With over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram is one of the most influential social media platforms in the world. If you’re hosting a corporate meeting, workshop, fundraiser, or other gathering, Instagram can help you reach a wider audience, increasing your RSVPs and attendance numbers.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to promote an event on Instagram, using both paid and organic strategies. We’ll also offer some tips for optimizing your event promotion, and explain why it’s worth investing in a dedicated event management platform like Eventtia to plan, manage, and analyze every aspect of your upcoming event.
First, How do I Create an Event on Instagram?
Instagram doesn’t have a traditional “event” feature like you can use for Facebook event promotion, but it does offer a powerful alternative: event reminders through posts. This feature allows creators, brands, and businesses to promote upcoming events like product launches, livestreams, performances, or TV premieres by adding a reminder directly to a feed post.
Users who see the post can tap the bell icon to opt in and receive push notifications when your event is about to start. Here’s how to create an event reminder on Instagram, step by step:
Step 1: Open Instagram and Start a New Post
Tap the “+” icon at the bottom or top of your screen to start creating a new post. Select a photo or video that represents your event, and is visually appealing and on-brand. For example, this image for a meditation event is a good choice – it already looks like an image you’d expect to see in an Instagram feed, and it contains the basic (but essential) event information for attendees.
Step 2: Add Your Caption and Event Details
Write a compelling caption that includes the event’s key information: what it is, why it matters, and how followers can get involved.
Step 3: Tap “Add Reminder”
Under the caption section, tap “Add Reminder.” You’ll now be able to enter your event details.
Step 4: Fill in Your Event Name and Start Time
Give your event a clear and engaging event name (this will be visible to users). Set the start time and date. Optionally, you can also include an end time.
Step 5: Post It
Once you’ve completed your reminder setup and are happy with the post, tap “Share.” Your post will now include a bell icon in the bottom-left corner. When someone taps it, they’ll get reminder notifications leading up to the event.
You can add the same reminder to multiple posts (e.g., countdown posts, teasers, or last-minute pushes). Just tap “Add Reminder” again when creating a new post and select the previously created event.
How to Optimize Your Instagram Event
Before you start promoting your event, make sure your Instagram content is fully optimized. A well-optimized post not only grabs attention, it drives engagement, encourages followers to take action, and helps your event reach a wider audience organically. Here’s how to set the stage for success.
Use the Right Hashtags
Hashtags are one of Instagram’s most effective discovery tools. They help your content show up in searches and reach users beyond your current follower list. Use a mix of popular, niche, and event-specific hashtags (e.g., #livemusic, #wellnessretreat2025, #NYCevents).
As well as using hashtags to help people discover your event, it’s also a good idea to create a custom hashtag for your event, so that attendees can post about it and build community around your brand.
Focus on High-Quality Visuals
Instagram is a visual platform first and foremost, and the quality of your images or videos can make or break user engagement. Use crisp, well-lit photos or eye-catching graphics that reflect the theme, tone, or excitement of your event.
Maintain a consistent aesthetic that matches your brand, as it will create a more cohesive and professional feed. For video content or Reels, ensure they’re edited cleanly and include text overlays or captions where needed for clarity.
Link to Your Event Page
Even though you can’t put clickable links in standard post captions, there are still a few key ways to direct your audience to your event details or ticket page:
- Use Instagram’s bio link effectively. Include a clear CTA in your caption like “Grab your tickets – link in bio!”
- If you’re verified or meet eligibility, use Instagram Stories with a link sticker to drive direct traffic to your event page.
- Use a link-in-bio tool (like Linktree, Later, or Beacons) to feature multiple links, including the event registration page.
Instagram Event Promotion: Using Organic vs Paid Ads
When it comes to promoting an event on Instagram, you have two primary options: organic promotion (unpaid, content-driven) and paid ads (sponsored posts with targeted reach). Both can work well if used strategically. Here’s a side-by-side comparison:
Feature | Organic Promotion | Instagram Paid Ads |
Cost | Free | Budget required (can start as low as $1/day) |
Reach | Mostly existing followers + hashtag discovery | Broader audience with precise targeting options |
Targeting | Limited, based on who follows or finds you via explore | Highly customizable (age, location, interests, behaviors) |
Engagement Type | More authentic, community-driven | Can be attention-grabbing but less personal |
Tools Available | Posts, Stories, Reels, Event Reminders, Hashtags | All organic tools + advanced ad formats (carousel, video, CTA buttons) |
Best For | Building trust, engaging loyal followers | Driving ticket sales, growing brand/event visibility fast |
Time Investment | Requires consistent effort and creativity | Requires upfront setup, budget planning, and tracking |
Analytics | Basic post insights (likes, saves, shares, reach) | Full ad metrics (click-through rate, conversions, ROI) |
Which Should You Use to Promote Your Event on Instagram?
