Event promotion checklist.

An event is a timeline, not a single post

One announcement rarely carries an event on its own. Most people who end up attending see the event several times before they commit: once when it is announced, again in a reminder, and once more just before doors open. The cadence below is a common, adaptable pattern — not a formula — and each phase has a format that suits it. Shrink the whole timeline for a short-notice event; the order of the steps stays the same.

These dimensions match common Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook placements. Specs are current as of August 2026 — verify against each platform’s own documentation before a critical print run or launch.

Announce early, with every detail on the asset

The announcement graphic should answer every question a would-be attendee has without a single tap: what the event is, the date, the start time, the venue, and the price (including free — say so explicitly). A striking graphic that omits the date forces people to hunt for it, and most will not. A 4:5 portrait feed post gives you the tallest canvas most feeds allow, which is room for all of those details at a readable size.

Repeat the details in the caption too. Captions are searchable and copyable; pixels are not. Someone forwarding your event to a friend will paste the caption, not retype your artwork.

Give people a way to save the date

The moment of announcement is when interest peaks, so make saving the date a one-tap action. Offer a calendar link in two forms: an ICS file, which opens in nearly any calendar app, and a Google Calendar URL for people who live in the browser. If you build your event in the Studio, an event campaign carries date, time, and venue and generates both calendar links inside the promo package, alongside the graphics and captions. A saved calendar entry is a reminder you did not have to post.

The steady middle: reminders that stay fresh

Between announcement and event day, post reminders at a steady rhythm rather than in bursts. Keep the visual identity constant and rotate the angle instead:

• Introduce a speaker, performer, or menu item per post.
• Show the venue or a behind-the-scenes moment of the setup.
• Restate the practical details — date, time, price — on every single asset, even the fifth reminder. New people arrive at every phase.
• Mark milestones honestly: a program announcement or a ticket-tier closing is a reason to post; manufactured urgency is not.

Square 1080×1080 posts work well here — they are quick to produce in series and sit comfortably next to your 4:5 announcement.

The final push: stories, with the safe zone in mind

In the last days, shift weight to the 9:16 story format — it is full-screen, ephemeral, and suited to a countdown. On a 1080×1920 story, roughly the top 250px and bottom 310px can be covered by platform interface elements (approximate, and it varies by platform and device), so keep the event name, time, and any QR code inside the middle band. A day-of story with doors-open time and a last-minute ticket link gives fence-sitters one final, complete prompt.

Print: one QR code, one destination

Flyers and posters still pull people in — if the jump from paper to phone is effortless. Put a QR code on every printed piece and point it at one destination: your event page or ticket link, the same URL your posts use. Print the code at least 2×2 cm for close-range scanning, and for a poster read from farther away, use the rule of thumb that reliable scan distance is about 10× the printed code’s width. Keep the 4-module quiet zone clear on every side, and print dark modules on a light background — inverted codes scan unreliably. Export from the QR tool as SVG for print, since SVG scales to any size without quality loss. For placement and styling decisions, see QR codes on promos.

A short link for spoken mentions

Radio spots, podcast mentions, stage announcements, and word of mouth all strip away anything clickable. Prepare a short, speakable URL — one that survives being said aloud once and typed from memory. Avoid hyphens, digits that sound like words, and anything that needs spelling out. Say it slowly, say it twice, and make sure it lands on the same destination as your QR code and posts.

One identity across every asset

From the first feed post to the sign taped to the venue door, every asset should read as the same event at a glance: same colors, same type choices, same treatment of the title. Recognition compounds — the fourth time someone sees your promo, familiarity is doing part of the work. Generating square, portrait, and story versions from a single campaign in the Studio keeps them consistent by construction. For the design fundamentals behind that identity, start with promo design basics, and to see everything an export contains, read the promo package anatomy guide.