How to Post an Event on Instagram

Posting an event on Instagram isn't as simple as clicking a Create Event button, because one doesn't exist. Instead, the platform offers a powerful suite of features that, when used together, can build more hype, engagement, and attendance than a traditional event page ever could. This guide will walk you through every step, from creating stunning visuals to deploying a full-funnel promotional strategy using Feed posts, Stories, Reels, and more.

Before You Announce: Setting Up for Success

A successful event promotion starts long before your first announcement post goes live. Laying the right groundwork makes every piece of content you share more effective. Before you even think about hitting "share," take care of these three fundamentals.

Define Your Event Goals and Audience

First, get crystal clear on what you want to achieve. Are you aiming for ticket sales for a paid conference, maximum registrations for a free webinar, brand awareness for a product launch, or local foot traffic for a store opening? Your goal dictates your entire strategy. Selling tickets requires a clear and constant call-to-action directing people to a purchase page. Building brand awareness might focus more on engaging, shareable content that highlights your mission.

Just as important is knowing exactly who you're talking to. What are their pain points? What kind of content do they engage with? What time are they most active on Instagram? A workshop for busy VCs requires a different tone and posting schedule than a weekend music festival for college students. Tailor your visuals, captions, and CTAs to speak directly to the audience you want to attract.

Create Visually Striking Assets

Instagram is a visual-first platform. Your event promotions will live or die based on the quality of your graphics and videos. Generic stock photos and poorly designed templates won't cut it. Your visuals need to stop the scroll, communicate your event's value, and feel cohesive with your brand identity. Before you launch, prepare a bank of high-quality assets:

• Main Event Graphic: A versatile hero image or short video clip that clearly states the event title, date, time, and key value proposition. Design this in multiple formats (1:1 for the Feed, 9:16 for Stories/Reels).
• Speaker/Guest Spotlights: Professional headshots or short video clips of anyone speaking or performing at your event. Tag them in every post to tap into their audience.
• Behind-the-Scenes Content: Sneak peeks of the venue, content preparation in progress, or unboxing of event swag. This type of content feels authentic and builds anticipation.
• Video Trailers: A 15-30 second trailer adds a layer of professionalism and excitement. If it's a recurring event, use footage from previous years to showcase the energy and value.

Nail Your Event Hashtag

An official event hashtag is non-negotiable. It acts as a digital filing cabinet for all content related to your event, from your announcements to your attendees' posts. A great event hashtag is:

• Unique: Search Instagram to make sure it isn't already used for another purpose. You don't want your event content mixed with random photos.
• Short and Memorable: Avoid long, complicated phrases. #BrandSummit2024 is better than #OurBrandsAnnualMarketingSummit2024.
• Easy to Spell: Don't use clever misspellings or confusing wordplay that invites typos.

Introduce the hashtag in your very first announcement post and use it on every single piece of content related to the event. Encourage followers, speakers, and sponsors to use it as well to get the flywheel of user-generated content spinning.

The Official (and Unofficial) Ways to Post an Event on Instagram

While there's no single "event" post type, Instagram gives you several powerful features designed to create urgency, share information, and drive action. Mastering these tools is the key to a successful promotion.

Method 1: Hype and Urgency with the Countdown Sticker

Perhaps the most event-centric tool on Instagram is the Countdown Sticker in Stories. It's a simple, interactive sticker that counts down to a specific date and time you set. It's incredibly effective for a few reasons:

• It Creates Urgency: The visual countdown makes the event feel tangible and imminent.
• It Sends Reminders: Followers can tap the sticker to subscribe to the countdown. When it ends, Instagram will send them a notification, pulling them back at the exact moment you want their attention (e.g., when tickets go on sale or minutes before a webinar starts).
• It's Shareable: Anyone who sees your Story can tap the sticker and share the countdown to their own Story, spreading the word organically.

How to use it:

1. Open Instagram and swipe right to create a Story.
2. Take a photo, video, or upload one of your prepared event visuals.
3. Tap the sticker icon (the smiley square) at the top of the screen.
4. Select the "Countdown" sticker.
5. Give your countdown a name (e.g., "Webinar Live!" or "Tickets On Sale").
6. Set the end date and time.
7. Customize the color to match your brand and place it on your Story.

Use the Countdown Sticker frequently in the days leading up to your event to keep it top-of-mind.

Method 2: The Evergreen "Link in Bio" Strategy

This is the tried-and-true method for driving traffic off of Instagram to a ticket page, RSVP form, or detailed event landing page. Your bio is the only place on your organic profile where a clickable link can live permanently. The goal of nearly every event post should be to direct attention to this link.

