How to Hype Up an Event on Social Media

Your event is planned, the talent is booked, and now it’s time to fill the room - or the virtual space. Generating real buzz on social media goes beyond just posting an announcement, it’s about crafting a narrative that builds excitement and makes attendance feel non-negotiable. This guide provides a step-by-step playbook for building infectious hype that sells tickets and creates a memorable experience long before the doors open.

Phase 1: Before the Announcement (3-4 Weeks Out)

The best event promotion starts before you even announce the event. The goal of this “pre-hype” phase is to build curiosity and prime your audience for what’s coming. You want people to feel like they’re in on a secret, creating a sense of anticipation that a single announcement post can’t replicate.

Create Your Core Assets

Before you post anything, get your foundational elements in order. This ensures your campaign is consistent and professional from day one.

• Develop a Unique Hashtag: Create a hashtag that's short, memorable, and not already widely used. Something like #BrandSummit2024 or #MarketingUnleashedNYC. This will be the digital hub for all conversations about your event.
• Design a Visual Identity: Work with a designer to create a simple yet striking visual theme for your event. This includes a color palette, font choices, and a template for graphics that you’ll use across all social media platforms. Consistency makes your event instantly recognizable.
• Prepare a Landing Page: Have a dedicated page on your website ready to go. Even if ticket sales aren’t live yet, you can use it to collect email addresses for an exclusive first-access list.

Tease, Don’t Tell

In the weeks leading up to the official announcement, start dropping hints. This is all about sparking intrigue without giving everything away.

• Behind-the-Scenes Glimpses: Share photos or short videos of your team planning the event. This could be a picture of a whiteboard covered in session ideas, a sneak peek of the venue scouting, or a quick clip of a planning call. The caption can be as simple as, “Something big is coming… More details soon. 🙋”
• Cryptic Questions and Polls: Use social media stories to ask questions related to the event’s theme. If it's a marketing conference, you could ask, “What’s your biggest social media challenge in 2024?” This gathers audience feedback and gets them thinking along the lines of your event topics.
• "Guess the Speaker" Games: If you have speakers confirmed, post a heavily blurred photo, an obscure quote, or a set of emojis that hint at their identity. Turn it into a game for your followers to guess.

Phase 2: The Big Announcement (2-3 Weeks Out)

This is the moment everything becomes official. Your goal here is to make the biggest splash possible. This isn't a single post, it's a coordinated, multi-platform launch designed to capture maximum attention.

Launch with a Bang

Coordinate all your efforts to go live at the same time for a unified impact.

• A Coordinated Content Drop: Don’t just post a graphic. Launch with your most compelling piece of content - ideally, a high-energy announcement video. Sizzle reels with quick cuts of past events, motion graphics revealing the date and location, or a personal message from the founder all work well. Post this video natively to every platform (Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, LinkedIn, etc.) simultaneously.
• Update Your Digital Real Estate: The moment you announce, update your profile bios on all social accounts with the event name and a link to the landing page. Change your cover photos on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn to your official event banner.
• Activate Your Partners and Speakers: Don't launch alone. Provide your speakers, sponsors, and partners with a simple media kit - pre-written copy for different platforms, official event graphics, and the announcement video file. Ask them all to share the news at the same designated launch time. Their collective reach will amplify your announcement far beyond your own audience.

Phase 3: The Sustained Push (The Final 2 Weeks)

The announcement creates the initial wave of excitement. The sustained push is what turns that excitement into ticket sales and keeps your event top-of-mind. This requires a diverse content strategy that consistently provides value and reminds people why they should attend.

Spotlight Your Speakers and Content

People don't attend events, they attend events for the value and the people. Put your speakers and session topics front and center.

• Video Snippets: Ask your speakers to record a quick, 30-second cellphone video answering a specific question related to their talk. For example, “What’s the number one mistake businesses make with email marketing?” Post these as Reels or TikToks. They're authentic, packed with value, and build authority.
• Quote Graphics: Design clean, visually appealing graphics featuring a powerful quote from one of your speakers. In the caption, briefly introduce the speaker and the topic they'll be covering at the event. These are highly shareable and easy to consume.
• "Meet the Speaker" AMAs: Host short Q&,A sessions on Instagram Live or X Spaces with your speakers. Let your audience ask questions directly, creating an immediate connection and a preview of the expertise they'll gain access to at the event.

Build Community and Drive Engagement

Shift from broadcasting information to facilitating conversation. Make your audience feel like a part of the event before it even starts.

• Run Contests and Giveaways: Give away a free ticket or merchandise. The entry requirement can be simple: “Tag a friend you’d bring to #EventHashtag and share this post in your story.” This drives organic reach and uses social proof to attract new interest.
• Share User-Generated Content (UGC): As people start buying tickets, encourage them to post about it! Create a simple "I'm Going!" graphic template they can share in their stories. Reshare every single one to your own story - it shows momentum and acts as powerful, authentic marketing.
• Use Interactive Story Features: Leverage Instagram and Facebook Story features like polls (“Which breakout session are you most excited for?”), question boxes (“What do you want to learn about at our summit?”), and countdown timers to the ticket sales deadline or the event day itself.

Phase 4: The Final Countdown (The Last 72 Hours)

This is where urgency and FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) become your most powerful marketing tools. The messaging should shift from "here's why you should come" to "here's what you'll miss if you don't."

Create Intentional Urgency

People are wired to act when they feel scarcity. It's time to communicate that time is running out.

• "Last Chance" Messaging: In the final 24-48 hours, make your messaging direct and clear. "Last chance to grab your ticket," "Ticket sales END tonight at midnight," or "Don’t miss out!" are perfectly acceptable. Your visuals should reflect this urgency - bolder fonts, brighter colors, or a ticking clock animation.
• Highlight Scarcity: If ticket tiers have sold out or are close to selling out, announce it! "Only 10 VIP tickets left!" is a much more powerful motivator than a simple reminder to buy.
• Go Live for a Final Q&,A: Host a final live stream with the event organizer to answer any last-minute questions about logistics, schedules, or what to expect. It's a personable way to address final hesitations and give people one last push to click "buy."

Share Final Reminders and Logistics

For those who have already purchased tickets, your job is to keep them excited and informed. Share need-to-know details like an event schedule overview, parking information, dress code, and what to bring. A well-informed attendee is a happy attendee who is more likely to post positively about their experience.

Final Thoughts

Building event hype on social media is a marathon, not a sprint in the final days. By implementing a phased approach that starts with secretive teasing, moves to a powerful announcement, sustains momentum with high-value content, and finishes with a strong sense of urgency, you can build an authentic sense of excitement that fills seats.

We know that juggling a multi-phase promotional plan - from visualizing a content schedule to reliably publishing Reels and Stories at the perfect time - can feel chaotic. We built Postbase to bring order to that process, giving you one simple, visual calendar to plan every countdown post, speaker spotlight, and last-chance reminder. It gives you a reliable hub so you can focus on building buzz, not fighting with your tools.