How to Write the Perfect Event Description to Drive Attendance

Your event description is often the first chance to grab potential attendees’ attention online. Given modern consumer behaviour, you have mere seconds before a user forms an opinion about your page — and potentially abandons it.

This guide will teach you how to write an event description that captures potential event-goers’ interest and drives attendance. You’ll also discover tips for solidifying your event’s unique voice, giving people the details they want, and writing event descriptions for different platforms. Read on to learn how to describe an event like a pro.

Find your tone and voice

Before you put pen to paper, define your event’s voice and tone. Your event has a personality, and this should always shine through. For example, a conference for recruiters focused on industry trends wouldn’t use the same voice as a multi-day music festival. It would use a professional tone and more formal language, whereas the festival would take a conversational approach.

Pro tip: The difference between voice and tone

Tone and voice are related but different concepts. Here’s a recap of what these two terms mean:

• Voice is how you speak to your audience and informs your copy everywhere it appears.
• Tone is how you adapt your voice to suit the situation (for example, showing excitement in your on-sale announcement vs. urgency in your last-chance email).

Documenting your event’s voice also makes it easier to connect with readers on an emotional level. It’s the secret sauce to making your event unmissable.

A good event description tells the reader everything they need to know about your event; a great event description makes them feel like they have to attend.

Connect with your audience on an emotional level to tap into a sense of FOMO, while making it as clear and easy as possible to actually attend your event.

How to find your voice and tone

When diving into the weeds of voice and tone, it can be tricky to come out with a clear picture without a few questions to guide your way. Here are three prompts to help focus your efforts:

• How do you want people to feel when they discover your event?
• Which voices (playful, expert, etc.) resonate best with your audience?
• If your event brand was a person, how would they talk?

Capture the most important details in your event description

Now that your voice and tone are defined, focus on how to write an event description. Take another pause here — your next step is ensuring you’ve prioritised the correct information and given people the details they want.

Don’t forget the event basics: who, what, when, where, and how. Being clear and concise about the most important details of your event shows respect and consideration for attendees. A clear description sets audience expectations and adds a level of professionalism that makes people feel more comfortable about committing their time and purchasing tickets.

Here’s how to capture the most important and inspiring details about your event.

Event name

The best event names make an impression, are memorable, and look effective on promotional materials. You don’t need to explain everything in the title — it should just be enough to attract someone to your event page.

Event tagline

You might think of a tagline as a marketing tactic, but popular events often use them to convey the value of their event in an inspirational and memorable way. Use a tagline under your event name on your website, in emails, on at-event collateral, on social media, and more.

Check out these three tips for creating your event’s tagline:

• There’s no perfect length, but Google typically displays up to 160 characters in the search results below the site’s name. So if you don’t want an abridged version of your tagline to appear, you should keep it under that character limit.
• It takes a few iterations to find the perfect one. There is no single “best way” to structure a tagline, so go through a process of writing multiple options and discussing them with your team.
• Don’t worry about being clever. Your primary goal is to express the value of your event clearly. Don’t forget to inject some of your brand personality too!

Event description

Your event description needs to capture the benefits of attending your event in a clear way. Avoid jargon, lengthy words, and complex sentences. Try not to use large words or complex sentences that a primary school pupil wouldn’t understand. It’s a common tactic lots of companies use to ensure their text is as accessible as possible.

Here’s how to write an event description:

• Start with an outline by mapping out what you want to say before you start writing
• Break up copy into sections with headers
• Use bullet points to make it easier for people to skim your description
• Use Eventbrite’s AI copy tool for content help

Pro tip: Prioritise benefits over features

People want to know what’s in it for them long before the cost of attending. Give them an answer in the first half of your description. Here’s an example of how to turn a features-laden description into a benefits-forward one that piques the reader’s curiosity.

Agendas, lineups, and other finer details

After the emotional benefits of attending your event, people want to know information about the experience itself. Who will be speaking/playing/performing at your event? Where is your event located? How much will tickets cost? What are the transportation logistics?

Here are some quick ways to give readers the details they want:

• Add FAQs
• State your refund policy
• Include important details such as date, time, ticket price, and venue

Pro tip: Build a following on Eventbrite

When you use Eventbrite, your fans can follow you on the platform to receive emails or push notifications whenever you post a new event. A dedicated page within their user profile also allows them to see all events from the event creators they follow. It helps to have a good quality profile on Eventbrite, which means including:

• A short-and-sweet organiser title
• An informative description of your organisation
• Links to your event website and social media accounts
• Images that represent your brand

For an example of a strong organiser page, check out the ORLOVE’s profile.

