence, and other issues affecting at-risk youth and families. Sebrow also serves as an advice columnist for 5 Towns Jewish Times (5TJT) and produces and hosts The Definitive Rap Show, a weekly political and human interest podcast. Her extensive experience organizing summits and community events gives her a practical understanding of how organizers can use social media to build awareness and engagement before, during, and after a gathering.
Social media has become an effective tool for promoting events. With billions of users accessing social media platforms daily, event organizers can reach targeted audiences, generate excitement, encourage registrations, and maintain engagement before, during, and after events.
However, successful event promotion requires more than simply posting event details online. It involves strategic planning, consistent branding, the development of engaging content, and interaction with audiences throughout an event’s lifecycle.
The first step in promoting an event on social media is selecting suitable platforms. Rather than creating a presence on every social network, experienced event organizers focus on the ones most relevant to their target audience. Different platforms attract different demographics and support various content formats.
Facebook is effective for driving community-driven events because of its event pages and sharing capabilities. Instagram is a valuable resource for promoting visually appealing events such as festivals and lifestyle concerts. TikTok is important for reaching younger audiences through short-form video content and trending topics. Choosing a suitable platform based on the target audience significantly influences an event’s success.
Before launching promotional campaigns on the chosen platforms, organizers should establish a clear and consistent event brand. Strong branding helps an event stand out in crowded social media feeds. It creates visibility, allowing audiences to identify promotional content as they browse, by using a consistent color palette, logo, and messaging style that reflect the event’s purpose. Consistency builds familiarity and improves the target audience’s trust in an event.
Successful event organizers create memorable hashtags for the selected platforms. A unique hashtag initiates conversations, allows attendees, speakers, sponsors, and organizers to share related posts, and makes it easy for potential attendees to discover event-related content online. Importantly, effective hashtags are short, relevant, easy to remember, and closely linked to the event name or theme.
A save-the-date announcement on promotional materials is essential, as it informs the audience of the event’s date, location, and purpose, followed by countdown posts to remind followers how much time remains before the event. Speaker spotlights and performer introductions can also generate interest and provide valuable content for audiences to share.
Behind-the-scenes content is another effective way to build excitement. Sharing planning activities, venue preparations, rehearsal footage, or sneak previews makes the audience feel connected to the event before it happens. Such content humanizes the planning process and builds anticipation by offering exclusive glimpses into what attendees can expect.
Engaging audiences before an event is essential, and it can be achieved by including interactive content in promotional materials. Live question-and-answer sessions, event previews, and virtual discussions allow potential attendees to interact directly with organizers, speakers, and special guests. These engagements help address concerns and establish a strong sense of community.
Promotion should continue throughout the event. Many organizers solely focus on pre-event marketing and overlook real-time promotion. During the event, organizers should share live updates, photos, and videos.
Posting this content on stories, reels, and livestreams extends the event experience beyond the venue, allowing remote audiences to participate. This approach demonstrates the event’s energy and success, potentially attracting interest in future events.
User-generated content is particularly valuable during live streams. Organizers should encourage attendees to capture and post videos and photos on social media using the designated hashtags. Attendee-created content carries more credibility than branded messages, and it can extend an event’s reach both in real time and in the future.
The promotional process does not end when an event concludes. Experienced organizers leverage post-event marketing to maintain audience relationships.
They share the content captured on social media, allowing attendees to revisit the experience while giving non-attendees a glimpse of what they missed. Testimonials and participant feedback can also be shared, and organizers can use the post-event engagement to thank attendees, speakers, sponsors, and partners, preserving a sense of community.
About Betty Sebrow
Betty Sebrow is a Lawrence, New York-based educator, matchmaker, relationship coach, and community advocate. Since 1982, she has worked as a matchmaker and shadchan for Baila Sebrow Events, LLC, helping individuals find compatible, marriage-minded partners, while also serving as a dating and relationship coach. In 2007, she founded Neshoma Advocates, LLC, delivering educational summits and training addressing issues facing at-risk youth. She holds an English degree from CUNY Brooklyn and a master’s in journalism from New York University, and writes a weekly advice column for 5 Towns Jewish Times.
