Generating organic enthusiasm for an event can be tough, especially in a competitive startup market where everyone’s time is valuable. The key is to advertise and directly incentivise your target audience.

If you’re in tune with startup culture, you’ll know that networking is an essential part of generating early business leads and finding your entrepreneurial feet.

As organisers of our annual startup competition, The Pitch, we’ve years of experience in event organisation. We’ve onboarded hundreds of startups across multiple cities and successfully delivered regional competitions that bring startups together from all around the UK.

Starting a business is usually extremely competitive, which means most founders or entrepreneurs will be very selective about their time.

Successfully advertising your startup support programme’s live event to this demographic requires intentional marketing and a confident strategy. We’ve pulled together some of our most effective, actionable approaches that can help you generate buzz and spread the word.

Social media and email campaigns

Social media advertising should be one of the biggest priorities for your event’s campaign – think LinkedIn posts, Instagram stories, and targeted comments and tags.

Most people will discover your startup support programme’s event or conference via social media, so take the time to plan out what you’ll be posting, when and where.

Use a third-party platform such as the Google Analytics tool, Hootsuite or Mailchimp to keep track of your metrics and better understand the nuances of your demographic.

“It’s super important to keep on top of social media trends,” explains Holly Sawyer, The Pitch’s marketing manager. “Something we’ve found particularly effective is voiceover videos that show people our event space and its features.”

Consider your entire digital footprint

Keep in mind that most online campaigns are much more than just social media promotion.

You can also increase your reach with email campaigns and clear, well-designed application pages that make signing up to an event easy.

If you’re in need of in-depth advice on how to get started, we’ve covered both these topics recently on our blog.

Before you launch, ensure that your website is up to scratch and encourages active engagement from users. Include informative popups where necessary that steer visitors to your ticket sales page. It should be immediately obvious when, where, and why your event is running.

Reach out to relevant individuals and brands

When it comes to startup events or conferences, getting the ball rolling can be the hardest part. Once others see your event is popular, they’re more likely to pay attention and be interested themselves.

So, where do you find those initial backers?

As part of your business strategy, you should be learning about individuals, CEOs, founders, or any other person of interest that could be a potential client.

Researching their wants and pain points will help you to create more effective outreach that is personal and authentic.

Create and define market personas

Reach out to those who you think would benefit most from your startup event and ask if they’d like to be involved. Many founders will recognise the hustle of a small business venture and will be happy to provide help or input; it’s great advertising for their own work too.

If your event or conference encompasses multiple different disciplines or trades, you might even want to split your research into personas. Varying brands and businesses will have alternate motivations, and your outreach strategy should be flexible enough to cater to an array of needs.

Securing those first few enthusiasts will help to boost your efforts with wider audiences and generate organic interest, as other companies are more likely to get stuck in if others within their field are also engaged.

Provide clear incentives

Startup conferences are valuable and worthwhile on their own, but you’ll most likely need a ‘hook’ to pique the interest of those outside your professional circle.

Depending on your budget or resources, this could be anything from a funding prize to a simple brochure or resource pack.

If you’ve the capabilities within your startup support programme, any cash prize or financial reward will be an effective incentive. Consider a brand partnership or appealing to sponsors to help make this a reality.

Make sure to offer genuinely enticing incentives

“It’s always important to decipher exactly what your audience would be interested in,” says Holly.

“This year, The Pitch partnered with an event accreditation service called CPD Group. This gave attendees the chance to gain CPD points and earn a certificate that contributes towards their professional development.”

On a smaller scale, you should accommodate your guests by providing free food, drink, or branded goods. Not only will this encourage people to stay before and after the main event for mingling, but you’ll also be able to advertise your brand or cause through items like tote bags, pens or pads.

Extra items like these can go a long way in shaping how participants regard their overall experience and can help retain repeat ticket sales if you’re aiming for an annual or regular event.

Offer digital attendance

While a live, in-person event is usually the optimal choice, often potential attendees aren’t able to turn up due to personal or geographical reasons.

Offering a way to still be engaged with a conference or competition digitally allows more people to take part no matter where they’re based. This, in turn, will boost overall engagement and potentially help ensure you can continue to host more events in the future.

If you’re selling tickets, there are a ton of ways you can let people watch remotely without compromising on sales. Using unique Zoom or Google Meet invite codes, for example, allows you to retain exclusivity and a sense of community while also being logistically accessible.

Find the right tools for your specific event needs

Those aiming to catch as wide an audience as possible should consider using platforms such as Twitch, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to broadcast your event as it happens. These all have live streaming capabilities that prioritise engagement and ease of access.

“People will receive a notification to say that the event is happening live, online,” explains Holly. “This can immediately increase your viewing numbers. People are naturally curious; even if they haven’t paid attention up until now, they’ll likely have a cheeky look at least.”

“Last year, The Pitch had Simon Squibb hosting the final. He was livestreaming on his own account as well as ours and reached over 30,000 UK viewers.”

Other services like Dacast or StreamShark are tailor-made for large company calls, and may better suit your needs as a startup support programme or SME. They are more security orientated and include engagement metrics to help you analyse what works and what doesn’t.

Decide which digital route you want to take and research your options. There are many platforms to choose from, so take the time to find the one most suited to your needs.

Emphasise networking opportunities

A huge asset of in-person events is the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs, founders and business owners that share your passions.

This should be a key element of your marketing campaign. Take photos during your events and take testimonials from those who’ve previously attended. Boast about the positive working relationships that have flourished and showcase any well-known brands or founders that might attend your next event.

“With The Pitch, networking opportunities are often considered a key feature,” says Holly. “As a business owner, or as someone looking for advice, the best thing you can do is put yourself in front of active investors.”

When organising your event spaces, ensure that there is room for people to meet and chat and that you allocate time in the schedule for conversation.

It’s not all about formal presentations and rigid slides. Give everyone room to breathe and make connections.

At Inkwell, we create compelling content that connects organisations with startups and small businesses. Get in touch with our team for more details on how we can help your programme or initiative reach more entrepreneurs.

Five ways to build interest in your live event