Who doesn’t love listening to live music? With more than 50,000 concerts promoted by Live Nation across the United States in 2023 alone, everyone seems to be looking for bands to see in person. If you want to get some of that attention for yourself, here are five tips to promote your concert locally.
Create iconic concert posters
Concert posters are some of the most collectible pieces of memorabilia ever. And even if your concert isn’t Woodstock ’69, that doesn’t mean you can’t make some amazing concert posters that’ll sell a bunch of tickets and maybe even end up on your fans’ bedroom walls!
Since you’re busy preparing for your show, you probably don’t have time to design collectable concert posters from scratch. Luckily, there are thousands of professional (and free) concert poster templates available online from websites like PosterMyWall.
Simply find the template that best fits your band’s style, customize the information in the easy drag-and-drop editor, and you’re ready to print! Hang your posters around town for some hyper-local marketing power or post them to your website and social media channels for some digital exposure. There’s nothing a good concert poster can’t achieve!
Post teaser videos to social media
Building hype is a great way to promote any event, especially a concert. While your die-hard fans will likely buy their tickets immediately, other people might be more on the fence. Convince the naysayers that they need to come to your concert by posting teaser videos to social media.
Stories are a great option for teasers. They’re short videos that disappear after 24 hours. Post some footage of the band practicing some new songs, some of the more exciting show elements, or anything else that you think might cause a buzz. Post them to your Story to give your followers a glimpse of the amazing stuff they’ll hear and see at your concert. After a while, they won’t be able to resist and want to purchase some tickets.
Another way to build a buzz is to put a countdown clock on your social media channels. Every now and then, create a post that says X days until the concert — with a little more pizazz, of course! The sense of urgency will send fans to your website to purchase tickets.
Collaborate with influencers
Influencers are social media users with huge followings in a specific niche. And for a fee, they’ll promote your concert to their audience. Typically influencers request payment in the form of money, but some might accept free concert tickets, promotions of their own at the concert, or anything else you might be able to think of. There’s no “standard” payment; it’s all about what you can negotiate.
There are over 64 million influencers around the world, and that’s just on Instagram! So try to find an influencer with a decent following who focuses on music. If they’re specific to your genre, even better!
Generally, the larger the following, the more expensive it is to work with an influencer. Try to find that perfect balance between large following and cost. You don’t want to blow your entire marketing budget!
Offer early-bird pricing discounts
Nobody can resist saving money. And the easiest way to sell more tickets is to offer a special discount on your concert ticket prices. Many venues like to offer early-bird discounts. For example, give an extra 10% off for anyone who orders tickets at least one month in advance.
The benefit of an early-bird discount is that it gives venue managers a chance to see how many people to prepare for in advance. No last-minute guesswork. It also encourages your fans to purchase their tickets early, ensuring they have a good seat when the music starts!
Host a giveaway contest
What’s better than discounts? Free stuff! Social media giveaways are an engaging way to promote your upcoming concert and create tons of user-generated content that you might be able to use in future marketing endeavors.
For example, ask your social media followers to upload a clip of them dancing to their favorite song from your band, tag the band, and use a unique hashtag of your choice. After a deadline, you and the band will select your favorite, and the winner will get free tickets to your concert and be able to meet the band after.
Yes, you might have to give away some free tickets or merch. But every time someone enters the contest, their followers will see the post and maybe want to enter themselves. Many of them might not even follow your band on social media, and seeing how fun you are they might want to get some tickets to your concert. Plus, all those tags will boost your band’s visibility online, making your other marketing efforts even more effective. Social media giveaways are a powerful way to market any concert!
Sell more tickets for your next concert
It’s no fun playing for an empty room. As your next concert inches closer, start promoting to people in your area with amazing concert posters, teaser videos on social media, influencer collaborations, special pricing discounts, and a giveaway contest or two. Once your promotions are in full swing, there’s no way anyone in your area will be able to miss your concert.