How to execute this strategy:

1. Update the link in your Instagram bio to point directly to your event registration page. Services like Linktree or Beacons can be helpful if you need to promote multiple links, but for a focused event launch, a direct link often works best to reduce friction.
2. Craft a clear call-to-action in your bio text, such as: "👇 Register for our FREE workshop on building a brand!"
3. In the caption of every post, in the text overlay on every Reel, and on the final slide of every Story, explicitly tell people to "Click the link in our bio to register!" You cannot be too direct or repeat this too often.

Method 3: The "Upcoming Event" Story Highlight

Your Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours, but an event promotion needs to last longer. Story Highlights are collections of past Stories that are "pinned" to your profile, sitting just below your bio. Creating a dedicated Highlight for your event turns that fleeting content into a permanent resource.

Think of this Highlight as a mini landing page. Populate it with Stories that cover:

• The Basics: Key graphics with the what, when, and where.
• FAQs: Use the Question Sticker to solicit questions, then post the answers to their own slides.
• Speaker Intros: Short video clips or graphics introducing your speakers.
• The Why: Explain the value - what will attendees learn or experience?
• The How: Add a Story with a CTA and a Link sticker pointing directly to your registration page.

Name the highlight something obvious like "Next Event" or "[Event Name]" so it's impossible to miss.

Method 4: Let Your Audience Tune In with Instagram Live

For virtual events, Instagram Live can be the venue itself. But it's also a powerful promotional tool. You can schedule a Live session in advance, which allows you to create promotional posts about it. Followers who opt in get a reminder before you go live. Use this for:

• Pre-event Q&A sessions with a speaker.
• A live countdown a few minutes before tickets are released.
• Broadcasting a keynote or a specific portion of your main event to a wider audience.

When you schedule a Live, Instagram will generate a post you can share to your Feed, amplifying its visibility and getting more people to set a reminder.

Beyond Just Posting: A Full Promotional Playbook

Promoting an event isn't about making one post. It's about creating a sustained campaign that builds momentum over time by using all of Instagram's features in concert.

Build Excitement with Teaser Reels

Instagram Reels are your best tool for organic reach. Use short-form video to build hype in the weeks leading up to your announcement. Don't reveal everything at once. Create a series of Reels that hints at what's coming.

Reel Ideas:

• A quick-cut montage of footage from a past event.
• "Save the Date!" text-on-screen video with trending audio.
• A video introducing a guest speaker with a hook like, "The expert DMing you in 3... 2... 1..."
• A short, valuable tip related to your event's theme to establish authority.

Educate and Inform with Carousel Posts

When you're ready to share the details, a carousel post is the perfect format. It allows you to break down information into digestible slides that users can swipe through at their own pace.

Example Carousel for an Event Campaign:

• Slide 1: Bold Title Graphic.
• Slide 2: "What Is It?" - A brief, exciting summary of the event.
• Slide 3: "Who Is It For?" - Call out your ideal attendee directly.
• Slide 4: "What You'll Learn/Experience" - List 3 key takeaways.
• Slide 5: "Meet The Speakers" - Feature your guests.
• Slide 6: "Ready to Join Us?" - Strong CTA with an arrow pointing to your profile picture and the text "Click the link in bio to register!"

Drive Conversations and Collect Community Feedback with Interactive Stories

Go beyond a simple graphic. Use the interactive tools within Instagram Stories to engage your audience directly and turn passive viewers into active community members.

• Polls &, Quizzes: Ask your audience questions like, "Which topic are you most excited for?" or "Guess our mystery guest!" This provides valuable feedback while boosting engagement.
• Question Sticker: Use this for an open-ended "Ask Me Anything" about the event. Answer the best questions publicly in subsequent Stories to clear up confusion and build trust.

Expand Your Reach by Collaborating with Partners and Speakers

Your reach isn't limited to your own followers. Use Instagram's "Collab" feature to co-author posts with speakers, sponsors, or partner brands. When you use this feature, the post appears on the Feed of all collaborators simultaneously, instantly exposing your event to their audiences.

To make this easy, provide your collaborators with a simple media kit containing pre-sized graphics, suggested captions, and your official event hashtag. The easier you make it for them to share, the more likely they are to promote it enthusiastically.

Final Thoughts

Maximizing event attendance on Instagram is a science of using the platform's full toolkit - Countdown Stickers for urgency, Reels for discovery, carousels for information, and strategic links to drive action. By moving beyond one-off announcements to a sustained, multi-format promotional campaign, you can build genuine excitement and turn followers into dedicated attendees.

Planning and executing a campaign across so many post formats can feel overwhelming. That’s why we use modern tools designed for today’s social landscape. Here, we rely on the visual content calendar in Postbase to map out our entire event timeline, from the initial teaser Reels to a final “last call” Story. It allows us to schedule our visuals and captions once, customize them for each platform, and see everything in a single, clean view, freeing us up to focus on creating a memorable event.