How to describe your event in 5 different ways

Now comes the fun part: versioning out your event description to suit each channel you’ll use to promote your event. You’ve already mastered the basics of writing a stellar description, so discover the tips below on how to tailor your copy to the places it will live online.

Event website or listing

Most people’s quest for something to do starts with a Google search. That’s where an event website or listing comes in, helping you rank higher in results through search engine optimisation (SEO), answering additional questions, and providing more details to event-goers.

What’s the difference between an event listing and a website?

Event listing

• Hosted by a ticketing partner, such as Eventbrite
• Requires minimal maintenance
• Makes it easy to manage ticketing
• Limits the amount of content you want to share (description, photos, FAQs)

Event website

• Built and managed by you
• Requires regular maintenance
• Best when integrated with your ticketing partner
• Gives you more control over the content you want to share

Tips for tailoring your event description to your listing and/or website

• Use different copy between your listing and website — Google rewards websites with unique, high-quality content
• Got writer’s block? Try our handy AI copy tool that’ll help generate event listings for you
• Optimise your copy for mobile search by using geographic terms such as “New York City”
• Answer the most commonly answered questions with an FAQ, so people aren’t left guessing
• State your refund policy clearly to ensure event-goers understand how it works

Learn more about best practices for a high-quality event listing.

Sample event listing

Here’s an example of a detail-rich event listing by Selma Studer of Gong, who runs London sound bath experiences in London. They paint a picture of the event, while also including everything attendees need to know.

“Join us in this beautiful church setting to experience a selection of gongs and other instruments to relax and restore both your mind and body. The sound and vibrations from the gongs help to centre the mind, calm the nervous system, and restore vitality to the body.

Because of the size and acoustics of the space, you will be guided on a 75 minute immersive sound journey with two GONG team members and a smorgasbord of gongs and instruments. This is the perfect event to gather a group of friends, family members or co-workers for a unique experience, with plenty of distance to enjoy the unique vibrational effects.”

Email

91% of people check their email every day. To stand out in an event-goer’s noisy inbox, your event emails need to be concise and compelling. While there are many email marketing strategies you can use, the first place to start is with your email copy. Here’s how to use your description to write the perfect email invitation:

• Use a short subject line (under 70 characters), personalise it with the recipient’s name, and create a sense of urgency to drive more opens
• Let your reader know you’re trusted with a recognisable sender name, such as your company name or event brand name
• The headline and body copy should be complementary, to the point, and lead the reader to your call to action (CTA) button
• Use an active CTA (“Buy Tickets”) and keep it concise
• Place your CTA at the top and bottom of your email, and link it to the right webpage

Find out more about our email marketing tools.

Social media and event discovery sites

Most event organisers use discovery sites and social media to promote their events, and it’s easy to see why — it has massive potential reach and can be used for free.

But with so many social media sites to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start. Our 12-step guide to posting on social media should help. It covers everything you need to make your events stand out and sell out.

Eventbrite lets you easily integrate your event with top event listing sites to reach new audiences. Are you a music promoter looking to showcase your event on Spotify or Bandsintown? Do you want to tap into audiences on YouTube and Facebook? This handy guide on event listing websites for reaching new audiences should be your first stop.

Here’s a short list of tips for breaking out your description into social posts:

• Get up to speed on character counts and social media best practices, such as including an engaging image with your post to drive clicks
• Break up your post using bullets on Facebook or LinkedIn to make it easier for readers to skim your copy
• Don’t be afraid to use humor (if appropriate with your event’s voice and tone) to grab people’s attention

Display and search ads

Although you can use Facebook to create and run effective advertising campaigns, sometimes you’ll want to promote your event through ads online. Depending on your budget and goals, you have two choices: display or search ads.

Display ads can appear anywhere online, use text and images together, and are great for retargeting people who have shown interest in your event but haven’t bought tickets yet. Search ads, on the other hand, are text-only and show up at the top of search engine queries.

Regardless of which channel you choose, keep these copy tips in mind:

• Keep your copy super short — there’s nothing worse than unreadable display ads
• Use the right keywords in search ads to target relevant searches
• Don’t forget your call to action and do a quality assurance check to test your link

Find out about Eventbrite Ads, which allow you to promote events across the Eventbrite platform. Sponsored listings appear in top placements in our most highly trafficked areas.

What’s the difference between display and search ads?

