For those who aren’t experts, social media can be daunting, especially as the platforms change and best practices evolve over time. Creating your event organization’s social accounts with little prior knowledge can seem very overwhelming in 2024. However, like most things, all it takes is a little bit of guidance and patience. In this article, we will provide you with five simple steps for getting an Event Instagram profile going with the latest best practices in no time at all.
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1.Create an Account- The Types
Instagram has three types of accounts- personal, creator, and business. For those looking to use Instagram for something other than just fun pictures of your dog and your life then you are going to want to create a business or creator account. If you are planning an event then you will most likely select business. The creator type is mostly for influencers and other creatives. A business account provides you with critical features that will help you grow your account.
These features include the ability to promote posts and auto-post from a third-party. It also gives you access to the ever-important insights section. This provides data such as audience demographics, the reach of posts, and other helpful information. A business account is also the only type of account that allows auto-posting from a third-party. This means you can utilize Facebook Creator Studio or other scheduling programs to plan out posts in advance.
2. What’s in a name?
There are two types on names on Instagram, your username and your display name. Your username is what you select first when setting up your profile. It is also what will go at the end of your custom URL. For example www.instagram.com/USERNAME. Be sure to pick something that is representative of your event and not too lengthy.
Pro tip: Your Display Name is searchable! Be sure to put keywords there that will help others find your page. For example, if you run a beer festival in Denver named “Brews and Beats”, then your username might be “@brewsandbeats”, but if you have “Denver Beer Festival” included in your display name, people searching for you with those keywords can find you more easily.
3. Starting an Event Instagram with a Compelling Bio
Your bio is extremely important for an event’s Instagram profile. You need to tell people not only who you are but WHY they should follow you.
If a picture you post shows up in the explore or other section and someone who is not following sees your picture the first thing they will do is click onto your profile to read your bio.
Best practice for 2024 is to include all basic event information in your bio: location, dates, type of event, and a website link.
Pro tip: Using a notes app on your phone makes it easier to multiple lines of text to your bio. In 2024, including emojis and symbols works well too: “🍺🎵Denver Beer Fest – Brews and Beats 🍺🎵”.
The key to a good bio is to be creative with your words. What edge does your event have? What makes you different? These are questions to ask when thinking of a good “hook” for your bio.
Pro Tip: In 2024, Instagram now allows multiple links in your bio – so if want a link to your event site as well as a link to your ticket sales page, you can do that. But multiple links can be a little confusing – it may be best to choose a ticketing platform for your event that gives you a ticket sales page that also includes all of the event’s relevant details – like EventHub Ticketing.
4. Event Instagram Profile Picture
In 2024, Instagram now recommends a 320 x 320 images so that it displays well in a web browser and on high-resolution phone screens. Even though the dimensions are a perfect square, the picture still will be cropped into a circle, like so:
5. Let’s Post – Images and Stories!
To complete your profile, you need some content! There are three main types of content on Instagram (posts, stories and reels), and it is best to have some content ready for all three of them to make your profile feel complete.
Feed Posts: When first starting out it is highly recommended that you have six to nine photos ready to publish right away to form a “grid” effect on your main account page. Since the photos display three across this will give your profile a nice full look. This will also give potential followers a look into the type of content they can expect from you. If they come across your profile and it’s blank or only has one photo then they may not be as inclined to give you a follow.
When it comes to creating posts on Instagram there are two key things to remember in terms of looks: Quality and Consistency. Every image should be of the maximum quality. Try to avoid blurry or dark images. Utilize a graphic design platform such as Canva to help you create content. Be sure to use your brand’s colors and try to create a consistent theme throughout the photos. Planning your post in advance through the help of scheduling apps such as Later or Sked can help you plan the look of your feed in advance.
Event Instagram Example
In addition to quality images, compelling captions are key to successful posts. Longer captions, emojis, and call to actions are the winning formula when it comes to engaging captions. You will also want to add up to 30 relevant hashtags on your post that it gets the maximum exposure. Hashtags are categories or phrases that relate to your niche. You can also create a hashtag specific for your event so that you can track the buzz around it.
Stories are vertical image and short video posts that by default disappear in 24 hours. But you can save stories in multiple groups that live at the top of your content on your profile.
Pro 2024 Tip: is to have extra details about your event published as stories – you can use Instagram’s built-in story creator to write out messages. For instance, maybe you want any potential sponsors to know that sponsorship packages are still available? Make a story about that and save it to a Story group called “For Sponsors”!
6. Let’s Get Reel – All About Reels
The basics: reels are vertical videos that can be up to 90-seconds long. In 2024, Reels have now become the number one most promoted and viewed content on Instagram, making it essential to get a reel or two up to complete your event profile.
Use Canva’s Reel creator to make your event’s first reel – it’s drag-and-drop! Maybe it’s as simple as a slideshow of some of your main images with “Get tickets today!” at the end. Be sure to start the video with something eye-catching (e.g. for a music festival, a close-up shot of a guitarist hitting a loud power chord 🎸, or for a wine festival, a shot of a champagne cork popping 🍾)
Pro 2024 tip: Reels are the most promoted content in search on Instagram, so be sure to include your event’s name, category and location in the hashtags on your post to maximize discovery on the Instagram search engine.
7. Save Time, Get New Sponsors, and Boost Revenue
To truly elevate your event’s presence and streamline your management efforts, consider leveraging a modern event management platform that is built to make life easier and events run smoother for event organizers like you.
EventHub is a great one-stop-shop to find new sponsors, manage vendors and paperwork, and even map your event or sell tickets, all on one platform. Curious how EventHub can help you grow revenue and save you time running your next event? Click to schedule a free EventHub demo:
