Top tips for promoting your own speed dating event

Speed dating events are an excellent way for singles to meet new people and potentially find their perfect match. However, organising such an event, whilst fun, can be challenging, and promoting it properly can be more challenging still.

The success of your speed dating event largely depends on how well you can promote it. As the old saying goes, without marketing there is nothing. It's all about getting the word out there effectively and you'll surely pull in a crowd.

Many years ago I coined the expression "there’s no such thing as a bad busy event".

It's so important I'll say it again slightly differently. You will provide a good experience if you attract enough people to your event. It's key, it's #1, and if all else fails, be it the organisation, the bar runs out of beer or the ceiling comes in (maybe not). People will generally have a good time if you provide them with enough people to meet.

So let’s unpack that statement a little. For speed dating events to work from a client’s perspective you as the organiser must provide them with a reasonable number of people to meet. What’s reasonable will depend on a few factors but as a baseline, you really want to have 10 men and 10 women attend on the night. You must expect that not everyone will attend your event, even if they have a ticket so working on that basis you should shoot for minimum sales of 12 men and 12 women to provide a good event experience.

In this article, we will explore some of the best ways to promote your speed dating event and attract enough participants to make it a real success.

Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your speed dating event. You can create a Facebook event and invite your friends and followers to attend. You can also create posts on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram with event details and hashtags to increase visibility. Encourage attendees to share the event with their friends and followers to maximize exposure.

You may have a large neighbourhood group in your locality so it’s worth asking the group admin for permission to publicise your event on their group.

Facebook offers the ability to ‘Boost’ your event or pay for advertising at a cost to you too which is an option you may wish to explore but we’d emphasise caution here as it’s easy for costs to spiral if you don’t know what you are doing. Fortunately, you can get a lot of information on how to advertise successfully on Facebook by watching YouTube videos on the subject and reading up online. It's not as difficult as you may think.

Event Listings

Listing your event on listings websites and directories is another effective way to promote your speed dating event. Websites like Eventbrite, Meetup, and Eventful allow you to list your event for free and attract participants who are interested in attending speed dating events. Make sure you provide all the relevant details, including the date, time, location, and registration information and of course, a direct link to your page on Fanciful so people can book tickets!

Local Media Outlets

Reaching out to local media outlets is an excellent way to generate publicity for your speed dating event. Consider pitching your event to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations. You can also write a press release highlighting the details of the event and send it to local journalists and media outlets.

Flyers and Posters

Create eye-catching flyers and posters and distribute them in areas where your target audience frequents. For example, if you are targeting young professionals, consider placing flyers in coffee shops, libraries, and coworking spaces and notice boards. Make sure to include all the essential details and a call-to-action, such as "Register now" or "Limited spots available." Don’t forget to include a link to your Fanciful organiser page!

Influencer Marketing

Partnering with influencers who have a significant following can help you reach a broader audience and promote your speed dating event. You can collaborate with influencers in your niche and ask them to share details about your event with their followers. Influencer marketing can be an effective way to generate buzz and attract more participants.

Email Marketing

If you have an existing mailing database, perhaps if you own or operate your venue (or know who does) for example, email marketing is an excellent way to promote your speed dating event to a targeted audience. You can create a newsletter and send it to your email list, highlighting the details of the event and encouraging them to register. If you don’t have your own email list you could consider partnering with other businesses or organizations that cater to your target audience and ask them to promote your event to their email list.

Paid Google Ads

It’s possible to pay to have your event listed on the Google search results via Google Ads. Once again, this comes with a warning as costs can quickly mount but with a bit of study, it’s possible to promote your event using this means and still turn a profit. In conclusion, promoting your speed dating event requires a comprehensive and strategic approach. Social media, email marketing, event listings, local media outlets, flyers and posters, and influencer marketing are just some of the ways you can promote your event and attract participants. Remember to leverage all available resources and platforms to reach your target audience and create a successful speed dating event.

Piggyback Marketing

Do you know of another group or organisation that may be willing to promote your events? Do you share a similar market but don't compete directly? If so, perhaps you can arrange for them to inform their clients about your event either on their social channels or by email. Consider offering a discount or special offer to add value.

Referal discounts

How about incentivising your existing customers to recommend your events to their single friends? Once again you could offer a financial incentive by way of commission or perhaps discounts. Get creative and reap the rewards.

When it comes to marketing, there's no one promotional technique that will bring all the customers you need so you must use a mixture of marketing channels to promote your events. Take your time to plan how you will promote your early events and spend the time needed to give your event the very best chance of success.

Good luck!