How do you feel about this statistic? There are untold billions of blog posts on the Internet. This may be good news to you as blogging is another widely accepted way of getting your message about your event out to your potential participants. But maybe you cringe and think “How will my message be noticed among literally billions of others?” Good news: I don’t have to write text, I can use photos and videos; bad news: people expect me to have an event blog and what on earth do I post about daily/weekly/monthly? It’s enough to make your head spin before you put it in the sand.

Never fear: We’re not only here to tell you that creating a blog to drum up (and keep) interest in your event is a good idea, but we give you a template to produce informative and engaging blog posts that people will want to read, and then come back for more. It’s a great way to advertise your event.

All your blog posts should be customer-focused, directed towards your event participants and potential participants. Choose one of the following types of posts:

Answers to questions: If you’ve been receiving questions, post the answers here for everyone to read. They may be small questions — where to park; is lunch included?; or specific questions — the number of CE credits per session; or larger issues — are there any outings to amuse my spouse while I’m in the course? Either answer just the question or use it to write a longer post on a related broader topic, such as facilities, all education credits available and social events planned.

Solutions to problems / how-to advice: These posts are similar to the answers to questions posts, but give specific instructions to solve the problem. If one person is having the problem, chances are that others are too. Examples here include how to find what room your sessions are in and what clothing to bring for the anticipated weather.

Both the answers to questions and solutions to problems types of blog posts can be responses to actual queries or you can come up with them yourself by putting yourself in the participants’ shoes.

Benefits to participants: Here’s where you post inside information about the sessions and the presenters; interviews with speakers; links to their latest articles and books. Also include any non-work benefits of attending event. The message here is “This is how you’ll benefit by attending this event.”

News: If there’s been any noteworthy changes or updates to your event, or perhaps something newsworthy in the surrounding area, write a post about them.

You need an eye-catching headline. Most people will read your headline, but only maybe 2 out of 10 will read the actual post (80/20 rule). Create your headline before you write the blog post to give you focus; you can always change it later for a more punchy one.

Usability research shows that we scan headlines the same way we scan text on a web page. The first three and last three words register with people, so make sure these brief phrases can stand together and explain what post is about.

Choose one of the following types of headlines: (words we scan are italicized)

Question: Do you know how to ……?
How to: How to network without losing your mind. (will catch people’s attention)
Numbers: Five must-see attractions to visit in the evening.
Audience definition: For sports-lovers who have some free time at the weekend.
Negatives: Don’t miss cutting-edge research presentations at this conference.
Benefit: Learn the latest about ……..

Storytelling is still key to drawing people in and making the blog post relevant to their lives. Include one of these in your opening paragraph:

Personal anecdote

Anecdote or quote from a famous person (preferably one of speakers or presenters at your event)

Statistics about topics related to the event

Story/fact about the event, including past event stories

An image serves several purposes: it helps to grab and focus people’s attention, it illustrates the point you’re making and it breaks up the blocks of text into shorter, more easily scanned lines. Use photos from past events to help in your storytelling. We have a three-part Guide to Working with Images for Event Planners to help you successfully include images.

People scan text on web pages for words they’re interested in, so make it easy for them to find the info they’re looking for by using plenty of sub-headings. Think about the key point of the paragraph and use that for the sub-heading — don’t be too cute or clever, be practical and straightforward. Our White Paper, Writing for Event Websites, includes details on how to write effective web text.

One of the most often asked questions about a blog post is how long it should be. The true-but less-than-helpful answer is “it depends.” Here’s a more useful rule-of-thumb to follow:
For your event website blog, keep each post short; between 100 and 300 words is plenty. The blog is not the main online vehicle for your event, it’s just to keep people interested. That said, make sure you answer the question/topic you set up in the headline and first paragraph. Don’t repeat information that’s elsewhere on your website — link to it. If you have a longer piece you want to publish, perhaps an interview with one of the speakers, put it on its own webpage and write a short post linking to it.

Make sure you have a 140 character quotable sentence for people to tweet; you can even put it in a callout box ready for copying. Include all the social share buttons that you think your readers use.

On some blog posts include a call to action to register for the event, with a link to your registration page. You don’t need it on all the posts as the reader is already in your event website.

Producing a blog as part of your event marketing strategy needn’t be time-consuming nor arduous. Consider the blog posts you write as an opportunity to show the lighter side of your event and an additional way to connect with your (potential) registrants.

How To Write Effective Blog Posts For Your Event

How To Write Effective Blog Posts For Your Event

What to write about

Headline

Opening few sentences

Featured image

Sub-headings and text

Length

Include tweetable quotes and social share buttons

Call to action

Just write it

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