Ideally, both. Organic content helps build long-term relationships with your audience, generate buzz, and establish credibility. It’s perfect for behind-the-scenes teases, countdowns, reminders, and community engagement.
On the other hand, paid Instagram ads are essential if you want to reach new audiences quickly, especially those who don’t already follow you. For events with a firm date, limited space, or ticket sales goals, running even a small paid campaign can significantly boost visibility and attendance.
If you’re on a tight budget, start with organic promotion and only boost high-performing posts. But if you have some marketing funds, combine both approaches for maximum impact, using organic to tell your story and paid ads to expand your reach.
How to Promote Your Event on Instagram Organically
You don’t need a big advertising budget to successfully promote your event on Instagram. With the right content and engagement strategies, you can build anticipation, connect with your audience, and drive attendance. Here are some of the most effective ways to make the most of Instagram’s built-in tools:
Stories, Reels, and Posts
Leverage all three content formats to keep your event front and center. Use posts for high-quality visuals and key event details, and create short, punchy Reels to highlight exciting moments, past events, or speaker intros. Post regular Stories to build momentum and stay visible in followers’ feeds, especially in the days leading up to the event.
Quizzes and Countdown Timers
Instagram’s interactive Story stickers aren’t just fun, they’re great for engagement and keep users interacting with your content. You can use Countdown Timers to create urgency and let users set reminders, or try Polls, Quizzes, and Question Boxes to spark conversations and gauge interest.
Share Behind-The-Scenes Content
People love to see what goes on behind the curtain. Share planning moments, venue setup, sneak peeks of the swag, or casual clips from team meetings. Behind-the-scenes content builds authenticity and makes your followers feel like insiders, not just attendees.
Involve Speakers and Sponsors
Extend your reach by tapping into the networks of your collaborators. Ask speakers, performers, or sponsors to share your content or post their own Stories and Reels about the event. Tag them in your content and encourage reposts to get in front of new, relevant audiences who already trust those accounts.
Go Live During Your Event
Going live on Instagram is a great way to bring the energy of your event to your online audience. Stream key moments, like speaker intros, performances, or Q&As. Even if someone couldn’t attend in person, they can still engage with your brand, and maybe be convinced to come next time.
Paid Instagram Event Promotion: Tips and Strategies
If you have the budget for it, running paid ads on Instagram is a great way to reach a wider audience when promoting your event. With the right strategy, your ads will drive clicks, conversions, and attendance. Here are some tips and strategies to make your paid Instagram promotions more effective.
Target Your Ads
The key advantage of paid ads is precision targeting. If you’re using an event management platform like Eventtia, you likely already have access to valuable attendee data, such as demographics, interests, or past behavior.
Use this data to create custom audiences or lookalike audiences through Meta Ads Manager, and target users by location, age, gender, interests, or behaviors that match your ideal attendees. You can also retarget users who visited your event page or interacted with past posts but haven’t registered yet.
Make Your Ads Look Like Regular Posts or Stories
On Instagram, people scroll past anything that feels too “salesy.” Ads that blend naturally into the Instagram feed or Story format tend to perform better, which is why it’s important to design your ads to look and feel like organic content.
Use casual visuals, behind-the-scenes clips, or quotes from speakers. Include short, compelling captions with a clear call to action, use Stories ads with vertical video, and try native features like polls or countdowns to drive interaction.
Analyze Ad Performance and Optimize Your Campaigns
Launching a paid ad is just the beginning. To get the most value, monitor how it performs and make data-driven adjustments. Use Instagram and Meta Ads Manager insights to track key metrics like reach, impressions, click-through rate, and conversions.
Pause or tweak underperforming ads and scale up the ones that are working, and run A/B tests with different images, headlines, or calls to action to see what resonates most with your audience.
Wrapping Up: Using Instagram to Promote Your Next Event
Instagram is one of the most powerful platforms for promoting events today, thanks to its visual-first nature, built-in engagement tools, and huge user base. Whether you’re building excitement with organic content or reaching new audiences through paid ads, Instagram offers everything you need to create buzz and drive attendance.
But remember, Instagram works best as part of a larger event marketing strategy. To truly maximize your impact, pair your Instagram efforts with other social media event promotion, as well as channels like email marketing, your website, and offline outreach.
And to streamline the entire process, from audience targeting to registration tracking, using an all-in-one event management platform like Eventtia can make a huge difference. Eventtia helps you manage logistics, understand your attendees, and measure the effectiveness of your campaigns across every channel.
Streamline your event management with Eventtia – discover what you can achieve by scheduling your Eventtia demo today.