Display ads

• Appear everywhere online
• Help drive brand awareness
• Include retargeting capabilities to remind people who’ve expressed interest in your event that it’s still there
• Use design and words together

Search ads

• Appear at the top of a search engine query
• Low-budget way to reach the right audience in your area
• Words only — no design
• Keyword driven

Sponsorship packages

When adapting your event description to your sponsorship prospectus, shift the benefits from the attendee’s perspective to the sponsor’s. This means editing your description to reflect the business opportunity for your prospective sponsors.

Pro tip: Help interested event-goers find you on Google The words in your description can also increase discoverability through organic search. There are many ways to optimise for SEO — first, choose a ticketing partner whose site has strong domain authority. Here’s what else you can do:

• Use descriptive keywords in your title and event description
• Optimise your event listing for mobile search
• Use different copy on your own website compared to your Eventbrite event listing

Learn more about attracting and converting attendees with SEO for events here.

Writing tips for the perfect event description

Consider these writing tips to craft a description that hooks readers.

Tip #1: Less is more

One of the basic tenets of writing for the web is “less is more.” You’ve only got a few seconds before they move on to the next thing. It can be hard to summarise your event in a few words, but you don’t want to overload readers with details.

Here are three reasons to use fewer words:

• Most online readers skim content instead of reading it
• Succinct copy is easier to read on mobile phones
• Being concise helps pique readers’ curiosity

Check out these four ways to craft a concise event description:

• Start with an outline by mapping out what you want to say before you start writing
• Break up copy into sections with headers
• Use bullet points to make it easier for people to skim your description
• Use Eventbrite’s AI copy tool for content help

Tip #2: Know your value prop

When you sell tickets to an event, you’re asking attendees for their time and money. What are you offering in return? To answer that, you need to reflect on and define your value proposition:

• What is the ultimate benefit your event provides for attendees?
• Why is your event better than your competitors’ events?
• What feeling do people walk away from your event with?

Example: Tease out your Spanish class’ value For example, if you’re hosting a Spanish class, you want to determine its value. On the surface, people attend your course to learn Spanish. But dig deeper, and you’ll find that some students dream of hiking in Patagonia, while others want to connect with their heritage. Once you discover how your class is helping people transform their lives for the better, you can weave that message into your event description to make it more compelling.

Tip #3: Convey event benefits, not “features”

Conveying your event’s benefits to readers is the single best way to keep them engaged to the point of converting. Why? Because generally, people don’t buy products (or events) — they buy what that product or event will help them do.

Here are three strategies to help you focus on benefits, not features:

• Ask yourself how your event helps attendees
• Identify the positive emotional impacts of attending
• Front-load these benefits in your description

Example: Focus on benefits in your running event description

• Feature-driven: Our 10k run is set in a beautiful natural landscape.
• Benefit-driven: Enjoy the beauty of our 10k run, set in an all-natural landscape.
• Emotion-driven: Feel energised by the beauty of a stunning natural landscape.

One of the most compelling emotions driving event-goers today is fear of missing out (FOMO). Sparking this emotion and their curiosity will help you inspire them to attend your event.

Tip #4: Add social proof to your description

It’s human nature to observe how others act to inform our decisions. A testimonial from an influencer, expert, or past attendee can add credibility to your event. Collect these testimonials through social media or in post-event surveys.

Here’s why you should add social proof to your event description:

• Consumers look at product reviews before making a purchase
• Product reviews are more trusted than product descriptions from manufacturers

Example: Use testimonials to promote your yoga conference For someone still undecided on buying a ticket, a testimonial like this from a peer with a similar background can change their mind:

“Yoga in the Park took my practice to a whole new level. I am so grateful for the amazing teachers and detailed posture clinics that helped me get a new perspective. Just what I needed to mix up my teaching and fall in love all over again with the practice. Thank you!”— Mandy Smith, Senior Teacher at Altitude Yoga, Denver.

Tip #5: Avoid buzzwords or jargon

Buzzwords aren’t inherently bad, but are often overused. The same goes for clichés — if an event really is the “number one choice” for an audience, they’d know about it. Avoid jargon in your event description, too.

Here are three ways to cut filler:

• Let your writing sit overnight before editing
• Delete any unnecessary industry terms, jargon, or clichés
• Keep acronyms to a minimum and spell them out

Example: Making your startup conference description more succinct and engaging

Before: Welcome to FOUNDERCON, Australia’s #1 founder conference, created for and by startup leaders looking to disrupt their industries. A one-day immersion in all things startup, you’ll walk away with the tools and connections you need to take your company all the way to IPO.

After: Think you have to be in Silicon Valley to see startup success? Think again. FOUNDERCON was created to help Australian founders get the tools, connections, and insights they need to take their company from big idea to IPO. Come for the sessions, and stay for the beer!

Tip #6: Keep sentences short and use bullets

Even though there are many great things about your event, don’t overwhelm people with blocks of text. Organising your writing is the trick to making your copy a breeze to read. From there, include the most important details and keep it skimmable.

Here’s how to write an event description with clearer copy:

• Start with an outline and map out what you want to say before writing it
• Break up your copy into sections with headers and use bullets
• Use our AI copy tool to help with content

Tip #7: Incorporate keywords (SEO optimisation)

Choose a ticketing partner whose site has strong domain authority (how much Google trusts a website). The higher your partner’s domain authority, the better shot your event has at ranking in search results. But it’s not a quick fix — you must also know how to include the right keywords.

Check out these three ways to make your event more searchable:

• Use descriptive keywords in your title and event description
• Optimise your event listing for mobile search
• Don’t use duplicate content across your website and event listing

Example: Incorporating keywords for your beer festival

Not SEO-optimised: Humboldt BeerFest is a collection of over 20 craft breweries and local food vendors. Every year, we premiere one new beer and have an attendee-driven contest for the best taste. Tickets cost $20 and get you in for this once-a-year, all-day celebration of hops!

SEO-optimised: Love beer and NorCal culture? Join us for Humboldt BeerFest in Eureka, CA, for a day’s celebration of craft brews, music, and great food! A $20 pass gets you in for this all-day event, where you can enjoy over 20 microbrews and cast your vote for 2023’s best beer.

Tip #8: Be mindful of where your event description is displayed

Crafting an event description for your website requires a different approach than building one for event discovery sites or even your social media profile, so it’s important to know where your copy will live online and tailor it to its location.

As noted in this guide, you’ll want to craft unique descriptions for some or all of the following:

• Event website or listing
• Email
• Social media and event discovery sites
• Display or search ads
• Sponsorship packages

Creating a version of your event description to suit each channel you use is key. Not only are there length limitations on different channels, but there are different user behaviors for each.

Tip #9: Tap into eventgoers’ emotions

Documenting your event’s voice makes it easier to connect with readers on an emotional level. And that’s the key to taking your event description from good to great. While a good event description tells the reader everything they need to know about an event, a great one makes them feel like they can’t miss it. Do both by crafting a compelling message that’s clear and informative and connects with attendees emotionally.

Pro tip: Unsure how to do this? Start with why you created your event in the first place — it’s probably why someone would want to attend it.

Tip #10: Add personality to your event description

It doesn’t matter how exciting, useful, or unique your event is. If your description doesn’t capture your event’s personality, it’ll turn off event-goers in seconds.

Example description for a Free Yoga in the Park series:

• Before defining your event’s copywriting voice: Yoga In the Park is a weekly free yoga event for practitioners of all levels, held in the beautiful Boston Common. Bring your mat, your water, and an open mind!
• After defining your event’s copywriting voice: Come celebrate the season of the sun with a free yoga series at the beautiful Boston Common Frog Pond! Taught by an amazing lineup of Hot Yoga Boston teachers, you’ll enjoy energizing flows under the open sky to invigorate your body and your mind. All levels welcome, including children ages 8 and up.

Why is the second one better? It has warmth and personality, creating a welcoming feel. It also gives an enticing glimpse into what the class will offer attendees.

Tip #11: Include key details

Beyond sparking excitement, your event description must clearly communicate essential details without overwhelming the reader. Include time, ticket price, location and venue, lineup or speakers, and other important details.

Example details for a Free Yoga in the Park series:

• Before adding important details: The Frog Pond Saturday Mornings, June to August
• After adding important details: The Boston Common Frog Pond (near the Carousel) Saturdays, 9:00am to 10:00am, from June 8 to August 31 Instructor: Emily Jones

Why is the second one better? It’s clear and concise about the event’s most important details and shows consideration for attendees.

Pro tip: Have too much information for your description? Add an FAQ section to answer key questions and state your refund policy in a prominent place.

Let your event description shine online

Your event description is the foundation for everything you’ll ever write about your event, both online and off. Now that you know how to write an event description that hooks the reader’s attention within seconds, it’s time to get your tailored versions out there and see how they perform. Ready to get started? Learn how to create your event page like a pro.

Then, start driving attendance with your description today by hosting your next event on Eventbrite and contact us with any questions.